Pope John Paul II Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Posthumous recognition == {{Infobox saint |honorific_prefix = Pope [[Saint]] |name = John Paul II |honorific_suffix = [[Patriarch of Rome]] |birth_date = 18 May 1920 |death_date = 2 April 2005 (aged 84) |feast_day = 22 October |venerated_in = [[Catholic Church]] |image = San Giovanni Paolo II.jpg |imagesize = |caption = Painting of Saint John Paul II painted by Zbigniew Kotyłło, 2012 |birth_place = [[Wadowice]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] |death_place = [[Apostolic Palace]], Vatican City |titles = Pope and [[Confessor]] |beatified_date = 1 May 2011 |beatified_place = [[Saint Peter's Square]], Vatican City |beatified_by = [[Pope Benedict XVI]] |canonized_date = 27 April 2014 |canonized_place = Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City |canonized_by = [[Pope Francis]] |attributes = [[Papal ferula]], [[Papal regalia and insignia|Papal vestments]] |patronage = [[Kraków]], Poland, [[World Youth Day]], young Catholics, Świdnica, families, World Meeting of Families 2015 |major_shrine = |suppressed_date = |issues = }} === Title "the Great" === Upon the death of John Paul II, a number of clergy at the Vatican and laymen<ref name="Bottum" /><ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Arlington" /> began referring to the late pontiff as "John Paul the Great" — in theory only the fourth pope to be so acclaimed.<ref name="Bottum" /><ref name="Arlington" /><ref name="OReilly-David" /><ref name="Murphy-Brian" /> [[Angelo Sodano|Cardinal Angelo Sodano]] specifically referred to John Paul as "the Great" in his published written [[homily]] for the pope's funeral [[Funeral of Pope John Paul II|Mass of Repose]].<ref name="FirstSpeech" /><ref name="Homily" /> The South African Catholic newspaper ''The Southern Cross'' has referred to him in print as "John Paul II the Great".<ref name="Southern" /> Some Catholic educational institutions in the US have additionally changed their names to incorporate "the Great", including [[John Paul the Great Catholic University]] and schools called some variant of [[John Paul the Great High School (disambiguation)|John Paul the Great High School]]<!--variants with saint, pope, ii, or catholic-->. Scholars of [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|canon law]] say that there is no official process for declaring a pope "Great"; the title simply establishes itself through popular and continued usage,<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Noonan" /><ref name="Noonan2" /> as was the case with celebrated secular leaders (for example, Alexander III of Macedon became popularly known as [[Alexander the Great]]). The three popes who today commonly are known as "Great" are [[Pope Leo I|Leo I]], who reigned from 440–461 and persuaded [[Attila the Hun]] to withdraw from Rome; [[Pope Gregory I|Gregory I]], 590–604, after whom the [[Gregorian chant|Gregorian Chant]] is named; and [[Pope Nicholas I]], 858–867, who consolidated the Catholic Church in the Western world in the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name="Arlington" /> John Paul's successor, Benedict XVI, did not use the term directly in public speeches, but made oblique references to "the great Pope John Paul II" in his first address from the [[loggia]] of St. Peter's Basilica, at the [[World Youth Day 2005|20th World Youth Day]] in Germany 2005 when he said in Polish: "As the great Pope John Paul II would say: Keep the flame of faith alive in your lives and your people";<ref>Susan Crimp, "The Last Wish of Pope John Paul II: The Life and Messages of Saint Faustina", p92</ref> and in May 2006 during a visit to Poland where he repeatedly made references to "the great John Paul" and "my great predecessor".<ref name="Poland2006" /> [[File:Vaticano sightseeing (fc31 – edited).jpg|thumb|The tomb of John Paul II in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] Chapel of Saint Sebastian within [[St. Peter's Basilica]] where it has been since 2011]] === Institutions named after John Paul II === * [[Pope John Paul II High School (Tennessee)]] * [[John Paul the Great Catholic University]] * [[John Paul the Great Catholic High School (Indiana)]] * [[John Paul II Catholic Secondary School|John Paul II Catholic Secondary School (London, Ontario, Canada)]] * [[John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin]] * [[Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School (Virginia)]] * [[John Paul II High School, Greymouth]] * [[Karol Wojtyla College]], Lima, [[Peru]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kwc.edu.pe/ | title=KWC Home}}</ref> *Scoil Eoin Phóil, [[Leixlip]], Ireland * John Paul II Gymnasium, [[Kaunas]], Lithuania *Pope John Paul II High School in Olympia, Washington<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.popejp2hs.org/ | title=JPII Home}}</ref> * Universidad Privada Juan Pablo II, Lima, Peru <ref>{{cite web | url=https://unijuanpablo.edu.pe/2019/09/23/celebracion-dia-de-la-enfermera/ | title=UPJPII Celebración día de la enfermera | access-date=19 March 2022 | archive-date=12 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812142417/https://unijuanpablo.edu.pe/2019/09/23/celebracion-dia-de-la-enfermera/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> * Karol Wojtyła building at [[Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia]] in [[Jakarta|Jakarta, Indonesia]]<ref>{{cite web |author=Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia |url=https://m.atmajaya.ac.id/web/Info.aspx?gid=info-atma-jaya&cid=peta-denah-kampus-semanggi |title=Campus Map |access-date=30 September 2019 |archive-date=20 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520184627/https://m.atmajaya.ac.id/web/Info.aspx?gid=info-atma-jaya&cid=peta-denah-kampus-semanggi |url-status=dead }}</ref> *St. John Paul II Chapel and Museum at Pakuwon Mall in Surabaya, Indonesia *St. John Paul II Minor Seminary, Minor Seminary in Antipolo City, Philippines *St. John Paul II Parish Community (Lake View, NY) * [[St. John Paul II High School (Hyannis, MA)]] * [[Saint John Paul II Academy]] Boca Raton, FL * [[St. John Paul II Catholic High School (Alabama)]] * [[St. John Paul II Catholic High School (Arizona)]] * [[St. John Paul II Seminary (Washington, DC)]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dcpriest.org/welcome-to-saint-john-paul-ii-seminary | title=Welcome to St. John Paul II Seminary | access-date=25 May 2020 | archive-date=28 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728073013/https://www.dcpriest.org/welcome-to-saint-john-paul-ii-seminary | url-status=dead }}</ref> * [[Pope Saint John Paul II Major Seminary Awka (Nigeria)]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pope John Paul Major Seminary|url=https://pjpsawka.org/|access-date=16 March 2021|website=pjpsawka.org|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413221545/https://pjpsawka.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * [[St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School]], Scarborough, Ontario, Canada * [[Pope John Paul II High School (Pennsylvania)|Pope John Paul II High School]], [[Royersford, Pennsylvania|Royersford]] [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States|USA]] === Beatification === {{Main|Beatification of Pope John Paul II}} [[File:Beatification of John Paul II (1).jpg|thumb|upright|1.5 million [[St. Peter's Square]] attendees witness the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May 2011 in [[Vatican City]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8486488/Pope-John-Paul-II-beatified-in-front-of-audience-of-1.5-million.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8486488/Pope-John-Paul-II-beatified-in-front-of-audience-of-1.5-million.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Pope John Paul II beatified in front 1.5 million |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=1 May 2011 |access-date=17 February 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>]] Inspired by calls of ''"Santo Subito!''" ("[Make him a] Saint Immediately!") from the crowds gathered during the funeral Mass that he celebrated,<ref name="Moore1" /><ref name="Hollingshead" /><ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="Hope" /> Benedict XVI began the beatification process for his predecessor, bypassing the normal restriction that five years must pass after a person's death before beginning the beatification process.<ref name="Hollingshead" /><ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="Canonisation" /><ref name="Metro" /> In an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, [[Camillo Ruini]], Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, who was responsible for promoting the cause for canonisation of any person who died within that diocese, cited "exceptional circumstances", which suggested that the waiting period could be waived.<ref name="ShortBio" /><ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Zenit3" /> This decision was announced on 13 May 2005, the Feast of [[Our Lady of Fátima]] and the 24th anniversary of the assassination attempt on John Paul II at St. Peter's Square.<ref name="catholicnewsagency" /> In early 2006, it was reported that the Vatican was investigating a possible [[miracle]] associated with John Paul II. [[Sister Marie Simon-Pierre]], a French nun and member of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards, confined to her bed by Parkinson's disease,<ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="Vicariato" /> was reported to have experienced a "complete and lasting cure after members of her community prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II".