This morning, the Vatican indicated that for the beatification of John Paul II this Sunday, there will be exposed for veneration of the faithful a small vial of John Paul II’s blood in liquid form.
The Communicato regarding this is translated below, by me, from the Italian. I thought you might be interested.
The relic that will be exposed for veneration by the faithful for the occasion of the beatification of Pope John Paul II is a small vial of blood, inserted into the precious relic specifically by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. It is timely to briefly but precisely explain the origin of this relic.
In the last days of the Holy Father’s illness, his assigned personal physician took a blood sample to be placed for storage at the transfusion center of Bambino Gesu hospital in case of the need for a blood transfusion. This center, directed by Prof. Isacchi, was charged with the medical care of the Pope.
In the end, there was no need for a transfusion, and the blood sample remained stored in four small containers. Two of these remained at the disposition of the personal secretary of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Dziwsz; the other two remained at the hospital Bambino Gesu, in the devoted custody of the sisters of the hospital. For the beatification these two containers have been placed in two reliquaries. The first will be presented for the faithful for the beatification ceremony on May 1st and then will be conserved in the “Sacrario” in care of the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, together with the other important relics. The second will be returned to Bambino Gesu hospital whose sisters have faithfully retained the precious relic in the past years.
The blood is found in the liquid state, which is explained by the presence of an anticoagulant that was present in the tubes used during the sampling of blood.
I think the Vatican wants to make clear here that the liquified blood is not the result of some miraculous intervention, yet is worthy of veneration by the faithful for a short while at the time of beatification.
