What Makes a Saint?

The Vatican news service tells us that Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. today issued a note concerning the signing of the recent decree on the heroic virtues of Servant of God Pope Pius XII.
Is there any reason to think that the points he makes about the process with an eye toward canonization, and about what the Church's magisterial judgement in these matters do not apply as much to any other soul for whom a cause has been advanced?
A reminder that the prudence of any given action taken by a person may be open to discussion and may yet be irrelevant to that person's sanctity?

"When the Pope signs a decree 'on the heroic virtues' of a Servant of God - i.e., of a person for whom a cause for beatification has been introduced - he confirms the positive evaluation already voted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. ... Naturally, such evaluation takes account of the circumstances in which the person lived, and hence it is necessary to examine the question from a historical standpoint, but the evaluation essentially concerns the witness of Christian life that the person showed (his intense relationship with God and continuous search for evangelical perfection) ... and not the historical impact of all his operative decisions".[emphasis added]

"At the beatification of Pope John XXIII and of Pope Pius IX, John Paul II said: 'holiness lives in history and no saint has escaped the limits and conditioning which are part of our human nature. In beatifying one of her sons, the Church does not celebrate the specific historical decisions he may have made, but rather points to him as someone to be imitated and venerated because of his virtues, in praise of the divine grace which shines resplendently in them'.

"There is, then, no intention in any way to limit discussion concerning the concrete choices made by [X] in the situation in which he lived. For her part, the Church affirms that these choices were made with the pure intention of carrying out the Pontiff's service of exalted and dramatic responsibility to the best of his abilities. In any case, [X's] attention to and concern for the fate of [a particular group of people] - something which is certainly relevant in the evaluation of his virtues - are widely testified and recognised, also by many [if, sadly, not all of these people].

"The field for research and evaluation by historians, working in their specific area, thus remains open, also for the future. In this specific case it is comprehensible that there should be a request to have open access to all possibilities of research on the documents.
...

"It is, then, clear that the recent signing of the decree is in no way to be read as a hostile act towards [anyone], and it is to be hoped that it will not be considered as an obstacle on the path of dialogue".

I think, for instance, of the animus felt towards Pope John XXIII by some traditionalists for having called for the Ecumenical Councial, toward Pope John Paul II by any number of people for any number of reasons.

It is hard, sometimes, to remember that It Is Not All About Me.
Or about my concerns.
The Jewish people, per se, are not the subject at hand in this instance, (this cause for sainthood -- they are the subject at hand, a bit, in this press release, PR being PR.)

But surely the same points were intended to apply to the bigger picture, to all such causes.

John Paul's cause will not be about people who think condoms are the best defense against AIDS, or that praying with those of another faith is not the best way to go about bringing them into the Faith; nor John's about people who felt bereft of the old Mass.

Having not done what I would have done, or having done something that in hindsight was not the most efficacious course of action, does not in any way, shape or form negate a person's heroic virtue.

And not acting toward me, or some newspaper columnist, or those of another faith, or an over-caffeinated blogger; in the way I, or some newspaper columnist, or those of another faith, or an over-caffeinated blogger wish he had, has nothing whatever to do with the love he felt for me or some newspaper columnist, or those of another faith, or an over-caffeinated blogger.

The nearness to perfection of any person's imitation of God, Who is Love --- that is the only true criterion for sainthood.