Causes for the sainthood of Popes Paul VI and John Paul I move forward

Pope Benedict XVI could be the first pope to beatify three of his predecessors. The process of beatification is being examined for both John Paul I and Paul VI.

Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, is in charge of examining the cases. "The cause for the beatification of Paul VI is going very well," he told Rome Reports. "The case is being advanced and we only need to study it. On John Paul I, the process of beatification is also going very well."

The Congregation is reviewing claims by people who say that they have received an intercession on behalf of the popes, but a miracle has not been confirmed. The claims are being examined by medical and theological experts.

On 9 May 2005, Benedict XVI began the beatification process for his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

No date has been announced for the beatification of Popes Paul VI and John Paul I, but it is possible that it could occur during the Year of Faith (Oct. 11, 2012-Nov. 24, 2013), which begins with the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Both popes were present at the Second Vatican Council.

{video link}

D. Beeksma

One of the growing crowd of American "nones" herself, Deborah is a prolific writer who finds religion, spirituality and the impact of belief (and non-belief) on culture inspiring, fascinating and at times, disturbing. She hosts the God Discussion show and handles the site's technical work. Her education and background is in business, ecommerce and law.

More Posts - Website - Twitter