John Paul II Taking Fast Track to Sainthood
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Pope John Paul II, on the cusp of the fastest canonization in recent history, will be honored in a double ceremony this weekend in Rome along with a pope whose death 51 years ago spurred the first modern instant-sainthood campaign.
On April 27, Pope Francis, 77, will declare the sainthood of John Paul, who died nine years ago, and John XXIII, who passed away in 1963, in the first double pope canonization since the Middle Ages. Dignitaries including French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the king of Spain will join as many as 800,000 pilgrims to see Francis bring together two sainthood drives that came to represent two of the most influential visions for today’s Church.