Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Vatican Panel Clears John Paul II for Sainthood; Date for Ceremony Could Come as Soon as Dec. 8

A Vatican official said today (July 2, 2013) that Pope John Paul II has cleared the final obstacle before being made a saint, awaiting just the final approval from Pope Francis and a date for the ceremony that could come as soon as December 8, 2013, according to the Associated Press website.

A commission of cardinals and bishops met today to consider John Paul's case and signed off on it.

One possible canonization date is December 8 -- the feast of the Immaculate Conception -- a major feast day for the Catholic Church. This year the feast coincidentally falls on a Sunday, which is when canonizations usually occur.

The Vatican official -- who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized by the church to discuss saint-making cases on the record -- confirmed reports in La Stampa newspaper that John Paul could be canonized together with Pope John XXIII, who called the Second Vatican Council but died in 1963 before it was finished.

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