Archbishop Charles J. Chaput released this statement over the weekend concerning the upcoming canonizations:
I received with joy the news from the Vatican that both Blessed Pope John Paul II and Blessed Pope John XXIII will be canonized saints. The pontificates of these two men shaped Catholicism as we know and practice it today. In convening the Second Vatican Council, John XXIII ushered in an era of reform that touched every facet of the universal Church. Throughout his long reign, John Paul II exhibited compassion and love for members of the Church around the world and worked diligently to advance social justice issues on behalf of those neglected by society.
I invite all of the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to join me in raising their voices and hearts in prayerful thanksgiving for the lives and saintly examples of John XXIII and John Paul II.
July 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm
I have mixed feelings about the timing for these canonizations, but if the holy father canonizes them–and I had to check out "canonization" in the Catholic Encyclopedia to confirm that a canonization is not just permission to venerate someone as a saint but actually a precept for the universal church, a command that we as faithful Catholics recognize that the canonized saint is now in Heaven–I will be grateful to God that these two men are in Heaven. There were things that the late John Paul II did that confused and even scandalized the faithful who learned about them. I hope that we are encouraged by the holy father and other bishops to think that he is in Heaven not because of these things but rather in spite of them. It is a hopeful message for all Catholics who have not always given the right example.
July 8, 2013 at 3:33 pm
I also have mixed feelings about these canonizations. I also think it is past time to move on the canonization of Pius XII.