Pope John Paul’s Body Exhumed for Beatification

He worked a political miracle against communism: Peggy Noonan

(NEWSER) - John Paul II continues his speedy path to sainthood this weekend, and Peggy Noonan thinks it's well-deserved. You want miracles? How about the political one he pulled off with his 1979 visit to his native Poland. It was simultaneously one of the "greatest moments in the history of faith" and "one of the greatest moments in modern political history," writes Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . Millions turned out in the supposedly atheist state to see him, a fact that government-run TV unwisely tried to ignore. More»

Faithful will be able to pray before it at John Paul's May ceremony

(NEWSER) - The coffin of John Paul II will be exhumed for his beatification ceremony in May, reports Reuters . It will remain closed, but the faithful will be able to pray before it at the Vatican. About a million people are expected at the ceremony—which will bring John Paul one step closer to sainthood—and the Vatican is warning its flock in the meantime to watch out for online scam artists selling tickets. The event is free, and none are needed. John Paul was fast-tracked for beatification last month. More»

Benedict expected to beatify him this year

(NEWSER) - 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»

(AP) - A 19th-century Belgian priest who ministered to leprosy patients in Hawaii will be declared a saint October 11, the AP reports. In July, Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to Rev. Damien de Veuster's intercession, declaring that a Honolulu woman's recovery in 1999 from terminal lung cancer was the miracle needed for him to be made a saint. De Veuster was beatified—a step toward sainthood—in 1995 by Pope John Paul II. More»

Even a beloved pope has to wait to see if he's sainthood material

(NEWSER) - 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). More»