[NYer]

John Paul II died at the age of 84 on April 2, 2005.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Almondjoy]

Come on Catholics. Seriously....

If you are praying to anyone other than God you need to read up on your verses again.

[trebb]

Men don't decide who is to be a saint. All of the faithful are saints in God's eyes and conferring sainthood on a person based on whether someone in the Catholic Church can X all the right boxes is a form of hubris that denigrates the religion.

[AgThorn]

So sainthood can be attributed to miracles 'after' one's death? Do people that perform miracles 'during' their life get through the process quicker or get some higher level of sainthood?

Sorry for sounding a bit cynical but this process just seems rather bureaucratic and nonsensical if a miracle is needed, before or after your death.

[Nihil Obstat]

It was a great privilege to have him as our pope. As President Bush said:

"Laura and I join people across the Earth in mourning the passing of Pope John Paul II. The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home.

Pope John Paul II left the throne of St. Peter in the same way he ascended to it -- as a witness to the dignity of human life. In his native Poland, that witness launched a democratic revolution that swept Eastern Europe and changed the course of history. Throughout the West, John Paul's witness reminded us of our obligation to build a culture of life in which the strong protect the weak. And during the Pope's final years, his witness was made even more powerful by his daily courage in the face of illness and great suffering.

All Popes belong to the world, but Americans had special reason to love the man from Krakow. In his visits to our country, the Pope spoke of our "providential" Constitution, the self-evident truths about human dignity in our Declaration, and the "blessings of liberty" that follow from them. It is these truths, he said, that have led people all over the world to look to America with hope and respect.

Pope John Paul II was, himself, an inspiration to millions of Americans, and to so many more throughout the world. We will always remember the humble, wise and fearless priest who became one of history's great moral leaders. We're grateful to God for sending such a man, a son of Poland, who became the Bishop of Rome, and a hero for the ages."

[babygene]

I'm catholic and do believe in miracles. However I have had 38 years of experience with Juvenal Parkinson's, and this one is going to be hard to "prove". There are a lot of things that can cause Parkinson's syndrome in a younger person, and usually it's not your classic Parkinson's disease. It can be a side effect to numerous medications and can go away when you stop taking the medication.

[ksen]

This reads like the investigator has a vested interest in seeing that John Paul II is canonized. If that's the case then it should be no surprise that the "miracles" needed to confirm him as a saint WILL be found.

[DoctorMichael]

Yes, it also amazes me how these Threads bring out certain individuals.

For those unclear of the concept.............

in·ter·ces·sion    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (ntr-sshn)
n.

1. Entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God in behalf of another.
2. Mediation in a dispute.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin intercessi, intercessin-, intervention, from intercessus, past participle of intercdere, to intervene. See intercede.]

---

inter·cession·al adj.
inter·cessor (-ssr) n.
inter·cesso·ry adj.
[Download Now or Buy the Book]

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

intercession

n 1: a prayer to God on behalf of another person 2: the act of intervening (as to mediate a dispute) [syn: intervention]in·ter·cede    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (ntr-sd)
intr.v. in·ter·ced·ed, in·ter·ced·ing, in·ter·cedes

1. To plead on another's behalf.
2. To act as mediator in a dispute.

---

[Latin intercdere, to intervene  : inter-, inter- + cdere, to go; see ked- in Indo-European Roots.]

---

inter·ceder n.
[Download Now or Buy the Book]

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

intercede

v : act between parties with a view to reconciling differences; "He interceded in the family dispute"; "He mediated a settlement" [syn: mediate, intermediate, liaise, arbitrate]

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

[A CA Guy]

The Miracle I would like to see is all the pedophiles across the world confessing to their crimes/sins and then leaving all their positions of opportunity or power in what ever careers they are in. That my friends would be a true miracle.

[PleaseNoMore]

How would her healing, the miracle, be attributed to the pope if all he did was intercede? He didn't heal her. He just asked on her behalf. If I prayed for you and you were healed, would I be the one credited for the miracle?

[RobbyS]

It would be so fitting.

[PandaRosaMishima]

I'll tell you what would be a REAL miracle for John Paul II or any other potential saint: Getting this board to stop all these flame wars! I've never seen so many verbal tomatoes. Compared to getting you guys to KEEP IT DOWN herding cats is a snap.
Does Pope Benedict get the last word on this honor for his old friend? Just curious, this Presbyterian doesn't know anything about the Faith.