By Edward Pentin, Rome Correspondent for National Catholic Register
Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be canonized on April
27, 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday, the Vatican has officially confirmed.
In a statement released Sept. 30, the Vatican said that Pope Francis
"decreed that Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II will be enrolled
among the saints on April 27, 2014, the Second Sunday of Easter, of the
Divine Mercy."
The Vatican said the Holy Father announced his decision at 10am at an
ordinary public consistory made up of cardinals and bishops in the
Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, during the celebration
of mid-morning prayer.
The news was widely expected. The Register was among the first to
report the high probability of Divine Mercy Sunday as the chosen date
when Pope Francis revealed it in a conversation.
Although cardinals and bishops vote on the canonizations, the date is
the Pope’s alone to make, in accordance with his calendar and schedule.
Vatican and Rome authorities are now preparing for what is expected to
be an enormous number of pilgrims taking part in the canonizations from
all over the world.
An estimated 1 million pilgrims filled St. Peter’s Square and
surrounding streets for John Paul II’s beatification on May 1, 2011.
Even more will be expected next April, also because the joint
canonization will attract thousands of devotees of Pope John XXIII, born
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli. Popularly known as "good Pope John," the
261st bishop of Rome convened the Second Vatican Council.
On July 5, Pope Francis both approved the promulgation of a decree
paving the way for their canonizations and convoked the consistory.
During a papal press conference on his return from Rio de Janeiro on
July 28, Francis said both popes would be canonized together.
He said that a joint canonization would be "a message for the Church: These two were wonderful, both of them."
Divine Mercy Sunday was a special day for Blessed John Paul II, who
established the feast in 2000. Its origins date back to Polish nun St.
Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), who had a devotion to the Divine Mercy
after an encounter with Jesus.
In visions and conversations with Jesus, St. Faustina said Jesus asked
her specifically for a feast of Divine Mercy to be established so
mankind would take refuge in Jesus. Blessed John Paul II died on the eve
of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005.
The theme of mercy is also central to the pontificate of Pope Francis.
As is well known, John Paul II also had a special devotion to Our Lady. His apostolic motto, Totus tuus ("Totally yours"), was inspired by St. Louis de Montfort and his prayer: Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria ("I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart").
Upon opening the rite of beatification of John Paul II, Cardinal
Agostino Vallini, the vicar of Rome, said the motto reflected John Paul
II’s total confidence in Mary and "the secret of looking at the world
through the eyes of the Mother of God."
"The traits of his spirituality, to which he remained faithful until
death, led to sincere devotion to the Holy Spirit and love for the
Virgin Mary," he said.
Usually, two miracles attributed to a candidate’s intercession are
required to become a saint. A French nun who was inexplicably cured of
Parkinson’s disease led to John Paul II’s beatification in 2011. A
second miracle, which must occur after a beatification, involved a Costa
Rican woman who was cured of a cerebral aneurysm the very day of John
Paul II’s beatification.
For Blessed John XXIII, who was pope from 1958 to 1963 and convened the
Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis took the rare step of waiving the
requirement of a second miracle, paving the way for his imminent
canonization.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters in July that a
canonization without a second miracle is still valid. He noted the
existing miracle that led to John XXIII’s beatification. He also pointed
to ongoing discussions within the Church over whether it is necessary
to have two distinct miracles for beatification and canonization.
He stressed that, in any cause for sainthood, the Pope has the authority to dispense with the second miracle.