E-mails to help beatify late Pope

Vatican City - The Vatican is urging Roman Catholics to contribute to the late Pope's beatification by sending e-mails about miracles performed after his death.

The website for the Diocese of Rome will soon start publishing the readers' messages under several categories.

John Paul II, who died in April, encouraged the use of the internet.

Beatification is the first step to sainthood, for which the Vatican needs to establish proof of two miracles performed by the late pope.

Part of the website will be dedicated to the pontiff's life, writings and numerous trips around the world.

Readers' emails will be grouped under categories such as "my meeting with John Paul II" or "blessings received". The site will eventually be available in several languages.

Fast-track

In an unprecedented move, Pope Benedict XVI gave the green light to the beatification process just weeks after John Paul's death.

Traditionally, five years should pass before the process can be started.

But during Pope John Paul's funeral, the crowd demanded that he be made saint quickly by chanting "santo subito" (sainthood now).

A polish priest, Slawomir Oder, is in charge of the case for John Paul II's beatification.

He will be collecting and examining the material on behalf of the Diocese of Rome.

The beatification process will be formally launched on 28 June.