Vatican City, Apr 11, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Two days ago the cardinals gathered in Rome stated the opening of the cause of beatification of Pope John Paul II would depend exclusively on his successor. In this context, the Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Archbishop Edward Nowak, said the eventual process would not take very long to complete.
Archbishop Nowak told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that confirmation of a miracle attributed to John Paul II could come in as little as six months. The miracle must have occurred after the pontiff’s death.
He said the next Pope could wave the five year waiting period normally required before a beatification cause could be opened. John Paul II himself waved such a requirement for Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
“The life a Pope unfolded before everyone’s eyes and the collection of documentation is easy. Everyone saw how he died, we have all been witnesses of his heroic virtue,” Archbishop Nowak said.