Vatican Mulls the Case for St. John Paul II

Even a beloved pope has to wait to see if he's sainthood material
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 2, 2008 8:24 AM CDT
Vatican Mulls the Case for St. John Paul II
Children dressed for the Corpus Christi procession rest under a portrait of late Pope John Paul II, a Pole, in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, May 22, 2008.    (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

He may have served as the spiritual leader for millions of Catholics for more than 26 years, but the soul of Pope John II is under intense scrutiny in Rome. The Washington Post takes a look at the office charged with determining whether the beloved pontiff is eligible for sainthood—as it sorts through stacks of documents attesting to or refuting his suitability for beatification (prerequisite: one miracle) and finally canonization (prerequisite: one more miracle).

"No one has the right to be canonized, not even Pope John Paul," says a monsignor working the saintly task. (More Pope John Paul II stories.)

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