Saints' congregation approves
'heroic virtues' of John Paul II:
Next step - Pope proclaims him 'Venerable'
by Salvatore Izzo
VATICAN CITY, Nov. 17 (Translated from AGI) - The cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood voted yesterday in favor of postulating the 'heroic virtues' of Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II.
There was no official announcement because the vote is considered 'consultative' and requires confirmation and announcement by the Pope.
However, the Vatican did not deny reports made by Vatican correspondents Andrea Tornielli and Marco Tossatti in their respective blogs and by Franca Giansoldati in
Il Messaggero.
Previously, theologian consultants to the Congregation had approved the
positio.
When he decrees the late Pope's 'heroic virtues', Benedict XVI will also declare him 'Venerable', thus paving the way for the last stage of the beatification process, namely, the verification by a medical commission and confirmation by a theological commission of a post-mortem miracle attributed to John Paul II.
The case to be verified is that of a French nun who was cured overnight of Parkinson's disease in 2005, after praying to the late Pope for his intercession.
Once the miracle is verified by the doctors and approved by the theologians as an event that cannot be explained by natural causes, the members of the Congregation will vote for beatification and recommend the cause to the Pope.
Recently, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, responding to newsmen, said that there would be no 'acceleration' of the beatification process other than the waiver granted by Benedict XVI in May 2005 of the customary five-year-period following death before a formal cause for beatification could be started.
It is unlikely that the process will be completed by the time of the late Pope's fifth death anniversary in April 2010, but it is possible it could be done by October 2010: October 16 is the anniversary of John Paul II's election as Pope, and the following day, Sunday, would be appropriate and timely for the formal beatification rites. It would also take place during the Special Synodal Assembly for the Middle East.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 17/11/2009 16:54]