Catholics and many others throughout the world were ecstatic to learn that on May 1 Pope John Paul II will be declared "Blessed" by the Catholic Church, the highest honor short of sainthood and the first of two steps in the process leading to canonization as a saint. The required miracle was the unexplained cure of a French nun from Parkinson's disease.
Of the 265 recognized popes, about one-third have been declared saints. The process of sainthood usually took decades and involved a detailed scrutiny of a candidate's life and orthodoxy. England's Cardinal Newman, for example, died in 1890 but was not beatified until 2010. Six years is a very short time to beatify anyone, although it was John Paul II who simplified and speeded up the process for others.
At the pope's funeral in 2005, thousands of people from all walks of life and dignitaries from every country gathered in St Peter's Square to honor the first non-Italian pope who had such an impact on the Church and the world. Young people stood ten abreast in the narrow streets of Rome, sometimes for 24 hours, waiting to pay their respects. Signs in Italian, Santo Subito ("A Saint now"), were highly visible. Many of these same people will be back in Rome in May, and millions more will follow the event on television and the Internet.
Undoubtedly, the Polish pope was a modern phenomenon that took the world by storm. Aside from his lengthy rule (1978- 2005) and charismatic personality, his influence on world events cannot be gainsaid. There are certainly convincing reasons for calling him "The Great," as some would argue, for his role in the revolutions that toppled the Communist regime first in Poland and then in other countries; his world-wide travels, social encyclicals on politics, economics and culture; his challenges to the world to live freedom authentically and his staunch refusal to compromise basic Christian beliefs often rejected in modern society.
Those who support the fast-track beatification believe that because of the witness of his entire, extraordinary life from living under Nazi rule as a young man to modeling a peaceful acceptance of death from a disease that gradually robbed his vitality before the entire world, Karol Wojtyla deserves the honor as soon as possible --and sainthood should not be far behind. We need such figures in our world today more than ever.
Recently, however, some voices have raised questions not just about the seeming haste of the beatification, but rather whether it is necessary or appropriate to do so. Theirs is definitely a minority position, but one that deserves a response. The two objections they make have nothing to do with the holiness of John Paul II or his eternal destiny, but only with the question of whether it is appropriate for one pope to beatify his immediate predecessor, especially when he might owe his position to that very predecessor; and, secondly, whether popes really need to be saints or not.
Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger, was the alter ego of John Paul II for many years as head of the most powerful Congregation in Rome. During John Paul's debilitating illness Ratzinger exercised considerable leadership power in the Vatican. Only three modern popes have not been considered worthy of beatification for some reason, and one could wonder why not. John Paul II beatified the conservative Pius IX, who railed against modern civilization, and the progressive John XXIII, who called the Second Vatican Council to update the Catholic Church. Pius XII has not yet been beatified, probably because of the controversy surrounding his conduct during the Holocaust. The cases for the beatification of Paul VI and the short-lived John Paul I have already begun. We need, say the questioners, to avoid the practice of the Roman emperors who had a tradition of deifying their ancestors.
Modern popes as international religious leaders hold positions of great moral influence in world affairs. In the institutional Church they hold supreme power, are the guarantors of Church doctrine and the center of unity. Are we now asking them to be saints and models of holiness for others as well? Can the average Catholic identify with popes in terms of ordinary Christian living?
Catholics realize that not all popes were saints, by any means, and have no need to defend the Church against the reminders of rabid anti-Catholics about the behavior of the "bad popes" who bought and sold the papacy, had illegitimate children and engaged in military battles. Anyone with a little knowledge of world history knows about the Renaissance popes like the Borgias and the Medicis. Yet despite the corruption of some popes, the Church has survived with its integrity for 2,000 years and has exercised an influence for good in education, world peace, social justice, health care, human rights and many other aspects of life that far outweighs the darker chapters of its story.
No one wants sinners to hold the highest position in the Church, but can we expect or demand popes always to be saints -- and with such regularity? When it does happen, it is a great blessing. But all Christians are called to be saints, although not all are officially recognized. Those who vigorously defend the beatification and canonization are utterly convinced that John Paul II's life and ministry are a clear and inspiring instance of a great blessing. And the numbers are definitely on the side of the canonizers; others are simply raising questions about its appropriateness or its necessity.
The Rev. Robert Nugent is a priest at St. John the Baptist Church in New Freedom.
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