Being the basis for a speech delivered at a meeting of Polish Academy of Sciences committee members in Lublin, this text introduces the canonisation process, as reformed in 1983 by John Paul II, by presenting the most debated issues connected with the ongoing process concerning that Pope. The article answers the following questions. Was he a martyr or a confessor? Why does the process take place in Rome? What is the essence of a rogatory process? Who can and who cannot be a witness? These issues are preceded by a presentation of the current sources of canonisation law.