Members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted yesterday to approve a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable John Paul II, according to the latest report from Andrea Tornielli.
“The last obstacle was overcome,” the Vaticanist for Il Giornale writes in today’s paper. “The cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints gathered yesterday morning and reviewed and approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of John Paul II: the healing of the French nun from Parkinson’s disease.”
“Now all that is missing is the final signature of Benedict XVI,” he adds, and repeats his earlier speculation that the beatification “could take place in the spring or in October.” He reports that the cardinals gave their OK “without difficulty” and, “according to some indiscretions, without votes against.”
There’s been no official Vatican announcement so far. That will happen when Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presents a dossier on the miracle to Benedict XVI, calling for his final decree.
The Vatican hasn’t confirmed or denied these reports but has stressed that the final decision on the beatification rests with the Holy Father. Once he promulgates the decree, a date will be set for the beatification.
In his article, Tornielli recalls that there was a slowdown in the cause in 2009 because the congregation wanted “to take a good look at every possible objection and rely on other experts.” But now, he says, “the series of meetings gives the impression of acceleration.”
UPDATE: (ANSA) - Vatican City, January 13:
Work has begun in St Peter’s on moving late Pope John Paul II’s body up from the crypt and into a chapel near Michelangelo’s famous Pieta’ statue, Vatican sources said Thursday.
The Pope’s body will be placed in a new tomb in the Chapel of St Sebastian when he is beatified, the second of three steps towards sainthood.
The beatification is expected to take place later this year, perhaps as early as April 2, the sixth anniversary of his death.
The chapel was chosen because it is close to the entrance to the basilica and so it will be easier for the Polish pontiff’s hosts of admirers to get to, the sources said.
A mosaic of St Sebastian is being cleaned up and preparations are being made to move a previous pope, 17th-century pontiff Innocent XI, out of the chapel to make way for John Paul.
An official announcement that the final stages of the beatification cause are reaching their conclusion is expected Friday, according to some sources.
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Good. This will prove once and for all that no part of the sex abuse scandal can be laid on JPII’s shoulders. It also proves that Maciel was indeed innocent and pure of heart, becuase no saint would’ve been such a staunch defender of someone who did what Maciel is reported to have done.
Andrew: I’m not sure that your argument holds. All this proves is that John Paul enjoyed great personal sanctity, a sanctity not at risk if he committed errors based on human frailty and/or the information (or lack thereof) held at the time. This does not prove that Fr. Maciel was innocent…Saints are, of course, human. They are not infallible in their persons or in every action.
What?!?! Andrew, you are either baiting people or are completely off your rocker. This rush to canonization is abhorent for the very two crimes you cite. It’s not my place to say he’s actually guilty, but why the need to speed this process along? I can actually answer my own question: It’s because the longer they wait, the fewer of his men will be in power, and the more objective the new crop of deciders will be. And we all know how the voting would end up if the situation were looked at objectively. This is why Ford pardoned Nixon. He knew full well that no one after him would pardon the criminal.
I wrote my opinion on this very topic a week ago, and it is something I feel strongly about. Now that this is going to actually happen, I fear that it will send the wrong signal as Andrew’s letter has already shown. John Paul may HIMSELF be innocent and pure of heart but NOT Maciel, who was stripped of his priestly faculties and told to live a life of prayer and penance. If he were “innocent” why would Benedict do this in 2006? Then of course came the revelations of him in 2008. This past year the whole order was investigated and reforms are being made include removing his picture. Does that sound like he is “innocent”? Besides all this about the LOC and sex abuse in other cases (like Austria) I do not think that JPII should not be beatified before John Paul I, who has been dead for 30 years(case not open until 25 years later) or Venerable Pius XII whose record about the Jews during WWII speaks for itself. I will repeat what I said before, there should be NO partiality or favoritism to JPII just because he came from Poland and brought down the Iron Curtain.
Sheena, I agree with most of what you say, but why even mention beatification of JPI? Does simply being pope automatically put one on the consideration list?
ReubJan, I mentioned JPI, for two reasons. First his case was not opened up until 2003, although he was very popular at the time of his early death. He was definately more popular than Paul VI, and even Blessed John XXIII. Secondly, his cause was moving fast because in August 2006, a miracle that he is said to have worked in curing a man of stomach cancer in 1992 was recognized at the local level. Then in early November of 2006, an approved prayer for his intercession was propagated early in 2007. I have been following the case of John Paul I and Pius XII (whose miracle was a result of John Paul II saying HIMSELF to the relative of the one cured to Pray to PIUS XII not to himself and this happened and this cure also took place)
Lindsay,
You sound like a very angry person. Saying someone is “off your rocker”, stating that “this rush to canonization is abhorent”, suggesting that the BEATIFICATION (not canonization) is advancing so that JPII cronies can help get him in and comparing Ford-Nixon with Benedict-JPII. This is not a political game.
It is a process that has very definite steps, the Congregation looks at the facts, not only of someone’s life’s work, but their sanctity of life or heroic virtue and the merits of any “miracles” that have taken place and are determined to have been due to that persons intercession AFTER their death. Most of the comments here have a “tit-for-tat” tone to them. Whether JPI or JPII or Pius XII or JOhn XXIII are beatified or canonized is not simply based on personal feelings. They should be (and are) based on facts. Even if all, some or none of these people are canonized does not REQUIRE any of us to have a devotion to them.
This thread has been hijacked. This has nothing to do with Maciel, and JP2’s canonization has absolutely nothing to do with the innocence or guilt of Maciel. Saints aren’t supermen, nor are popes, they can make mistakes. I for one take no argument on the innocence or guilt of Maciel, that’s up to the authorities within the Church. Second, we forget ourselves, the process for canonization, and rather or not its going too fast or not fast enough, is a question for ecclesiastical authorities. The church is indefectable and indestructible. While the proglimation of the sainthood of a person is not a matter of infallibility (not faith or morals) it nonetheless commands our assent. In other words, if the Church declares it, the discussion is over.
Here Here! Techpilgrim!
Just for the record, I already have a picture of him on my wall, and several others in my scrapbook.
Remember-he still needs to have ONE more miracle to accomplish for canonization. And only Heaven knows if and when that will happen.
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