Article: GOD'S ARCHITECT ; Antoni Gaud, 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 ++ The Vatican and the visionary

Deep in the heart of the Vatican, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins has been mulling a delicate issue for some time; should he give the nod to Pope Benedict XVI to make Antoni Gaud 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 Gaud's candidature for the past four years since receiving a petition to beatify the devout architect, who died under a tram 81 years ago.

A pile ...

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