Crowds of faithful jam Vatican to honor Pope John Paul II
Catholic faithful from around the world poured into Rome on Sunday as the Catholic Church declares Pope John Paul II “blessed,” a step below sainthood.
There were cheers as Pope Benedict XVI personally beatified his predecessor, and a huge tapestry protrait of John Paul II was unveiled, showing him as the healthy, vigorous and relatively young man he was early in his papacy. Continue reading
Poland to Watch Papal Beatification from a Distance
A smaller crowd than originally expected will show up at the beatification of Polish-born Pope John Paul II in Rome over the weekend, tour operators say. Continue reading
John Paul’s Polish Hometown Gets Ready to Celebrate Most-Famous Native Son
The late Pope John Paul II’s hometown in southern Poland is gearing up to fete its most- famous native son this weekend when the Vatican puts him on the path to sainthood.
Wadowice, about 30 miles from Krakow, has enjoyed a boom in tourists over the past 15 years as it’s the birthplace of John Paul. The town will welcome Prime Minister Donald Tusk and other visitors on May 1 to celebrate the late pope’s beatification, the penultimate step to becoming a saint. Continue reading
Protests mount over fast track for John Paul’s beatification
Sex abuse controversy refuses to go away as Catholics prepare for ceremony in Rome.
A growing lobby of churchmen and religious experts are challenging the speed with which the Vatican is propelling Pope John Paul II towards sainthood, just six years after his death. Continue reading
Poles prepare for beatification of John Paul II
Travelling on a fleet of planes, trains and cars, more than 50,000 Poles are expected to flock to the Vatican for the beatification of “their” saint-to-be, Polish-born pope John Paul II.
The funeral of Karol Wojtyla in April 2005 drew half a million Poles. Continue reading
John Paul II beatification: your guide to the ceremony
The main ceremony — the last step before the conferring of sainthood – will be led by his successor, Benedict XVI, in St Peter’s Basilica.
The event will be spread out over three days. Continue reading
Jaruzelski will not attend beatification of John Paul II
General Wojcciech Jaruzelski, the head of Poland’s communist government in the 1980s, will not attend the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1, he has announced. Continue reading
John Paul II: profile of the charismatic Polish pope
Pope John Paul II is remembered for his warmth and charisma, his many overseas trips and his survival of an assassination attempt by a Turkish gunman. Continue reading
John Paul ‘ignored abuse of 2,000 boys’
As the faithful marked the anniversary of John Paul’s death on Good Friday, however, he was being drawn into the scandal over child abuse in the Catholic church that has confronted his successor, Benedict XVI, with the worst crisis of… Continue reading
Benedict honors John Paul 5 years after death
Pope Benedict XVI is commemorating the fifth anniversary of the death of John Paul II with a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Many pilgrims from Poland, the late pontiff’s homeland, joined Benedict in prayer Monday evening.
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