<ref name="NYTimes" /><ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Moore1" /><ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="ABC" /><ref name="Trinity" /> {{As of|2008|5}}, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, then 46,<ref name="Moore1" /><ref name="Hooper1" /> was working again at a [[Obstetrics|maternity hospital]] run by her [[religious institute]].<ref name="Metro" /><ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Miracle-americancatholic" /><ref name="Willan" /> "I was sick and now I am cured," she told reporter Gerry Shaw. "I am cured, but it is up to the church to say whether it was a miracle or not."<ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Miracle-americancatholic" /> On 28 May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before an estimated 900,000 people in John Paul II's native Poland. During his [[homily]], he encouraged prayers for the early canonisation of John Paul II and stated that he hoped canonisation would happen "in the near future".<ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Homily-Blonie-Park" /> [[File:Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Wiki Loves Pyramids tour 018.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Statue of John Paul II outside the [[Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe]], Tepeyac, [[Mexico City]]]] In January 2007, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz announced that the interview phase of the beatification process, in Italy and Poland, was nearing completion.<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Westcott" /> In February 2007, [[Relics#Classification and prohibitions in the Catholic Church|second class relics]] of John Paul II—pieces of white papal [[cassock]]s he used to wear—were freely distributed with prayer cards for the cause, a typical pious practice after a saintly Catholic's death.<ref name="MMoore" /><ref name="Cause" /> On 8 March 2007, the [[Cardinal Vicar|Vicariate of Rome]] announced that the diocesan phase of John Paul's cause for beatification was at an end. Following a ceremony on 2 April 2007—the second anniversary of the Pontiff's death—the cause proceeded to the scrutiny of the committee of lay, clerical, and episcopal members of the Vatican's [[Congregation for the Causes of Saints]], to conduct a separate investigation.<ref name="Hollingshead" /><ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Westcott" /> On the fourth anniversary of John Paul II's death, 2 April 2009, Cardinal Dziwisz, told reporters of a presumed miracle that had recently occurred at the former pope's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica.<ref name="Miracle-americancatholic" /><ref name="ncregister" /><ref name="Catholic" /> A nine-year-old Polish boy from [[Gdańsk]], who was suffering from kidney cancer and was completely unable to walk, had been visiting the tomb with his parents. On leaving St. Peter's Basilica, the boy told them, "I want to walk," and began walking normally.<ref name="ncregister" /><ref name="Catholic" /><ref name="Miracle-catholicnews" /> On 16 November 2009, a panel of reviewers at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted unanimously that John Paul II had lived a life of heroic virtue.<ref name="abcNews" /><ref name="Catholic Culture" /> On 19 December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI signed the first of two decrees needed for beatification and proclaimed John Paul II "Venerable", asserting that he had lived a heroic, virtuous life.<ref name="abcNews" /><ref name="Catholic Culture" /> The second vote and the second signed decree certifying the authenticity of the first miracle, [[Beatification and canonisation of Pope John Paul II|the curing of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre]], a French nun, from Parkinson's disease. Once the second decree is signed, the ''position'' (the report on the cause, with documentation about his life and writings and with information on the cause) is complete.<ref name="Catholic Culture" /> He can then be beatified.<ref name="abcNews" /><ref name="Catholic Culture" /> Some speculated that he would be beatified sometime during (or soon after) the month of the 32nd anniversary of his 1978 election, in October 2010. As Monsignor Oder said, this course would have been possible if the second decree were signed in time by Benedict XVI, stating that a posthumous miracle directly attributable to his intercession had occurred, completing the positio. [[File:John Paul II Monument Gdansk-Zaspa.jpg|thumb|right|[[Candle]]s around monument to John Paul II in [[Zaspa]], Gdańsk, at the time of his death]] The Vatican announced on 14 January 2011 that Pope Benedict XVI had confirmed the miracle involving Sister Marie Simon-Pierre and that John Paul II was to be beatified on 1 May, the Feast of Divine Mercy.