Alms for an ex-leper...

[Gob]

John Paul II could be declared a saint this year after a Vatican committee approved a second miracle attributed to the Polish pope's intercession.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints ruled an "inexplicable recovery" on 1 May 2011 was due to the late Pope's intercession, Ansa reported.

Earlier that same day he had been beatified after a first miracle was attributed to his intervention.

Pope Francis must now give his approval before a canonisation date is set.

Canonisation is the final step in the official process that declares a deceased person to be a saint.

At a plenary meeting of the Congregation on Tuesday, cardinals and bishops mooted a canonisation ceremony taking place in December, sources told Ansa.

One possible date would be 8 December, on which Catholics celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which this year falls on a Sunday.

John Paul II could be canonised at the same time as John XXIII, Vatican sources suggested. Venerated by Catholics as "the good pope", John XXIII was elected in 1958 and convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, but died the following year before it was finished.

Canonisation requires the attribution of one further miracle to the intercession of the candidate after they have been beatified.

The Vatican has not revealed details about the second miracle in John Paul II's case.

It was reportedly deemed an "inexplicable recovery" by a panel of doctors before being approved last month by a board of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints' theologians.

John Paul II died in 2005 aged 84 and was beatified by his successor Benedict XVI in May 2011.

Among a crowd hundreds of thousands strong on St Peter's Square was French nun Marie Simon-Pierre, who says she was cured of Parkinson's Disease after praying for the intervention of the late pope little more than a month after he died.

Some questioned the Church's speed in beatifying John Paul II just six years after his death.

Although widely regarded as one of the great popes of modern times, his 26-year pontificate was tarnished by his handling of the clerical sex abuse scandal that has rocked the global Church.

Critics say other of the Church's deep-seated problems - such as its dysfunctional management and financial scandals at the Vatican bank - stem from shortcomings of his pontificate.

John Paul II reformed the sainthood process in 1983, making it faster, simpler, and cheaper. The office of "Devil's advocate" - an official whose job was to try to knock down the case for sainthood - was eliminated, and the required number of miracles was dropped.

The idea was to lift up contemporary role models of holiness in order to convince a jaded secular world that sanctity is alive in the here and now, says veteran Vatican analyst John Allen.

The result was that John Paul II beatified and canonised more people than all previous popes combined.

ROTFLMFFAO!! Catholicism is one running fucking joke.

[dales]

Yes, the Roman church can be quite entertaining now and then.

[Scooter]

The result was that John Paul II beatified and canonised more people than all previous popes combined.

His immediate successor certainly brought the "saint factory", as it became derisively known in church circles, close to a screeching halt. Remains to be see what direction the current pope will take it.

[MajGenl.Meade]

The result was that John Paul II beatified and canonised more people than all previous popes combined.

Looking at the inexplicable improvements in matric rates in South Africa since the miracle of 1994, it seems glaringly obvious that the deceased JP II has been running the ANC education department in addition to his o'erwhelming schedule of hospital visits.

Meade

[rubato]

matric?

matriculation?

[Big RR]

I always remember Father Guido Sarducci on Saturday night live complaining that one saint (I think it was Seton) came in with only two miracles (the third was waived) "and one was a cheap card trick".

ETA--well, a little different from how I recalled it:

[quoteThank-a you, thank-a you. Most-a people are very aware that-a Saint Patrick is-a the patron Saint of-a Ireland. He lived around-a the year 400, 500, right in-a there. Most people-a know him because-a they think that he chased-a the snakes from-a Ireland. But actually, that's not-a the truth. Really, he didn't-a chase them, he kind of-a led them. He was-a kind like a pied piper for snakes. I don't know, it was-a just something about him that snakes liked-a to follow him around, you know. And-a you may think-a that snakes go very fast and they do if they're just going short distances. But, like-a, when they're on a long journey, they go very, very slowly. And-a Saint Patrick, he had-a to walk-a very, very slow, and all of the snakes followed him, and then he tricked them. He went into the ocean, and they all followed him, and he went way, way out, and he waited till they all drowned, and then heswam back in. That's-a what he did.

You see, he was a good-a saint. But he wasn't a great-a saint. Like-a Saint Joseph, the patron saint of Italy. He's a great-a saint and not just a good-a saint. You know, Saint Joseph's named day is-a coming up-March 19th, only two days away. But-a, there won't-a be no parades, no parties, not even a song for Saint-a Joseph. And-a the reason is-a because of-a Saint Patrick. You know, it's just like having a birthday two days after Christmas-you just don't get-a the same attention, you know. And it just-a breaks my heart that he was a great-a saint, and this good, mediocre saint gets all-a the glory.

You know, you don't have-a a patron saint for the United States, but there are some American saints. Just the last couple of years they made-a some. The first was-a about-a two years ago. Her name was-a Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Mother Seton-is-a what they call her. And she's got-a these nuns of her own order who lobby-they're real heavy-they came to Rome and everything. And it's amazing, you see. To be made a saint in-a the catholic church, you have to have-a four miracles. That's-a the rules, you know. It's-a always been that-a. Four miracles, and-a to prove it. Well, this-a Mother Seton-now they could only prove-a three miracles. But the Pope-he just waved the fourth one. He just waved it! And do you know why? It's-a because she was American. It's all-a politics. We got-a some Italian-a people, they got-a forty, fifty, sixty miracles to their name. They can't-a get in just cause they say there's already too many Italian saints, and this woman comes along with-a three lousy miracles. I understand that-a two of them was-a card tricks. Next thing you know, they're gonna be making Kreskin a saint. Saint Kreskin-they'll probably call him. It's a good one.

Well, I'm-a very happy to announce that-a next time you see me, I'm-a gonna be monsegnior. That's right. I was-a promoted. (audience applauds) Thank-a you, yes, thank-a you. Actually it's not until next week that-a they sign-a the papers, but nothing can-a stop me now, and I'm-a real excited getting the new costume, everything, you know. When you're monsegnior, you get to have a nice-a red stripe, (points to his right sleeve) and they say that-a nothing brings out the good veal in Italian restaurants than that-a red stripe, you know. I'm-a really looking forward to it. I just wish I was-a feeling better. Last night I got-a this-a tattoo (scratches left sleeve) and it's-a really been itching me. I have a little fever, and-a I hope I feel better by the ceremonies.

Well, it was-a more than-a wonderful spending a couple of moments with you. Bill, you can-a take it-a back-a please.

][/quote]

[Gob]

[Lord Jim]

Big RR, I immediately thought of that Don Novello routine when I read the OP as well.

[Big RR]

That one, along with find the popes in the pizza, was one of his better routines.

[Lord Jim]

"The Last Brunch" was pretty good too...

[Big RR]

Yep, I forgot that one---11 coffees, I tea...