Holiness and canonization

This article by Boris Bobrinskoy, delivered on the occasion of the canonization of five new saints of the Orthodox Church in Western Europe, offers a theological reflection on the nature of holiness and the ecclesiological significance of the act of canonization. Adopting a meditative and doctrinal approach, the author articulates two levels of analysis: holiness as the universal vocation of the human being created in the image of God, and canonization as an act of ecclesial discernment directed toward the earthly Church rather than the heavenly Church. The article emphasizes that no impermeable boundary separates canonized saints from ordinary faithful, all participating in the same communion in the Spirit. On the theological level, it provides a clarification on the disciplinary rather than ontological scope of canonization, illustrated by the figures of Mother Maria Skobtsova and Father Alexis of Ugine.