Pope Benedict XVI may never catch up with Pope John Paul II's astonishing total number of declared saints -- people whose heavenly intercessions with God prompted at least two miracles.
But he's moving at a pretty good clip in the rate of canonizations -- more than 23 saints celebrated in six ceremonies since Benedict became pope in April 2005. By comparison, John Paul II, who eventually canonized 482, did none in his first three years, says Matthew Bunson, editor of The Catholic Almanac and author of John Paul II's Book of Saints....