Veneration of the saints was admirable, but sometimes it went to excess. Cults developed around certain saints; the faithful became obsessed with relics, sometimes dividing them up into smaller and smaller parts and selling them.

These were not cults as we know the term today; rather, they were supporters of a particular holy person, interested in advancing his or her cause toward sainthood or venerating the saint. Unfortunately, some Christians became obsessed with miracles and superstitions surrounding their favorite saint, which made the Church feel there might be too much emphasis on saints at the expense of worshiping God.

Thus a practice was established of having the regional bishop decide, after reading the would-be saint's biography and account of miracles attributed to him or her, whether that person should be approved as a saint, with a feast day assigned in that region.

This was a start, but papal approval of favorite saints carried more prestige than the acknowledgment of a mere bishop. Involving Rome also allowed decisions to be made on unbiased knowledge of the life of a candidate for sainthood. Thus in 993 Ulric of Augsburg, a bishop, was declared a saint in the first papal canonization.