[Hieronymus]

On the other hand, the Church is uniquely qualified to rule on individual sanctity, and her criteria are very different from those used in analyzing a historical figure.

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The old rules laid down by Urban VIII after Trent were very thorough. Paul VI reduced the rigor of some parts of the process, and Pope Francis, by opting for frequent use of equivalent canonization, is doing so further. The process is important, as it is not merely assuring that the person is in heaven, but that the person is an outstanding example to follow.

[Tax-chick]

The process is important, as it is not merely assuring that the person is in heaven, but that the person is an outstanding example to follow.

That's true.

However (to elaborate my original point, rather than disagree with yours), we may with confidence recognize that a person is in heaven, and that he lived an exemplary life, without reaching a conclusion regarding the prudence of his every act or every impact of his life.

These are the kinds of questions always open to re-examination. Policies of President George Washington are still debated, for example, and there's no reason they shouldn't be.