Time Line: 1997
- beatification of Blessed Bernardina Maria Jablonska
- beatification of Blessed Domenico Lentini
- beatification of Blessed Elias del Socorro Nieves
- beatification of Blessed Gaetano Catanoso
- beatification of Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini
- beatification of Blessed Maria Karlowska
- canonization of Saint Hedwig
- canonization of Saint John of Dukla
- death of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
- death of Father Pio Giannotti
- death of Father Salvador Rivera García
- declaration of Blessed Artemide Zatti as Venerable
- declaration of Blessed Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodriguez Santiago as Venerable
- declaration of Blessed Teresa Bracco as Venerable
- declaration of Blessed Tommaso Reggio as Venerable
- declaration of Saint Antonio of Saint Anne as Venerable
- declaration of Antonio Rosa Ormieres as Venerable
- declaration of Carla Ronci as Venerable
- declaration of Catalina of Mary as Venerable
- declaration of Flora Bracaval as Venerable
- declaration of Pierre Monnereau as Venerable
- elevation of the archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján, Argentina
- elevation of the archdiocese of Parakou, Benin
- elevation of the diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica, Antilles
- founding of the archdiocese of Vaduz, Liechtenstein
- founding of the diocese of Abeokuta, Nigeria
- founding of the diocese of Amparo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- founding of the diocese of Asansol, India
- founding of the diocese of Bagdogra, India
- founding of the diocese of Dharmapuri, India
- founding of the diocese of Goaso, Ghana
- founding of the diocese of Juína, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- founding of the diocese of Kaga-Bandoro, Central African Republic
- founding of the diocese of Manga, Burkina Faso
- founding of the diocese of Matehuala, San Luís Potosí, México
- founding of the diocese of Merlo-Moreno, Argentina
- founding of the diocese of Mongu, Zambia
- founding of the diocese of Požega, Croatia
- founding of the diocese of Punto Fijo, Venezuela
- founding of the diocese of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
- founding of the diocese of Varaždin, Croatia
- founding of the diocese of Šiauliai, Lithuania
- founding of the Byzantine apostolic exarchate of Košice, Slovakia
- founding of the military ordinariate of Croatia
- founding of the mission "Sui Iuris" of Kyrgyzstan
- founding of the mission "Sui Iuris" of Tadjikistan
- founding of the mission "Sui Iuris" of Turkmenistan
- founding of the mission "Sui Iuris" of Uzbekistan
- founding of the prefecture apostolic of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam
- founding of the territorial prelature of Paranatinga, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- proclamation of Saint Therese of Lisieux as Doctor of the Church
