ROME — Pope Francis has paved the way for the canonization of Pope Paul VI, who led the Roman Catholic Church through turmoil in the 1960s and ’70s, and the slain Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, the Vatican announced on Wednesday.

Francis approved the decrees on Tuesday confirming miracles attributed to the intercession of the former pontiff and the Salvadoran archbishop, the Holy See said in a statement.

The miracle attributed to Paul VI involves the healing of a seriously ill fetus, according to the Diocese of Brescia, where the pope was born. In the case of Archbishop Romero, the nature of the miracle has not been made public, but Vatican journalists have speculated that it concerned a woman whose pregnancy presented serious risks for her and her baby, and who healed inexplicably.

“It is fortuitous that their miracles were approved the same day,” said Andrea Tornielli, who covers the Vatican for the Italian daily La Stampa and its website, Vatican Insider. “It’s not a coincidence that the Vatican announced them together. They both cared for the poor and social justice, and Pope Paul VI encouraged Romero all his life long.”