Your gift counts double until 5/31: $16,519 to go in our Easter Campaign. Please help now!

Thinner crowd now expected for beatification of John Paul II

CWN - April 25, 2011

Vatican officials are quietly revising their expectations for attendance at the May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II.

After originally suggesting that the crowd in Rome would top 1 million, organizers have lowered their estimate to 800,000, and now suspect that the congregation could be even smaller.

One important factor is the intense coverage of the wedding of the British royal wedding, which is turning media attention away from the beatification ceremony in Rome.

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($16,519 to go):
$80,000.00 $63,481.45
21% 79%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 3 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: mamato085337 - Apr. 26, 2011 7:29 AM ET USA

    I'm not surprised. This was a tragic mistake by our dear Pope. Those "kids" who ran after this Pope are now grown and have other things on their minds, like feeding their families. Who is left? The intellectuals need better canes and may not make it to Rome. The traditionals surely are still angry at things like altar girls, Communion in the hands, homosexual priests, etc.so don't expect them.

  • Posted by: Contrary1995 - Apr. 25, 2011 9:59 PM ET USA

    The secular media has almost completely ignored the beatification; but Catholic World News itself has not done a very good job either. There have been a number of wonderful articles out there on the internet that Catholic World News has largely (not completely mind you)ignored.

  • Posted by: jimgrum697380 - Apr. 25, 2011 6:25 PM ET USA

    This is one reason it is not recommended to rely on unreliable human sentiment. The crowds shouting for immediate sainthood were largely fueled by the understandable emotion of the moment. Cooler heads ought to prevail, and the impartial verdict of thorough investigation, historical research and appropriate time passage might prove more enduring than that short-lived and all-too-fragile verdict of public opinion. After all, everyone loves a fairy-tale wedding on live electronic media.

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Revealing News, and Revealing Christ May 24
The Russell Ford problem May 24
Fr. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly: Your Letter May Help May 24
The Rise and Fall of the (American?) Church May 23
The Ideal of Pope Francis: the Servant Church May 23

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8