John Paul II close to sainthood
The Catholic Church is on the verge of declaring late Pope John Paul II a saint.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican body that reviews candidates for sainthood, credited the late Pope John Paul II with a second miracle since his death, Italian media reported.
The commission consisting of cardinals and bishops, approved the pope’s intercession was behind the healing of a woman from Costa Rica on May 1, 2011, Italy’s ANSA news agency said.
Pope Francis must now give his approval before a canonisation date is set.
John Paul II reformed the sainthood process in 1983, making it faster, simpler, and cheaper. His successor, Benedict, waived a church rule that normally requires a five-year waiting period before the preliminaries to sainthood can begin.
John Paul II had already been credited with asking God to cure French nun Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand of Parkinson’s disease, which helped lead to his beatification in 2011, when he was declared a “blessed” of the Church.
A second miracle is required in order for someone to be given full sainthood.
Canonisation is the final step in the official process that declares a deceased person to be a saint. A canonisation ceremony for the Polish-born pontiff, who died in April 2005, can be set as soon as December, according to reports. That would be the fastest progression to sainthood in modern times.