Next step toward beatification of John Paul II rests with Pope Benedict, says Polish cardinal

November 20, 2009

During a visit to Argentina, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the longtime personal secretary to Pope John Paul II, said that the next step toward beatification of the late Pontiff was up to Pope Benedict XVI. "We do not want the Pope to rush, he should analyze it properly," the Polish cardinal said. His words seemed to provide indirect confirmation of recent Italian media reports that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has approved a decree testifying to the "heroic virtue" of Pope John Paul. If those reports are true, the decree would now await the approval of Pope Benedict.

In an unrelated comment during a news conference in Argentina, Cardinal Dziwisz confirmed that during the early years of his pontificate, John Paul II would sometimes slip out of the Vatican to spend a day in the mountains. The Pope would travel in disguise, he said, but he and his aides realized that they would have to be more careful when a young Italian boy recognized the Pope on a ski slope.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Cardinal Dziwisz says beatification of John Paul II 'is in the Pope’s hands' (CNA)
• Beatification looms closer for John Paul II (CWN, 11/17)