Pope John Paul II beatified just six years after his death

Pope John Paul II beatified just six years after his death

Mangalore Today News Network

Vatican, May 1: Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the status of "blessed" on the late John Paul II on Sunday in Saint Peter’s Square, filled to overflowing as more than one million people took part in the solemn mass.

Crowds of people, some carrying national flags and singing hymns, moved towards St Peter’s Square in the largest gathering since millions turned out for his funeral six years ago.

Many pilgrims camped out overnight and the entire Vatican area was sealed off as stewards marshalled the huge crowd towards the square.

Teeming faithful: A million people are believed to have crammed into the Vatican to watch the beatification of Pope John Paul II

 

Devout: Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have gathered in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican, for the beatification of Pope John Paul II


Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, many from the late Pope’s home country of Poland converged on Vatican City to see John Paul II become a saint.

The faithful followed along in the aisles, some kneeling, hands clasped in prayer, and priests pushed their way down packed, narrow aisles to give them Communion.

Top Vatican officials and some of the late pope’s closest aides look on and pray over his coffin

Pope John Paul’s coffin was exhumed on Friday from the crypts below St Peter’s Basilica and will be placed in front of the main altar.

It will then be moved to a new crypt under an altar in a side chapel near Michelangelo’s statue of the Pieta.

The marble slab which covered his first burial place will be sent to Poland.

Five years must pass after a person dies before the procedure for sainthood can even begin, but Pope Benedict (right) put John Paul on the fast track to sainthood in May 2005, just two months after his predecessor died

 

Up to 200,000 people also attended a prayer vigil last night in the Circus Maximums, the huge oval once used by the ancient Romans for chariot races.

Rome churches also threw open their doors all night to allow pilgrims a space to pray.

During the mass, successor Pope Benedict pronounced a Latin formula proclaiming one of the most popular popes in history a ’blessed’ of the church.

During his homily, he said: ’He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope.’

A place of honour was reserved for Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, a French nun who suffered from Parkinson’s disease but whose inexplicable cure has been attributed to John Paul’s intercession with God.

The Vatican will have to attribute another miracle to John Paul’s intercession after the beatification in order for him to be declared a saint.

Blessed: Pope Benedict presides over the mass in St Peter’s Square, which was attended by world leaders and members of European royal families

 

After the nearly three-hour Mass, Benedict prayed before John Paul’s coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which was expected to stay open through the night and for as long as it takes to accommodate the throngs of faithful who want to pay their respects.

John Paul’s beatification has set a new speed record for modern times, taking place six years and one month after his death on April 2, 2005.

 

While the overwhelming number of Catholics welcome it, a minority are opposed and say it has taken place too quickly.

 

Prayers: French nun Marie Simon-Pierre, right, whose unexplained recovery from Parkinson’s qualified John Paul for beatification, kisses the casket containing relics from the late pope

THE NECESSARY STEPS TO BECOME A SAINT

The Vatican is preparing to elevate the late Pope John Paul II one step closer to sainthood with his beatification on Sunday. Here are some key facts about the canonisation process by which the Roman Catholic Church makes a saint:

THE PROCESS

    Under normal Church rules, five years must pass after a person dies before the procedure for sainthood can even begin. Despite a person’s reputation of holiness during his or her life, the process cannot begin until after death.
    The reigning pope has the authority to waive the five-year waiting period. Pope Benedict put John Paul on the fast track in May 2005, just two months after his predecessor died.
    When the local bishop begins the ’cause’, the candidate for sainthood receives the title ’Servant of God’. A ’postulator’ is then appointed to help gather information about the candidate. The postulator also reviews nearly every word known to have been written or spoken by the candidate.
    One miracle is required after a candidate’s death for the cause to move on to beatification. The miracle must be the result of a person praying to the candidate for intercession with God. Miracles are usually the healing of medical conditions that doctors are at a loss to explain.
    The candidate can then be beatified and declared a ’blessed’ of the church. Another distinct miracle is needed between beatification and canonisation, or the conferring of sainthood.
    Parts of the Church’s saint-making process go back several centuries. The procedure is detailed and often long. In the early Church, a simple acclamation sufficed.

THE FIRST MIRACLE

    Last January, Benedict approved a decree attributing a miracle to John Paul’s intercession with God and announced that he would be beatified on May 1.
    The miracle concerned Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, a French nun diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, from which the pope himself had suffered. She said in June 2005 her illness inexplicably disappeared two months after his death when she and her fellow nuns prayed to him.

