Perhaps because of her famous (or infamous) flouting of ecclesiastical authority, Hildegard of Bingen was not canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint, though she was honored locally as a saint. The Church of England considered her a saint. On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially declared her a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, and has announced that in October 2012, he will name her as a Doctor of the Church (meaning her teachings are recommended doctrine). She will be the fourth woman to be so honored, after Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena and Térèse of Lisieux.
