BEATIFICATION, an act by which the pope declares a person beatified or blessed after his death. It is the first step towards canonization, or raising any one to the honour and dignity of a saint. The corpse and relics of the future saint are exposed to the veneration of all good Christians; his images are crowned with rays, and a particular office is set apart for him, but his body and relics are not carried in procession. Indulgences and remissions of sins are likewise granted on the day of his beatification.