Cardinal urges care over canonisation

THE only Irish representative in next week’s conclave to elect a new pontiff has warned against a fast-track canonisation for Pope John Paul II.

Cardinal Desmond Connell said there was a danger the canonisation process could become over-emotional if it was launched immediately in the wake of the Pope’s death.

In an interview with The Voice Today newspaper, he revealed that the late Pope had been hoping to revisit Ireland in a determined bid to reverse the drift away from the Catholic Church. The conclave of 115 cardinals sits next Monday to elect the next Pope.

Cardinals meeting daily in Rome to discuss the main issues facing the Roman Catholic Church ahead of next week’s conclave have signed a petition asking a future Pope to speed-up the beatification of John Paul II, according to reports leaked from Rome.

Sources claimed the petition was signed by many but not all of the 134 cardinals present at this week’s meetings.

Many Cardinals are anxious to take full advantage of the popular mood following the funeral Mass for the late Pope on Friday last, when a huge section of the crowd began chanting “santo, santo”, demanding that the Polish-born pontiff be declared a saint.

The fast track petition was handed to the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Germany’s Joseph Ratzinger, who will have the task of delivering it to the next Pope. Conservative Ratzinger, aged 78, is fast becoming a main contender in the race for Pope.

The names of Cardinals who supported the petition have not been disclosed. Archbishop Edward Nowak, secretary of the Vatican office in charge of declaring saints, said the Church could put the Pope on the fast-track to sainthood from as early as October.

“The synod of bishops is meeting in Rome in October and it could be an appropriate opportunity to make such a decision.”

Ordinarly, Church rules decree five years must pass after death before the question of sainthood is tackled.

The rush to sainthood gathered pace within days of John Paul II’s death on April 2, with a stream of reports of purported miracles carried out during his lifetime reaching Rome. However, only those occurring after his death would count toward his sainthood.