The Catholic Church relies on doctors and other experts like Duffin to investigate the miracle claims associated with potential saints, who generally need to have two attributed to them before they can be canonized. Scientists don't need to be Catholic — Duffin is an atheist — and they aren't pressured to support faith over reason.
“There's so much science involved. It never would have occurred to me that (church authorities) cared so much,” said Duffin, who wrote two books about the saint-making process in the years after her unexpected participation in one.
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