John Paul II closes in on sainthood at a miraculous pace
The Pope is expected tomorrow to declare his predecessor John Paul II “venerable” in the first of three official stages that the previous pontiff will take on his fast-track journey towards sainthood.
The late Pope will then be beatified next October, the month after the Venerable John Henry Newman is beatified by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Britain, taking the 19th-century divine a step closer to becoming England’s first non-martyr saint since the Reformation.
Cardinal Newman died in 1890, meaning that it will have taken him 120 years to be beatified, the second stage towards canonisation, for which a necessary miracle, the healing of a lay deacon in the US, was ratified this year. Another miracle must be found, and it could take many years more, for him to be canonised.
By contrast, John Paul II died in April 2005 and is speeding towards canonisation at a pace unequalled even by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who died in 1997 and was beatified six years later. Joan of Arc had to wait 600 years. Only martyrs can be canonised without needing two miracles, one for beatification and one for actual sainthood.
Read entire article at Times Online (UK)
The late Pope will then be beatified next October, the month after the Venerable John Henry Newman is beatified by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Britain, taking the 19th-century divine a step closer to becoming England’s first non-martyr saint since the Reformation.
Cardinal Newman died in 1890, meaning that it will have taken him 120 years to be beatified, the second stage towards canonisation, for which a necessary miracle, the healing of a lay deacon in the US, was ratified this year. Another miracle must be found, and it could take many years more, for him to be canonised.
By contrast, John Paul II died in April 2005 and is speeding towards canonisation at a pace unequalled even by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who died in 1997 and was beatified six years later. Joan of Arc had to wait 600 years. Only martyrs can be canonised without needing two miracles, one for beatification and one for actual sainthood.