Sainthood

[Sojourner]

Can someone who is not Catholic be canonized?

[Adeodatus]

Yes and no.

We don't canonise non-Catholics, but we can and do recognise certain non-Catholic sainsts as saints. This applies only to apotolic churches, like the Orthodox. After the split (1054) between East and West, both sides continue to canonise their saints. Some Eastern saints from after the Schism, e.g. St Seraphim of Sarov, are recognised by the Catholic Church as saints. We don't canonise them, but recognise that that particular saint's life is truly holy, and that the Eastern custom and requirements for the recognition of saints corresponds to our own in this particular case. We don't adopt all their saints wholesale.