April 20, 2011

Pope John Paul II to Be Beatified on May 1


May 1, 2011 is a date to remember Pope John Paul II as he will be beatified in Rome on this  day which is also the first Sunday next to Easter. Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to John Paul II last April 14 which made him closer to being a saint. 

Beatification means that the pope is considered “blessed” and can be publicly venerated. Sainthood will follow next after one more miracle is confirmed. The first miracle was the sudden recovery of a nun named Sister Marie Simon-Pierre from Parkinson's disease after she prayed to John Paul II. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints then agreed unanimously that the pope is really miraculous.

To recall, Pope John Paul II died at the age of 84 last April 2005 because of complications from Parkinson's disease.

Thousands of people are expected to come in Rome and be involved in the beatification ceremony. After the beatification on May 1, his body will be moved from the grottoes under St. Peter's Cathedral to the church itself.


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