POPE Benedict has signed off on the miracle needed for the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1.

The Vatican marks the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death this week amid doubts over the miracle needed for him to be made a saint and questions about his record combating paedophile priests.

CATHOLICS around the world marked the third anniversary of Pope John Paul’s death yesterday and Vatican officials said they were receiving a steady stream of pleas from the faithful convinced he was a saint.

Catholic Church officials reached a key milestone in the drive to make Pope John Paul II a saint today.

SMILING broadly, the French nun who claims she was inexplicably and suddenly “cured” of Parkinson’s disease thanks to Pope John Paul II, yesterday spoke to the media for the first time.