Pope to Saint
Today marks the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul, and Catholic Church officials have reached a milestone in the fight to make him a saint. Pope Benedict put the late Pope on the fast track for sainthood, which would grant him a waiver for the traditional 5-year waiting period, a waiver which has only been granted once before, to Mother Teresa.
The waiting period is set to help avoid hasty decisions made in the emotional time after a person’s death. However, after his death the call for “Santo Subito” (Sainthood Immediately) was heard throughout the Vatican City.
Yesterday I talked a bit about saints, but what does it actually take to become a saint? Everyone agrees that Pope John Paul led an amazing life and positively influenced a number of people, but to become a saint, one must have performed miracles. The first documented miracle will allow beatification, which allows the person to be called “blessed” and locally honored. The next step is sainthood, which requires another miracle. You can learn more about this story here.
Pope John Paul, pope, Catholic Church, Vatican City, sainthood, saint
Leave a Reply