Will JP2 be sainted?

[Anna]

Cardinal Marchisano Says Pope Healed Him
Tells of Intercession for Throat Condition

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 10, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A cardinal who worked closely with John Paul II says that he was once cured of a serious throat condition after the Pope prayed for him and touched the affected area.

Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, revealed details of the incident on Saturday, the second day of the nine days of Masses celebrated for the Holy Father's eternal rest.

The Italian cardinal, a friend of Karol Wojtyla's since 1962, spoke of his previously unpublicized healing during the Mass he celebrated in the basilica with Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Pope's personal secretary.

The cardinal recalled that five years ago doctors operated on one of the main arteries in his neck that supply blood to the brain, "and by error of the doctors, my right vocal cord was paralyzed, obliging me to speak almost imperceptibly."

Referring to John Paul II, he said: "As a father, he came out to meet me and, for two or three minutes stroked the area where I had been operated.

"I was speechless. Meanwhile, he said to me: 'Don't be afraid, you'll see, you'll see. ... The Lord will give you back your voice. You'll see. I will pray for you. You'll see ...'"

"Soon after, I was cured," recalled Cardinal Marchisano.

He added during the homily: "Let us also thank the Lord for having given the Church a Pope like this, and let us ask the Lord for the grace to give to the Church other Popes who will follow this path."
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"Sainthood Now" for John Paul II Would Be Up to a Successor


VATICAN CITY, APRIL 10, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Asked about the possibility of John Paul II's immediate canonization, the Vatican clarified that the decision is the "exclusive competence" of his successor.

"Any other point of view is out of place," Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls told reporters Saturday.

During Friday's funeral Mass, chants coming from the crowds called for "sainthood now" for John Paul II.

Italian newspapers reported Saturday on the existence of a dossier of miracles attributed to the Pope, but for his beatification, a miracle attributed to his intercession must take place after his death. And a miracle for his canonization must take place after his beatification.

The Church has established that a cause may not be opened for at least five years after the person's death, so that emotion will not affect the investigations.

A pope has the authority to make exceptions. This is what John Paul II did in the case of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whose cause opened less than five years after her death.

John Paul II proclaimed 1,338 blessed and 482 saints, more than all his predecessors together since 1588, when procedures for these causes were instituted.
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