Pope John Paul II to be beatified
Pope Benedict XVI decreed that a French nun’s recovery from Parkinson’s disease was miraculous — the last step needed for beatification. A second miracle is needed for the Polish-born John Paul to be made a saint.
The May 1 beatification, which Pope Benedict himself will celebrate, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome — a major morale boost for a church reeling from a wave of violence against Christians and fallout from the clerical sex abuse scandal.
