God's architect: The story of the Vatican and the visionary

Antoni Gaudí, the deeply pious architect whose unfinished
cathedral the Sagrada Familia has inspired Catholics for generations,
is being considered for sainthood - but his masterpiece may be under
threat. Graham Keeley reports from Barcelona

Published: 24 April 2007

Deep in the heart of the Vatican, Cardinal José Saraiva Martins has
been mulling a delicate issue for some time; should he give the nod to
Pope Benedict XVI to make Antoni Gaudí a saint?

The Portuguese prelate heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes
of Saints and decides who should be recommended for membership of the
most exclusive club, sainthood. The Pontiff gets the final say.

But recommending a person for this honour is not, as one would
imagine, a decision any self-respecting cardinal can take lightly.
Hence he has been considering Gaudí's candidature for the past four
years since receiving a petition to beatify the devout architect, who
died under a tram 81 years ago.