Six years ago, on April 27, 2014, two popes were canonized – John Paul II and John XXIII. The ceremony took place on the Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast established by the Polish Pope. In a historic ceremony on the St. Peter’s Square in Rome, more than 800,000 pilgrims from all over the world participated in it. It was an event without precedent – at the same time two Popes were named as saints. In addition, for the first time ever, two Popes – current Pope Francis and among Cardinals – retired Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the canonization mass. Pope Francis announced new saints.
“We declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II to be saints and we enroll them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole church. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”- he said. In his homily, Pope Francis emphasized that both canonized “were not ashamed of the flesh of Christ, they were not scandalized by Him, by His cross.”
The hopes of the faithful, that Pope Pole will be considered holy as soon as possible, were already visible during his funeral ceremony, on April 8, 2005. Faithful people gathered at that time on the St. Peter’s Square presented banners with the words “Santo subito”, or “Holy immediately”. Pope Benedict XVI responded to the call of the faithful and on May 13, 2005 announced that the beatification process will be shortened. Exercising his right, he gave up the five-year rule, which must pass from the death of the candidate to the altars.
The first diocesan stage of the beatification process of John Paul II began in 2005 and lasted 2 years. Then there was the second, so-called “Roman stage” of the process. After two years of work, the heroic virtues of John Paul II were recognized, and Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree on that matter. Then, the Congregation for Canonization Affairs accepted as a miracle the cure of a French nun from Parkinson’s disease, from which the Pope also suffered. In January 2011, a Papal decree was announced, and then the date of beatification.
The beatification ceremony of John Paul II took place on May 1, 2011, on the Divine Mercy Sunday. With applause of one and a half million faithful, Pope Benedict XVI declared as Blessed his predecessor on the St. Peter’s Seat. The Beatification Mass at the Vatican was celebrated by several thousand cardinals, archbishops, and bishops from all over the world. In his homily, Benedict XVI recalled that already on the day of John Paul II’s funeral there was an expectation for the rapid exaltation of the Polish Pope to the altars.
After beatification, the canonization process began. The breakthrough was the decision of Pope Francis of July 5, 2013 to recognize the miracle attributed to the intercession of John Paul II. The case of healing inexplicable from the point of view of medicine was studied by the Congregation for Canonization Cases. The recognition of the miracle through the intercession of John Paul II paved the way for canonization. A few months later, during the consistory on September 30, 2013, Pope Francis announced that along with John Paul II, John XXIII would be declared Saint. He designated the canonization day for April 27, 2014 – the Divine Mercy Sunday.
Having in mind that all public celebrations related to the 6th anniversary of the canonization of John Paul II were cancelled in Italy, on Monday April 27, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. in the St. Peter’s Basilica at the relics of St. John Paul II, a holy Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.
We ask all members and benefactors of the John Paul II Foundation for spiritual communion and joint prayer on this day at 7:00 a.m. roman time asking the merciful God to stop the coronavirus pandemic in the world.
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