Life Story of John Paul II

Pope John Paul II was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. John Paul’s early life was marked by great loss. His mother died when he was nine and his older brother Edmund died when he was twelve.

Growing up, John Paul was athletic and enjoyed skiing and swimming. He went to Krakow’s Jagiellonian University in 1938 where he showed an interest in theater and poetry. The school was closed the next year by Nazi troops during the German occupation of Poland. Wanting to become a priest, John Paul began studying at a secret seminary run by the archbishop of Krakow. After World War II ended, he finished his religious studies at a Krakow seminary and was ordained in 1946.

He was alos called as Karol Wojtyla; Juan Pablo II; John Paul the Great. John Paul spent two years in Rome where he finished his doctorate in theology. He returned to his native Poland in 1948 and served in several parishes in and around Krakow. John Paul became the bishop of Ombi in 1958 and then the archbishop of Krakow six years later. Considered one of the Catholic Church’s leading thinkers, he participated in the Second Vatican Council—sometimes called Vatican II. The council began reviewing church doctrine in 1962 and held several sessions over the course of the next few years. As a member of the council, John Paul helped the church to examine its position in the world. Well regarded for his contributions to the church, John Paul was made a cardinal in 1967 by Pope Paul VI.

Wojtyla proved himself a noble and trustworthy pastor in the face of Communist persecution. A member of the prepatory commission, he attended all four sessions of Vatican II; is said to have written Gaudium et spes, the document on the Church in the Modern World. He also played a prominent role in the formulation of the Declaration on Religious Freedom. Following the Council, Pope Paul VI, appointed Karol Wojtyla cardinal on 26 June 1967.

In 1960 he published his most famous written work, Love and Responsibility. Pope Paul VI, delighted with its apologetical defense of the traditional catholic teaching of marraige, relied extensively on Archbishop Wojytla’s counsel in writing Humanae Vitae. In 1976 he was invited by Pope Paul VI to preach the lenten sermons to the members of the Papal Household.

Archbishop Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI. He took the name of his predecessors (John, Paul, John Paul) to emphasize his desire to continue the reforms of the Council.


In 1978, John Paul made history by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than four hundred years. As the leader of the Catholic Church, he traveled the world, visiting more than 100 countries to spread his message of faith and peace. But he was close to home when he faced the greatest threat to his life. In 1981, an assassin shot John Paul twice in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Fortunately, he was able to recover from his injuries and later forgave his attacker. John Paul II is the most traveled pope in history, having visited nearly every country in the world which would receive him. As the Vicar of Christ he has consecrated each place that he has visited to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 13 May 1983 he went to Fatima to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He later repeated the consecration of the world to Mary in union with all the Bishops of the Catholic Church, in fulfillment of Our Lady’s promises at Fatima.

In the summer of 1995, Pope John Paul II began a lengthy catechisis on the Blessed Virgin Mary during his weekly Angelus addresses, culminating on 25 October 1995, with his instruction on Our Lady’s active participation in the Sacrifice of Calvary. This active participation of Our Lady at Calvary is called the corredemption. Already in 1982 and 1985 Pope John Paul II used the term "corredemptrix" in reference to Our Lady in public addresses. This is significant, for he is the first Pope to do so since Pope Benedict XV at whose prayer Our Lady came to Fatima to reveal Her Immaculate Heart. Since the time of Pope Benedict XV, this terminology was under review by the Holy See; the present Pope’s usage is a confirmation of this traditional view of Mary’s role in salvation history.

A vocal advocate for human rights, John Paul often spoke out about suffering in the world. He held strong positions on many topics, including his opposition to capital punishment. A charismatic figure, John Paul used his influence to bring about political change and is credited with the fall of communism in his native Poland. He was not without critics, however. Some have stated that he could be harsh with those who disagreed with him and that he would not compromise his hard-line stance on certain issues, such as contraception.

In his later years, John Paul’s health appeared to be failing. At public appearances, moved slowly and seemed unsteady on his feet. He also visibly trembled at times. While one of his doctors disclosed that John Paul had Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder often characterized by shaking, in 2001. But there was never any official announcement about his illness from the Vatican.

John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, at his Vatican City residence. More than three million people waited in line to say good-bye to their beloved religious leader at St. Peter’s Basilica before his funeral on April 8. Church officials began the process of making John Paul II a saint soon after his death, waving the usual five-year waiting period.