Pope John Paul II One Step Closer To Sainthood

Following the testimony of a French nun, Pope John Paul II could be confirmed as "blessed" in the process of beatification, one step away from sainthood:

The late Pope John Paul II could move a step closer to sainthood, as Catholic Church officials complete the first phase of an inquiry into his holiness.

The report, to be given to the Vatican on the second anniversary of his death, cites a possible miracle attributable to the Pope's intercession.
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Information for the dossier was gathered on the former Pope's life and teachings, including all private writings from the period before he became Pope, and checked for orthodoxy to ensure that he expressed no heretical views.

A commission of historians then gathered the documents together to be examined by panels of theologians, cardinals and bishops.

Pope Benedict XVI will now be called upon to give his approval to John Paul II's beatification.

The testimony of the French nun, Marie Simon-Pierre, whose Parkinson's disease disappeared two months after the Pope's death, could be central to the case for sainthood.

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More on the push to speed John Paul II's canonization.


Pope John Paul II, on fast-track to sainthood