The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

sainthood”, the amount of miracles that the enquiry needed to recognise was reduced by
half. Now only one miracle needed to be recognised for “the halfway house” of
beatification, and only one more for canonisation. In this revised papal process of
“creating role models for how Christians should lead their lives”, Pope John Paul II had
beatified and canonised more people than all his predecessors combined. 49
A Canadian priest, Brian Kolodiejchuk, was appointed as postulator, the person who
would oversee the cause to declare Mother Teresa a saint. As postulator, Kolodiejchuk
set about the usually “lengthy, exhaustive and … very expensive” process of collecting
“evidence of sanctity”. This would lay the groundwork for a decision by the Sacred
Congregation on whether Mother Teresa was of “heroic virtue and therefore Venerable”.
Kolodiejchuk also undertook to investigate all evidence as well as any “accusations” and
allegations against her as part of the “bookkeeping … done on earth”. It was expected
Kolodiejchuk’s research would take account of the questions raised by Christopher
Hitchens’ critical biographic exposé as well as the more measured criticisms put forward
by Anne Sebba. 50
In August 2001, after a swift two‐year investigation, Kolodiejchuk completed a 76‐
volume, 36 000‐page report into Mother Teresa’s “life, beliefs and alleged miracles”. This
report was submitted for examination to the Sacred Congregation in Rome, whose task
was to “pore over every aspect of the candidate’s life and everything the candidate [had]
ever written”. Another element in this investigation involved the office of the Promotor
Justitie, a “theological censor” known colloquially as the “Devil’s Advocate”, whose
duty was to cast out “those whose haloes [did] not burn brightly enough”. 51
49 Dominic Crossley‐Holland, ‘Fast‐track sainthood for Mother Teresa will keep the masses happy’,
The Sunday Independent, 26 October 1997; Melinda Henneberger, ‘The saints just keep marching in’,
New York Times, 3 March 2002; Cape Times, 21 October 2002; by October 2002, Pope John Paul II had
beatified 1303 people and had ‘recognised’ 465 saints.
50 John Follian, ‘Miracles muster for Mother Teresa’s sainthood’, Weekend Argus, 25‐26 August 2001;
John Follian, ‘Mother Teresa “failed to give painkillers to the very ill’”; Dominic Crossley‐Holland,
‘Fast‐track sainthood for Mother Teresa will keep the masses happy’.
51 Dominic Crossley‐Holland, ‘Fast‐track sainthood for Mother Teresa will keep the masses happy’; John
Follian, ‘Miracles muster for Mother Teresa’s sainthood’; Paul Williams, Critical Lives: Mother Teresa, pp
212‐213. Williams also suggests that the process would also require the exhumation of Mother Teresa’s
remains for “forensic experts” to search for “special marks or signs” and to “establish proof of her
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