Pope John Paul will be named Doctor of the Church, predicts Irish bishop

September 29, 2009

Bishop Michael Smith of Meath, who served as secretary to the committee of Irish bishops that organized the details of the 1979 papal visit to Ireland, has predicted that Pope John Paul will be day be proclaimed a Doctor of the Church because of his teaching on human sexuality and the dignity of the human person. The doctors, Bishop Smith explained, have made “an extraordinary contribution to the teaching of the Church and to the interpretation of the words of Christ, and to elaboration of the whole understanding of the Church.”

Bishop Smith also speculated that Pope Benedict XVI might one day also be proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

 

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Further information:

• John Paul 'to be more than a saint' (Irish Times)