Pope Francis gave the go-ahead on Friday for John Paul II to be made a saint and granted a rare exception for canonisation at the same time for John XXIII, who shares the current pontiff’s reformist views and personal touch.
The announcement marked a historic day at the Vatican, which also issued an unprecedented text co-written by Francis and his living predecessor Benedict XVI in which the two Popes said faith was a “common good” and called for dialogue with non-believers.
The Vatican said Francis gave his widely expected formal approval to a second miracle attributed to John Paul II (1978-2005) at a meeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The supposed miracle occurred to a woman in Costa Rica, the Vatican said, following media reports that she had been cured of a serious brain condition by praying for the late pope’s intercession on the same day that he was beatified in 2011.
John Paul II (1978-2005) was hugely popular through his 27-year papacy, and helped topple Communism although he alienated many Catholics with his conservative views and was blamed for hushing up multiple scandals over paedophile priests.