How does the Catholic Church decide what counts as a miracle?

You have probably heard that in order for someone to be declared a
saint they (usually) need to have two miracles attributed to their
intercession. But how does the Catholic Church decide what’s a
miracle and what is just a rare healing—or a hoax? To find out, we
spoke with Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, an auxiliary bishop for the
Archdiocese of Seattle who has served as the “devil’s advocate” in
the canonization process. The devil’s advocate (today formally
known as the “promoter of the faith”) is appointed by the church to
make the case against a candidate’s sainthood. We ask Bishop
Elizondo what kinds of questions the devil’s advocate asks, how
modern science has changed the church’s understanding of miracles
and why most miracles today involve healing—as opposed to, say,
water and wine or loaves and fishes. In Signs of the Times, we
preview the Jan. 22 beatification of Rutilio Grande, a Jesuit
priest and martyr from El Salvador, and discuss an advice column
about Catholic weddings that raises interesting questions about the
role of parents in the sacrament.  Links from the show: Come
to Italy with Jesuitical! 4 lessons from Rutilio Grande, priest,
prophet and martyr Ask Amy: Upset mother objects to paying for
Catholic wedding Boy’s recovery a Kateri miracle What’s on tap?
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