Thinner crowd now expected for beatification of John Paul II
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.
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Posted by: -
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.
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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.
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Posted by: koinonia -
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.