<ref name="BBC-beatify" /> 1 May is commemorated in former Communist countries, such as Poland, and some Western European countries as May Day, and John Paul II was well known for his contributions to Communism's relatively peaceful demise.<ref name="Bottum" /><ref name="CBCNews" /> In March 2011 the Polish mint issued a gold 1,000 [[Polish złoty]] coin (equivalent to US$350), with the Pope's image to commemorate his beatification.<ref name="yahoo" /> On 29 April 2011, John Paul II's coffin was disinterred from the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica ahead of his beatification, as tens of thousands of people arrived in Rome for one of the biggest events since his funeral.<ref name="Pope John Paul II's body exhumed ahead of beatification" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Willey|first=David|date=1 May 2011|title=Celebration as John Paul beatified|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13254148|access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref> John Paul II's remains, which were not exposed, were placed in front of the Basilica's main altar, where believers could pay their respect before and after the beatification mass in St. Peter's Square on 1 May 2011. On 3 May 2011 his remains were interred in the marble altar in Pier Paolo Cristofari Chapel of [[St. Sebastian]], where [[Pope Innocent XI]] was buried. This more prominent location, next to the Chapel of the Pietà, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and statues of Popes Pius XI and Pius XII was intended to allow more pilgrims to view his memorial. John Paul II's body is located near the bodies of [[Pope Pius X]] and [[Pope John XXIII]], whose bodies were reinterred in the Basilica after their own beatifications and together are three of the five popes beatified in the last century. The two popes who were not exhumed and reinterred after becoming a blessed in the last century were [[Pope Paul VI]] and [[Pope John Paul I]], who both remain entombed in the papal grottos.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Visiting the Tomb of John Paul II in St Peter´s Basilica in the Vatican|url=https://www.vaticancityguide.org/visit-tomb-john-paul/|date=23 August 2013|website=Vatican City Travel Guide|language=en-US|access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pope Innocent XI's remains make way for John Paul II|url=http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-innocent-xis-remains-make-way-for-john-paul-ii|last=Kerr|first=David|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref> In July 2012, a Colombian man, Marco Fidel Rojas, the former mayor of [[Huila, Colombia]], testified that he was "miraculously cured" of [[Parkinson's disease]] after a trip to Rome where he met John Paul II and prayed with him. Antonio Schlesinger Piedrahita, a renowned [[neurologist]] in Colombia, certified Fidel's healing. The documentation was then sent to the Vatican office for sainthood causes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/healing-of-colombian-man-could-pave-way-for-john-paul-ii-canonization/ |title=Healing of Colombian man could pave way for John Paul II canonization |publisher=[[Catholic News Agency]] |access-date=4 August 2012}}</ref> In September 2020, Poland unveiled a sculpture of him in Warsaw, designed by {{ill|Jerzy Kalina|pl}} and installed outside the [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]], holding up a [[meteorite]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/24/new-pope-john-paul-ii-sculpture-unveiled-in-warsaw |title=New Pope John Paul II sculpture unveiled in Warsaw |website=euronews.com |date=24 September 2020 }}</ref> In the same month, a relic containing his blood was stolen from the [[Spoleto Cathedral]] in Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/relic-containing-pope-john-paul-ii-blood-stolen-from-cathedral-in-italy/090f6169-66fc-451e-998a-ce8194a0030d |title=Relic holding Pope John Paul II's blood stolen from Italian cathedral |website=9news.com |date=25 September 2020 }}</ref> === Canonisation === {{Main|Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II}} [[File:Canonization 2014- The Canonization of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II (14036852944).jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|The canonisation of John Paul II and John XXIII]] To be eligible for canonisation (being declared a saint) by the Catholic Church, two miracles must be attributed to a candidate. The first miracle attributed to John Paul was the above mentioned healing of a man's Parkinson's disease, which was recognised during the beatification process. According to an article on the Catholic News Service (CNS) dated 23 April 2013, a Vatican commission of doctors concluded that a healing had no natural (medical) explanation, which is the first requirement for a claimed miracle to be officially documented.