# Why aren't all popes saints? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-all-popes-saints/534169 "2010-03-29T01:50:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-all-popes-saints/534169/21 "2010-03-30T01:24:58Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Alexander was a pretty bad pope, and a pretty bad guy. He was a pretty big patron of the arts, though. You know who else loved the arts? Hitler. Was an artist himself. Oops! I lose the thread! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-all-popes-saints/534169/22 "2010-03-30T17:43:46Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Some people distinguish between canonized Saints and all the faithful saints in heaven by the use of capitalization, as exemplified in the main clause of this statement. Yes, that’s the distinction I was taught in Catholic school: there are small-s saints (everyone in Heaven), and there are capital-S Saints, who are the ones who are canonized. The uppercased ones are the only ones that are referred to as St. Name, and they’re the ones that require martyrdom or miracles. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-all-popes-saints/534169/23 "2010-03-30T20:50:53Z")
The Pope can be wrong, and he can preach false doctrine. Papal Infallibility is like the SCOTUS pronouncing on a principle of law - it’s now settled law and we can stop exploring the issue. Otherwise no questions of doctrine could ever be considered settled. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-all-popes-saints/534169.md?page=1)