Pope John Paul II on fast track to sainthood

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Pope John Paul II on fast track to sainthood
Richard Owen ("Times Online," November 19, 2009)

Vatican City - The late Pope John Paul II is likely to be put on the fast track to sainthood next autumn after the Vatican this week confirmed his "heroic virtues", according to his former press spokesman.

Cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes voted unanimously formally to recognise that John Paul had lived a Christian life and shown "heroic virtues", a necessary precondition for beatification. The vote is secret, but was widely reported in Italy and not denied by the Vatican.

The next stage is for Pope Benedict XVI to sign a decree declaring his predecessor to be "venerable". Joaquin Navarro-Valls, John Paul's former spokesman, said beatification - the step before canonisation - would follow "in the autumn" of 2010. Gianni Alemanno, the mayor of Rome, also suggested during a recent visit to Krakow that the beatification of John Paul would take place next year.

Some reports suggest that April next year is a likely date, since it marks the fifth anniversary of John Paul's death, when those who gathered for his funeral held up banners declaring "Santo Subito" ("A Saint at Once"). However Vatican sources say this may be too soon given the complex procedures, and point instead to October 2010, the 32nd anniversary of the Polish-born Pope's election in October 1978.

Evidence of a miracle is required for beatification. In the case of Pope John Paul the promoter of his cause has proposed the miraculous healing of a French nun who suffered from Parkinson's disease, from which John Paul also suffered.

A cause for beatification is not normally opened until at least five years after the candidate's death. However Pope Benedict waived that waiting period in the case of John Paul, who had himself made an exception for Mother Teresa of Calcutta, beatified just six years after her death.

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	All Articles Pope John Paul II on fast track to sainthood Richard Owen ("Times Online," November 19, 2009) Vatican City - The late Pope John Paul II is likely to be put on the fast track to sainthood next autumn after the Vatican this week confirmed his "heroic virtues", according to his former press spokesman. Cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes voted unanimously formally to recognise that John Paul had lived a Christian life and shown "heroic virtues", a necessary precondition for beatification. The vote is secret, but was widely reported in Italy and not denied by the Vatican. The next stage is for Pope Benedict XVI to sign a decree declaring his predecessor to be "venerable". Joaquin Navarro-Valls, John Paul's former spokesman, said beatification - the step before canonisation - would follow "in the autumn" of 2010. Gianni Alemanno, the mayor of Rome, also suggested during a recent visit to Krakow that the beatification of John Paul would take place next year. Some reports suggest that April next year is a likely date, since it marks the fifth anniversary of John Paul's death, when those who gathered for his funeral held up banners declaring "Santo Subito" ("A Saint at Once"). However Vatican sources say this may be too soon given the complex procedures, and point instead to October 2010, the 32nd anniversary of the Polish-born Pope's election in October 1978. Evidence of a miracle is required for beatification. In the case of Pope John Paul the promoter of his cause has proposed the miraculous healing of a French nun who suffered from Parkinson's disease, from which John Paul also suffered. A cause for beatification is not normally opened until at least five years after the candidate's death. However Pope Benedict waived that waiting period in the case of John Paul, who had himself made an exception for Mother Teresa of Calcutta, beatified just six years after her death. Related Sections \| Catholic	Search 10 Commandments 12 Tribes Aum/Aleph Bahai Branch Davidians Buddhism Christianity Church/State Colonia Dignidad FLDS Falun Gong Gatekeepers Gov. Reports Hari Krishna Hinduism Home Schooling Honohana House of Prayer Internet Related Islam Judaism Legislation Legislative Docs. Miscellaneous Mungiki Native Religions Nuwaubian Nation Occult Other NRMs PBMA Raelians Rastafarians Scholarly Papers Scientology Sectarian Violence Sikhism Solar Temple The Body The Family Int'l Unification Church Yahweh Zong Gong
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