John Paul II Speeding Toward Sainthood

Benedict expected to beatify him this year
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2011 3:50 PM CST
John Paul II Speeding Toward Sainthood
In this June 7, 1979 file photo, Pope John Paul II walks outside the home where he was born in Wadowice, Poland.   (AP Photo, File)

John Paul II's fast track to sainthood gets even faster this week. A Vatican panel has concluded that the former pontiff did indeed perform a miracle—a nun says her Parkinson's disappeared after she prayed to him—and will present its findings to Pope Benedict within days, reports Reuters. Benedict is expected to approve the miracle, then set a date for beatification later this year. That would bring John Paul one step from canonization, at which point he'll need either one more miracle or a waiver from Benedict. A Guardian columnist thinks the fast pace (it usually takes decades) is a mistake.
(More Pope John Paul II stories.)

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