Voicesofthearmory

Pope John Paul II’s sainthood is under consideration from Pope Benedict XVI and cardinals of the Catholic Church. To be officially recognized as a saint, or to be canonized, as the process is called, is not easily accomplished. Canonization is an arduous process, in which an investigation must be undertaken to examine the virtues of the deceased, as well as to determine if there was any wrongdoing in his or her life. There are any number of requirements which must be satisfied before canonization officially occurs, including the fact that if the canonized individual was not martyred, then he or she must have performed a miracle by his or her own intercession.

Mother Theresa, when beatified, encountered resistance primarily in the form of the Christopher Hitchens, who was fulfilling a role similar to the old Devil’s Advocate position. He argued against her deserving recognition as a saint for any number of reasons, including the fact that she seemed to be less interested in helping people than she was in promoting the Catholic Church. Nonetheless, she was given recognition as a beatus; a second miracle must be in evidence for Mother Theresa to be recognized as a saint.

Now, Pope John Paul II seems to be facing even more substantial opposition than did Mother Theresa on his path to recognition as a saint. A miracle which had been attributed to Pope John Paul II after his death is now under investigation, as it may not actually have been a miracle. If it was not a miracle, then Pope John Paul II would not have the necessary evidence of having been a saint for his beatification, the last formal step before canonization, to be verified.

The miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II occurred in the case of a French nun, suffering from Parkinson’s. She prayed for help from John Paul, and one day she woke up with the disease seemingly cured. This miracle is under doubt, however, as the woman might never have had Parkinson’s at all. Doctors who study Parkinson’s have come forward to say that there have been many cases in which patients are diagnosed with Parkinson’s, only to have that diagnosis reversed during autopsy.

But even beyond this, Pope John Paul II’s status as a saint is endangered by his policies and actions during the sex controversies throughout his reign as pontiff. John Paul’s response to claims that Bernard Law, archbishop of Boston, had committed acts of sexual abuse, was to put Law in charge of St. Mary Major’s, which is considered one of Rome’s most prestigious and honored basilicas. This was seen as less of a punishment, and more of a promotion, by many who were enraged at Law’s actions. Even beyond this, certain other evidence has come to light that casts John Paul’s status as a saint into doubt, as he claimed as models figures who were also proven to have committed acts of sexual abuse.

Canonization does not transform an individual into saint; it is merely a recognition that the individual was a saint during his or her life, and continues to be a saint past death. This is why John Paul’s actions and beliefs during his life are problematic; if he truly made such controversial decisions, and held such controversial beliefs, could he truly have been a saint during his life? Only time will tell if John Paul’s canonization carries through.

Tags: Saints, sexual abuse

This entry was posted on Monday, April 12th, 2010 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Saints. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.