Benedict and Francis to canonize John XXIII and John PauI II in April

Mark your calendar for April 27. On that date, Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict will join in an unprecedented canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. The canonization will recognize the sainthood of both popes.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - On April 27 of next year, two unprecedented events will occur. First, Pope Francis will join with Pope Emeritus Benedict to canonize two former popes, John XIII and John Paul II. Although Pope Emeritus Benedict has pledged to "remain hidden from the world" there is no rule barring him from participation and as the successor of Pope John Paul II, his participation is entirely appropriate. Benedict and John Paul worked closely together, so the celebration should prove especially poignant.

The other unprecedented event is that Pope John Paul II, one of the most beloved popes in history will have completed a fast track to canonization that ran less than nine years. In Catholic terms, it is the fastest canonization in modern history.

The canonization of Pope John Paul II is taking place after two miracles were attributed to the late Holy Father. In as little as a month following his passing, the Vatican waived the usual five-year period citing "exceptional circumstances."

In 2011, John Paul II's first miracle was attributed to him after a nun dying of Parkinson's disease was cured. Her congregation gathered to pray and sought the intercession of the late pontiff. She was inexplicably cured.

The second required miracle occurred just a few months ago. Floribeth Mora, from Costa Rica suffered a brain aneurysm. She instantly recovered after she says a photograph of John Paul II appeared to speak to her. Doctors say the aneurysm disappeared immediately and without any reason.

While Pope John Paul II has two miracles attributed to his name, Pope John XXIII has only one miracle since his death in 1963. Pope John XXIII was said to be fond of visiting the sick and imprisoned and likely inspired Pope Francis. Pope Francis has said he would follow John XXIII's motto which was, "See everything; turn a blind eye to much; correct a little."

April 27 will prove to be an unusual day in Catholic Church history, so much so that it will be remembered for ages as the day when two living popes canonized two former popes. It will be a day of superlatives as Catholics around the world celebrate the truth of our Faith - that someday, we will all be saints ourselves.

Click here to learn about our Saint Michael the Archangel conference this Nov 1-3!

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'