John Paul II set to be saint within weeks

[emad]

John Paul II set to be saint within weeks
By Victor L Simpson in Rome
Published: 10 July 2005

Pope John Paul II's closest aide said yesterday that he hoped the late pontiff would be made a saint during World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany next month.

"Everything is possible, but I don't know if it would be opportune," said Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz. But, he added, the Cologne setting would be perfect because "no one loved young people like the pope and they loved him. It would be wonderful for a German pope to canonise a Polish pope in Cologne."

Speculation has been swirling about whether Pope Benedict XVI might beatify John Paul during the World Youth Day celebrations - placing the late pope on an even faster track to possible sainthood. Already, Benedict waived the five-year waiting period and allowed the beatification process to officially begin just three months after John Paul died on 2 April. The five-year wait was a reform of John Paul II's: previously the normal period before someone could be declared a saint was 50 years, later reduced to 10.

At present the case for his sainthood is being collected by a "postulator" whose task is to sift the evidence. He is apparently receiving hundreds of emails daily which talk of personal meetings with the late pope and ascribing potential miracles that occurred after prayer to him. Two proven miracles are required to become a saint. It used to be four.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article298081.ece

[emad]

1. Lawsuit accuses Vatican Bank of war crimes, World War II:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1915544

Say no more....

[splat]

2. Sainthood seems like the rocknroll hall of fame now

Roll over, Teresa.

[jean]

3. This is a circus. The Catholic faith has been reduced to instant sainthood

and will probably promote the sale of John Paul II icons, so we can all mount the little saint on our dashboards.

[emad]

4. Must some goddawful new scandal brewing if they're THAT desperate

to bulldoze this through....

[beam me up scottie]

5. Bingo !

Wait for it . . .

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Probably still trying to cover up for the old ones

everything seems to be "look over there" now (gay marriage, overemphsis on abortion, pushing anti-intelecutal-no thinking crackdowns, etc...) , though people are not being fooled and many are leaving because of it.

[Matilda]

7. It has more to do with being able to push on with the "reforms"

of John Paul. In other words, reforming the post-Vatican II Church
and taking it backwards. With a brand new saint whose aim was to
do just that, the real reform agenda will be put on the backburner.

[CatholicEdHead]

8. New figurehead

I had not thought of that approach, but it sure sounds more than reasonable. There is more power consolidation going on now than flock sheperding going on now.

It appears they are taking the GOP-Reagan style route.

[Matilda]

9. And I think that's why the canonisation of John XXIII has been pushed

to one side. JPII really dragged his feet on that one - too likely
to remind people of the changes he put in motion.