Vatican Report. CG: The countdown to Pope John Paul II’s beatification has begun here at the Vatican. We’re about three weeks away, and today on the Vatican Report we’ll look at what kind of preparations …More
Vatican Report.
CG: The countdown to Pope John Paul II’s beatification has begun here at the Vatican. We’re about three weeks away, and today on the Vatican Report we’ll look at what kind of preparations are being made for this historic event. I’m Carol Glatz.
JT: And I’m John Thavis. The beatification of Pope John Paul will be celebrated May 1, and it seems like the entire Vatican and the city of Rome are involved in the planning. Officially, organizers say they expect to accommodate at least 300,000 people for the occasion, and Italian church leaders are trying to raise about 1.7 million dollars to cover the costs. The money will be used to set up giant TV screens for the overflow crowds, to run extra transportation for pilgrims and for crowd control barriers.
CG: The funding will also go toward construction of a stage and sound and light system at the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman racetrack where the Diocese of Rome is sponsoring a prayer vigil the night before the beatification. Meanwhile, the Vatican is preparing to move John Paul’s casket to a renovated chapel in the upper level of St. Peter’s Basilica. The unopened casket will be displayed for pilgrims after the beatification Mass, and the Vatican expects the viewing to go on all day.
JT: Most people know that beatification is the step before canonization, when someone is declared a saint. But in the case of Pope John Paul, what does beatification mean? Well, it means he will be known as “blessed,” and it means that he will have a feast day -- October 22, which marks the anniversary of his first Mass as pope in 1978. But only Catholics in Poland and in Rome can celebrate John Paul’s feast day, because according to church rules, beatification brings limited, local veneration.
CG: Now, because Pope John Paul was such a universal figure, the Vatican is making a one-year-long exception to that rule. Until May 1, 2012, thanksgiving Masses in honor of the Polish pope can
be celebrated in every diocese. Beatification also means that churches and parishes can be named after Blessed Pope John Paul, but again, only in Poland and Rome -- that will change if and when he is canonized.
JT: Meanwhile, all Catholics are encouraged to pray to Pope John Paul. In fact in order for the pope to be canonized some of those prayers will have to be answered in a special way, with a miracle after his beatification. The first miracle, the one that paved the way for John Paul’s beatification, was the healing of a French nun who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease -- the same illness that afflicted the pope in his final years. The nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, is going to share her story with pilgrims at the prayer vigil in Rome.
CG: The Vatican has already prepared a hymn for the beatification, titled, “Open the Doors to Christ.” It has approved a special prayer for Masses in John Paul’s honor. And it has prepared a special image of the late pope that will be used on a tapestry hanging from the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica during the beatification.
JT: Pope Benedict will celebrate the beatification Mass. He knew his predecessor well, having worked with him here at the Vatican for 26 years. More recently, the preaching at Pope Benedict’s Lenten retreat focused on John Paul II and the importance of sainthood. One thing Vatican officials are underlining is that Pope John Paul is not being beatified for his accomplishments as pope or for his understanding of theology, but for the way he personally lived the virtues of faith, hope and love. I’m John Thavis.
CG: and I’m Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service.
CG: The countdown to Pope John Paul II’s beatification has begun here at the Vatican. We’re about three weeks away, and today on the Vatican Report we’ll look at what kind of preparations are being made for this historic event. I’m Carol Glatz.
JT: And I’m John Thavis. The beatification of Pope John Paul will be celebrated May 1, and it seems like the entire Vatican and the city of Rome are involved in the planning. Officially, organizers say they expect to accommodate at least 300,000 people for the occasion, and Italian church leaders are trying to raise about 1.7 million dollars to cover the costs. The money will be used to set up giant TV screens for the overflow crowds, to run extra transportation for pilgrims and for crowd control barriers.
CG: The funding will also go toward construction of a stage and sound and light system at the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman racetrack where the Diocese of Rome is sponsoring a prayer vigil the night before the beatification. Meanwhile, the Vatican is preparing to move John Paul’s casket to a renovated chapel in the upper level of St. Peter’s Basilica. The unopened casket will be displayed for pilgrims after the beatification Mass, and the Vatican expects the viewing to go on all day.
JT: Most people know that beatification is the step before canonization, when someone is declared a saint. But in the case of Pope John Paul, what does beatification mean? Well, it means he will be known as “blessed,” and it means that he will have a feast day -- October 22, which marks the anniversary of his first Mass as pope in 1978. But only Catholics in Poland and in Rome can celebrate John Paul’s feast day, because according to church rules, beatification brings limited, local veneration.
CG: Now, because Pope John Paul was such a universal figure, the Vatican is making a one-year-long exception to that rule. Until May 1, 2012, thanksgiving Masses in honor of the Polish pope can
be celebrated in every diocese. Beatification also means that churches and parishes can be named after Blessed Pope John Paul, but again, only in Poland and Rome -- that will change if and when he is canonized.
JT: Meanwhile, all Catholics are encouraged to pray to Pope John Paul. In fact in order for the pope to be canonized some of those prayers will have to be answered in a special way, with a miracle after his beatification. The first miracle, the one that paved the way for John Paul’s beatification, was the healing of a French nun who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease -- the same illness that afflicted the pope in his final years. The nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, is going to share her story with pilgrims at the prayer vigil in Rome.
CG: The Vatican has already prepared a hymn for the beatification, titled, “Open the Doors to Christ.” It has approved a special prayer for Masses in John Paul’s honor. And it has prepared a special image of the late pope that will be used on a tapestry hanging from the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica during the beatification.
JT: Pope Benedict will celebrate the beatification Mass. He knew his predecessor well, having worked with him here at the Vatican for 26 years. More recently, the preaching at Pope Benedict’s Lenten retreat focused on John Paul II and the importance of sainthood. One thing Vatican officials are underlining is that Pope John Paul is not being beatified for his accomplishments as pope or for his understanding of theology, but for the way he personally lived the virtues of faith, hope and love. I’m John Thavis.
CG: and I’m Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service.