The conservative Italian newspaper, II Giornale, has recently reported that Vatican officials have confirmed that a French nun has been miraculously cured from Parkinson's disease as a result of praying to John Paul II for his intercession. Once Pope Benedict XVI approves the evidence of the miracle, he is expected to set a date for the beatification. This is a major step toward sainthood for his predecessor, John Paul II.
The Polish Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek told the Associated Press that the beatification date could be as early as May 1; however other sources say that it must be later in the year because of the tremendous effort required to make the preparations necessary to receive the pilgrims coming to the Vatican for the event.
The Fast-Track to Sainthood
Responding to the cries of "Sainthood Immediately!" that erupted during Pope John Paul II's funeral mass, Benedict XVI recommended him for sainthood within a few weeks. He waived the required five-year waiting period and insisted that the investigation into John-Paul's virtuous life be done quickly but thoroughly.
Since many of the priestly criminal cover-ups occurred during his watch, the deceased Pope's record and writings were closely scrutinized according to Vatican spokesmen. They found nothing that would deter John Paul's path to beatification.
Once the candidate has passed the test of the investigation into his life and a "general promoter of the faith" has found him to be free of heresy and to have lived his life with heroic virtue, he passes on to the next phase of the process.
The Miracle and Beatification
The next step toward sainthood is the beatification process. At this point, the candidate must be credited with a miracle. If the Church agrees that a miracle was performed by God in response to the intercession of the candidate for sainthood, then he may be declared "Venerable."
Beatification differs from canonization in that beatification implies a local permission for the lay people to venerate the saint candidate. Canonization involves papal infallibility in declaring a world-wide permission for his veneration.
In John Paul's case, a French nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, was confirmed to be afflicted with Parkinson's disease. She claimed that she felt reborn and cured of the disease two months after John Paul died. Officials confirmed that she did, indeed, have the disease and was cured, due to the intercession of John-Paul II, who had also suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Canonization
Once the Congregation for the Causes of Saints confirms the proof of another miracle through the intercession of the "Venerable" John-Paul II, it will issue a universal decree regarding the public ecclesiastical veneration of the deceased Pope. It implies that the candidate resides in heaven and God works through him.
The Canonization is significant in many ways:
- The saint's name is added to the catalog of saints.
- The saint is invoked in public prayers.
- Churches may be dedicated in the saint's memory, and Masses can be offered in his honor.
- The Feast days are celebrated in his memory and all images of the saint show his head surrounded by a halo.
- The relics (remains or bones) are publicly honored.
Currently Pope John-Paul is entombed in the grottoes beneath the basilica. Workers at the Vatican have begun the restoration of a mosaic in a chapel near the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica, where John Paul's remains will be moved for better public access once he is beatified.
Cardinal Jose Saraiva-Martins, who worked on John Paul's investigation, said that the beatification would be a "moment of joy" for the Church which has been grieved not only by the abuse scandal but the persecution of Christians around the world.
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