Mr. Andrea Tornielli of the Italian newspaper, Il Giornale reported in yesterday’s edition that the bishops and cardinals of the Congregation of the Cause of the Saints met and officially approved the miraculous healing of the French nun who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. This is the next to the last step toward Papa Wojtyla’s beatification. The only thing left is Pope Benedict’s signature on the document, and then of course, the actual beatification ceremony.
You may recall my post some days ago about the nun’s healing and the probable beatification of our late John Paul the Great.
Do you recall what then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said during his funeral homily for John Paul II? It went something like this: “John Paul II is now blessing us from the window of heaven.” Benedict since becoming pope has made other comments about Wojtyla that seem to predict his eventual beatification, and probably sainthood.
I share the sentiments of some of my fellow admirers of his predecessor, Papa Luciani, when I say that without John Paul I and his brief pontificate, I suspect that Cardinal Wojtyla would not have been elected pope. Luciani paved the way for a non-Italian pope who had a very pastoral heart to the point where is seemed he had to often leave the Vatican confines to be with his people.
Papa Wojtyla won the heart of the world with his coming to us in our own lands, our own countries. Papa Luciani won the heart of the world never having left Rome after his election, but embracing us with his smile and his wisdom.
The are predicting Wojtyla’s beatification sometime this spring. I’m betting it will be in the fall around the anniversary of his election, which I was privileged to have witness in person.
Papa Wojtyla, pray for us.
