It might be two years since Pope John Paul II died, but he’s certainly not forgotten.
In a moving tribute, Pope Benedict XVI remembered his predecessor at a memorial Mass in St Peter’s Square.
In his homily, he said John Paul gave his life to the Church without reserve.
Pope Benedict XVI
The intense and fruitful pastoral ministry, and even more the pain of Calvary and the peaceful death of our beloved Pope, revealed to men of our time that Jesus Christ really was his ‘all’”
And it was a witness that would touch the whole world.
Pope Benedict XVI
The sweet fragrance of the Pope’s faith, his hope and his charity filled his home, St Peter’s Square and the entire Church and it has spread throughout the whole world.
A few hours before the Mass, the first phase of John Paul’s beatification process was formally closed at a ceremony in St John Lateran Basilica.
All the documents gathered at a local level will now be sent to the Vatican for closer scrutiny. Cardinal Camillo Ruini praised John Paul for his persistence in calling for peace and defending life.
Cardinal Camillo Ruini
Vicar of Rome
“The Pope truly knew how to make room for the suffering of the Cross, not only in his own life experience but also more deeply in its spiritual dimension.”
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, his former private secretary, Polish president Lech Kaczynski, and Sister Marie Simon-Pierre were at the ceremony.
Just days before, the French sister spoke of how she was cured of Parkinson’s, allegedly thanks to the intercession of John Paul II.
Sister Simon Marie-Pierre
Nurse, Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood
I jumped out of bed and felt completely transformed. I wasn’t the same inside. It’s something that’s difficult to explain.
With the help of commissions in Rome, the Vatican will examine the evidence of the alleged miracle.
But at the moment, John Paul’s prospects for beatification and possible canonization couldn’t be better.
