I am posting this here temporarily....
Pius XII miracle reported:
Strange link to John Paul II
by Andrea Tornielli
Translated from
January 19, 2010
A supposed miracle has been attributed to the intercession of Pius XII which could lead to his beatification sooner than expected. The miracle is mysteriously tied to John Paul II.
Both Popes were proclaimed Venerable by Benedict XVI last December 19 after decreeing their 'heroic virtues' as approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The miracle involves the unexplained healing overnight of a young mother who was diagnosed with a malignant lymphoma, and is being presented to the Vatican by the Diocese of Sorrento-Castellamare di Stabia where the woman lives.
This was first reported by the online site PETRUS with a confirmation from the Vicar of the Diocese, and
Il Giornale has since reconstructed the story, which will be examined in the next several months.
In 2005, shortly after the death of Papa Wojtyla, a young couple was expecting their third child. The pregnant woman, a teacher, felt strong pains early in the pregnancy which the doctors could not explain. After several tests and a biopsy, they determined she had Burkitt's lymphoma, an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic tissues, that begins in the jawbone then diffuses to the abdomen and pelvis, and then attacks the central nervous system.
The husband started praying to John Paul II to ask for his intercession. One night, he saw the Pope in a dream. "He looked serious and he said, 'I cannot do anything now. You must pray to him' and I saw an image of a spare, lean and tall priest. I had no idea who he was".
A few days later, when he was leafing through a magazine, he saw a picture of the young Eugenio Pacelli. It was the image he had seen in his dream. And so, he set in motion a chain of prayers by everyone he knew to seek the intercession of Pius XII.
His wife was cured after the first treatment she underwent. It was so unusual that her doctors thought they must have made a srong diagnosis. But a review of her entire medical chart confirmed the accuracy of the diagnosis.
The tumor disappeared, the woman got well, went on to deliver her baby, and is back teaching.
She allowed some time to pass before she decided to report her case to the Vatican.
Fr. Carmine Giudici, vicar-general of the woman's home dioeces, told PETRUS: "It is true. We were then contacted by the Holy See informing us that a diocesaan member had claimed to be the beneficiary of a miracle thanks to Pius XII. Archbishop Felice Cece decided to convene the appropriate diocesan tribunal for such matters."
The tribunal will be responsible for evaluating the case initially and make a first determination. If they find that the claimed miracle appears plausible and is unexplained by the doctors, then they will hand the dossier up to the Vatican.
At the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, it will first be studied by a team of medical specialists to certify that a cure did indeed occur, and that how it happened was unexplainable by medical knowledge.
If these experts approve the miraculous nature of the event, the case must then pass a commission of theological experts, which will endorse it eventually to the full membership of the Congregation (cardinals and bishops).
The Pope will not get any file on the case until after the candidate for beatification has successfully passed these three levels of scrutiny at the Congregation.
The institution of a diocesan tribunal and the eventual receipt of supporting documentation in the Congregation which monitors various proceeses for beatification and canonizations in progress, does not constitute any recognition, but only that the cause for the candidate has been judged worthy of interest and follow-up.
It is therefore premature to speculate on how the cause for papa Pacelli will progress, much less, on a possible date for his eventual beatification.
What was striking about the story from Sorrento was the role played by John Paul II, almost as though he wished to help advance the cause of his predecessor.
The Vatican learned about the supposed miracle only a few days before the Pope declared Pius XII and John Paul II Venerable.
I hope God, in his divine justice, sees fit to make a Jew the beneficiary of Pius XII's canonization miracle!
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 20/01/2010 07:19]