Pope John Paul II -- one of history's very most memorable -- took a great leap toward sainthood today when he was beatified by close associate and successor Benedict XVI in a huge, powerful, emotional ceremony attended by hundreds of thousands -- not as many as the three million who attended his funeral, but one of the largest beatifications in history. With the faithful cheering wildly, Benedict declared the Polish pope "blessed" -- the fastest beatification on record, beating out even the rapid pace of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (by several days).