NEWS: Pope Puts John Paul II on Fast Track to Sainthood, page 1

On the anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on John Paul II, Pope Benedict XIV waived the five year waiting period following death usually required by the Roman Catholic Church before one can begin the process of becoming a saint, thereby putting the former Pope on a fast-track to becoming a saint. The waiving of the delay period has only been done once before, by John Paul II for Mother Teresa. The decision means that John Paul II could become a saint within a few years if miracles can attributed to him by the Church.

www.reuters.com
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict announced on Friday that he had decided to put his predecessor Pope John Paul on the fast track to possible sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope told a meeting of priests that he had dispensed with rules that impose a five-year waiting period before the procedure that leads to sainthood can even start.

John Paul died on April 2 and if normal rules had been applied, the procedure leading to his beatification could not have started before 2010.

Beatification is the last step before sainthood.

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Many Catholics have been demanding that this be done, so it looks like the new Pope is acceding to public pressure to speed the process up.

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[edit on 5/13/2005 by djohnsto77]