Pope Francis has authorized 12 decrees on miracles, martyrdom and heroic virtues of 22 men and 5 women. Pope Francis took 27 men and women a step closer to sainthood. The Pope received Card. Angelo Amato, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and authorized him to promulgate 12 decrees regarding 22 men and 5 women from as many as 8 nations. They concern 3 miracles, a martyrdom and 8 heroic virtues. Nineteen candidates, including 3 miracles and the martyrdom of 16, have been cleared for Beatification, the penultimate stage before Canonization or sainthood. Among the 12 is the decree on the heroic virtues of the noted “Rosary Priest,” Servant of God Fr Patrick Peyton of the Congregation of Holy Cross (CSC). Another person whose heroic virtues have been recognized is Servant of God, Cardinal Stefan WyszyDski, the former primate of Poland. The cardinal who was Bishop of Lublin and later Archbishop of Warsaw and Gniezno died on 28 May, 1981, in Warsaw. He is known for his struggle against the Communist state over freedom and the basic rights of the church, and he even suffered imprisonment.