The process of beatification and canonization has undergone various reforms in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. For current practice, as well as a discussion of similar processes in other churches, see the article on canonization. This article describes the process as it was before the promulgation of the Codex Iuris Canonici (Code of Canon Law) of 1983. The causes of martyrs were considered somewhat differently from those of confessors, for some points of the process. Till after the Second Vatican Council, the conclusive act of the canon practice and procedure of canonization, were: the Pontifical Bull of Canonization, the Pontifical High Mass of Canonization (Beatification) celebrated in the Vatican Basilica, during which the Pope officially proclaimed the martyr or the confessor to be Saint for the whole Catholic Church. The Saint may have a Church Consecrated with his name, or be prayed to as an intercessor during a Votive Mass. Beatification Of Confessors In order to secure beatification, the most important and difficult step in the process of canonization, the regular procedure was as follows: Selection of a vice-postulator by the postulator-general of the cause, to promote all the judicial inquiries necessary in places outside of Rome. Such inquiries were instituted by the local episcopal authority. The preparation of the inquiries (processus) all of which were carried on by the ordinary episcopal authority. They were of three kinds: (a) Informative inquiries regarded the reputation for sanctity and miracles of the servants of God, not only in general, but also in particular instances; there might be several such inquiries if the witnesses to be examined belonged to different dioceses. (b) Processes de non cultu were instituted to prove that the decrees of Pope Urban VIII regarding the prohibition of public veneration of servants of God before their beatification had been obeyed; they were generally conducted by the bishop of the place where the relics of the servant of God were preserved. (c) Other inquiries were known as "processiculi diligentiarum" and had for their object the writings attributed to the person whose beatification was in question; they varied in number according to the dioceses where such writings were found, or were thought likely to be found, and might not be judicially executed before an "instruction" was obtained from the Promotor of the Faith by the Postulator General and by him sent to the bishop in question. The results of all