'Miracle' to put pope John Paul II on road to sainthood

'Miracle' to put pope John Paul II on road to sainthood

POPE (INTERNATIONAL)
Created on : 03/28/2007 00:43 (PRI)


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Rome, Mar 27 (AFP) The late pope John Paul II will move a step closer to sainthood next week when the Vatican receives proof of his miraculous intercession to cure a French nun of Parkinson's disease, diocesan officials said today.

The "miracle", if certified by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, will qualify the charismatic Polish pope for beatification, the main stepping stone to becoming a saint.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder, spearheading the process, said the Rome diocese was "spoiled for choice" among dozens of reported miracle cures attributed to John Paul II, of which about 20 warranted serious consideration.

Monsignor Mauro Parmeggiani, secretary-general of the Rome diocese, said "it was not a coincidence" that it chose to focus on the case of the French nun, who suffered from the same malady as John Paul II himself.

Addressing a packed news conference, Parmeggiani said Parkinson's, a degenerative neurological disease, lends itself well to making a cut-and-dried case.

The nun, so far unnamed, will attend a solemn ceremony next Monday, the second anniversary of the death of John Paul II, along with about 1,000 other nuns from her diocese, when the dossier is handed over to the Vatican's saint-making body, Parmeggiani said.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski will also attend, he said.

The landmark event will be celebrated at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the seat of the vicar of Rome -- a position held ex-officio by the head of the Roman Catholic Church. (AFP)