Blessed Pope John Paul II

“Santo Subito!” (Saint Now!)This was the loud cry of the people at the funeral of the late Pope John Paul II last April 8, 2005 6 days after his death on April 2. Six years later, Pope John Paul II is beatified - the third of the four steps to sainthood.

The First step is the initial investigation of the person's life after he/she is considered for sainthood. It will be in the Diocesan level. After being confirmed, the Vatican will acknowledge a "Nihil Obstat." A Latin for "nothing hinders." In this stage, the person is called "the Servant of God." The second step is the establishing of the heroic act of the person. This will be led by a Postulator who coordinates the causes for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes which includes conducting thorough investigations into the life of the candidate, his works (writings) and deeds. It will be presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. In this stage, the person is called "Venerable." The third is the Beatification. One requirement here is the miracle through the person's intercession. On JP II's case, it was a French nun named Sister Marie Simon-Pierre who was "miraculously" cured of the incurable Parkinson's disease. This was officially declared by the Vatican to have an "intercession" of Pope John Paul II. This time the person will be addressed as "Blessed." The last stage is the Canonization. This stage requires another miracle after the beatification. After thorough investigation, the Pope will declare the person as "Saint."

I'm one of the millions of people around the world celebrating with this great event! Hope this will draw inspirations to many.