For centuries after Pope St. Pius V, who died in 1572 and whose feast day was April 30, Catholics may well have thought that he was the last of a dwindling tribe, the canonized pope.

That has changed dramatically in recent decades. Indeed, April 27 marked the 10th anniversary of the twin papal canonizations of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II. The canonizations have returned because the age of persecution has returned. Pope Francis marked another anniversary recently that underscored that fact, two centuries since the death of Pope Pius VII. ...

The papal saints have returned because, in part, the princely power of popes has eroded. Just as it was in the beginning, when election as pope was an invitation to martyrdom.