Because of its significance and the inherent interest in this story, I am posting it first on this thread.
John Paul II's beatification stalled:
'Miracle cure' fails to pass medical criteria
by Andrea Tornielli
Translated from
June 26, 2010
The beatification process for John Paul II is stalled. The word from the Vatican now is that 'there is no hurry' and that another miracle cure may be sought.
The snag is due to the cure attributed to a French nun who was said to have been miraculously cured overnight of Parkinson's disease through the late Pope's intercession. Moreover, there have been questions raised lately about the behavior of prominent members of the Polish Pope's inner circle during his final years .
Thus, even the hypothetical beatification date in the spring of 2011 that had been speculated upon, although still a possiblity, is no longer a certainty.
After the proclamation last Dec. 19 of John Paul II's 'heroic virtues', which took place in record time, the word for now is to proceed cautiously. 'Santo subito', yes, but not right away.
The main difficulty is the presumed miracle cure presented last year by the Pope's postulator, Mons. Stanislaw Oder. It had to do with Sr.
Marie Simon-Pierre, a French nun who was afflicted by a severe form of Parkinson's, the same disease that led to John Paul II's death.
Sister Marie-Pierre, who works in the maternity ward of a hospital in Arles, southern France, inexplicably and instantaneously lost all signs and symptoms of the disease after her fellow nuns prayed to John Paul II for his intercession shortly after his death.
The Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood, having been given all of the necessary medical documentation and the diocesan proceedings regarding the cure, turned over the case to be studied by two specialists in neuro-degenerative diseases.
A meeting of the Congregation's medical advisory board presided by Dr. Patrizio Polisca, head of the Vatican health services department, was expected to rule in April on the medical authenticity of a cure that was scientifically unexplainable.
But one of the two examining specialists expressed doubts over the French doctors' diagnosis that the nun had indeed suffered from Parkinson's disease. The Congregation is seeking the opinion of a third medical expert. At least two doctors should agree on the medical authenticity of a miracle before a ruling can be made. It is thought that this will not come until after the summer.
Once the medical verdict confirms a miracle cure, the case is then passed on to a theological board which must verify whether the miracle occurred after the intercession to the late Pope. With their confirmation, the cause for beatification is then voted on by all the cardinal members of the Congregation. Their approval must then be ratified by Benedict XVI, whose signature will lead to the beatification rite itself.
Authoritative sources tell us that the postulator may, in fact, be asked to present another miracle cure for consideration, because of the problems with the first case.
Papa Wojtyla's popularity, the emotions over his death, the uninterrupted stream of pilgrims visiting his grave, have all resulted in numerous cases of presumably miraculous healing reported. Therefore, Mons. Oder can only have an 'embarrassment of riches' from which to choose if he needs to present a new case.
Those who work at the Congregation say, "There is no need to rush - everything must be done properly, without preferential treatment".
It is also undeniable that in the fast few months, the cause for a Wojtyla 'santo subito' has been set back by reasons other than the difficulties in certifying the miracle cure presented.
The impression is that the Vatican wishes to be particularly cautious especially at a time when suspicions have been raised about some of the most important of those who were closest to the Pope in his final years.
In particular, many questions have surfaced about the management of some high-profile cases of sexual abuse (Groer and Maciel) and the current investigation of Cardinal Sepe for business dealings with Italian officials (when he led the 2000 Jubilee Year organizing committee and from 2001-2006 when he led the Congregation for the propagation of the Faith, with its 9 billion euros worth of income-generating properties in Rome alone).
No one in the Vatican has any doubts about the personal holiness of John Paul II, and questions about his associates' lack of transparency have nothing to do with the cause for his beatification.
But the present caution against rushing the cause is understandable, despite the pressure from the Archbishop of Cracow, Cardinal Stanislaw Dsiwisz, who was Wojtyla's private secretary for 40 years.*
The slowdown also has to do with the expected personnel change soon in the Congregation. The present secretary is due to retire. Candidates to replace him are his undersecretary Mons. Marcello Bartolucci, and the head of the CDF's anti-pedophilia task force, Mons. Charles Scicluna.
*
[It must be noted that two of John Paul II's closest associates - Cardinal Angelo Sodano and Cardinal Leonardi Sandri, who were #1 and #2, respectively, in the Secretariat of State during the last decade of the Pontificate - both declined to testify before the Congregation because they see no reason to rush the beatification process. In a letter to the Congregation, Sodano said he believes it is more advisable to decide the pending causes for earlier Popes (Pius XII, John XXIII and John Paul I) before proceeding with John Paul II's cause.
Sodano's reasoning may sound counter-intuitive and even questionable, but John Paul II's cause, much less his personal sanctity, will not be set back by any chronological delay, because in the hearts and minds of many, he is already a saint, and canonization will simply be a formality. When he is eventually canonized, there must be no possibility that anyone can later credibly question the process that led to it.]
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 26/06/2010 19:06]