Pope John Paul II to be beatified

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

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.