Free Republic

LIMA — It was more than just an answer to prayer. A US military mission that cornered and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan was nothing short of a miracle, said Peru's President Alan Garcia, who attributed the divine intervention to newly beatified pontiff John Paul II. "His first miracle has been to rid the world of this incarnation of evil, this demon of hatred and criminality," the Peruvian leader said, referring to the Al-Qaeda leader. The late John Paul II showed uncanny timing, with his miracle falling on the very same day as a Rome ceremony beatifying him. Pope...

John Paul's sainthood opposed John Hooper in Rome Thursday December 8, 2005 The Guardian A group of prominent Roman Catholic theologians and writers has revealed it is trying to stop the late pope John Paul II being declared a saint. In a document being circulated in Rome, they say the Vatican should take account of decisions reached by the Polish pontiff "that ought to be an obstacle to [his] beatification". Following emotional scenes at the late pope's funeral, his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, set him on a fast track to beatification - the first step towards sainthood - last June....

THE Roman Catholic Church will start examining the life and virtues of the late Pope John Paul II - already hailed as a saint by many in his flock - in a speeded-up process that could lead the pontiff to sainthood. The diocese of Rome, of which the pope is the bishop, will open the beatification process in a solemn ceremony at Saint John in Lateran presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the vicar of Rome. The inquiry will examine "the life, virtues, and reputation of sainthood of the servant of God John Paul II." Although the Church traditionally waits five...