<ref>The article by Cindy Wooden cited news reports from Italian news media agencies, and included remarks by the Pope's longtime aide, [[Kraków]]'s Cardinal [[Stanislaw Dziwisz]], and Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father [[Federico Lombardi]], S.J.</ref><ref name="Agence France-Presse" /><ref name="ANSA">{{cite news | first = Christopher | last = Livesay | title = John Paul set for sainthood after second miracle okayed | date = 2 July 2013 | publisher = www.ansa.it | url = http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2013/07/02/-ANSA-John-Paul-set-sainthood-second-miracle-okayed_8965021.html | work = ANSA (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata) | access-date = 2 July 2013}}</ref>[[File:Grób rodziców Jana Pawła II na cmentarzu Rakowickim w Krakowie.jpg|thumb|The tomb of the parents of John Paul II at [[Rakowicki Cemetery]] in [[Kraków]], Poland]] The second miracle was deemed to have taken place shortly after the late pope's beatification on 1 May 2011; it was reported to be the healing of Costa Rican woman Floribeth Mora of an otherwise terminal [[brain aneurysm]].<ref name="FNL">[http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/07/06/costa-rican-woman-describes-john-paul-miracle-cure/ "Costa Rican Woman Describes John Paul Miracle Cure"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311010751/http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/07/06/costa-rican-woman-describes-john-paul-miracle-cure/ |date=11 March 2016 }}, ''Fox News Latino'', 6 July 2013</ref> A Vatican panel of expert theologians examined the evidence, determined that it was directly attributable to the intercession of John Paul II, and recognised it as miraculous.<ref name="Agence France-Presse">{{cite news | title = John Paul II's 2nd miracle approved—report | date = 2 July 2013 | publisher = Rappler.com | url = http://www.rappler.com/world/32751-john-paul-ii-miracle-recognized-report | work = Agence France-Presse (AFP)| access-date = 2 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="ANSA" /> The next stage was for Cardinals who compose the membership of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to give their opinion to [[Pope Francis]] to decide whether to sign and promulgate the decree and set a date for canonisation.<ref name="Agence France-Presse" /><ref name="ANSA" /><ref name="CNS">{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301805.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20130423192205/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301805.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2013 |title=Italian media report progress in Blessed John Paul's sainthood cause |publisher=[[Catholic News Service]] |date=23 April 2013| access-date=12 June 2013}}</ref> On 4 July 2013, Pope Francis confirmed his approval of John Paul II's canonisation, formally recognising the second miracle attributed to his intercession. He was canonised together with John XXIII.<ref name="BBC 2013" /><ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-johnpaul-idUSBRE9640BA20130705/ |title=Popes John Paul II, John XXIII to be made saints: Vatican |work=Reuters |access-date=9 July 2013 |date=5 July 2013 |archive-date=8 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708081533/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/05/us-vatican-johnpaul-idUSBRE9640BA20130705 |url-status=live }}</ref> The date of the canonisation was on 27 April 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday.<ref name="New York Times 2013">{{cite news |first=Elizabetta |last=Povoledo |author2=Alan Cowell |title=Francis to Canonise John XXIII and John Paul II on Same Day |date=30 September 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/world/europe/francis-to-canonize-popes-john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii-on-same-day.html?_r=0 |access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="BBC News – Easton">{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Easton |title=Date set for Popes John Paul II and John XXIII sainthood |date=30 September 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24330204 |work=BBC News |access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref> The canonisation Mass for Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, was celebrated by Pope Francis (with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), on 27 April 2014 in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican (John Paul II had died on [[vigil]] of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005). About 150 cardinals and 700 bishops concelebrated the Mass, and at least 500,000 people attended the Mass, with an estimated 300,000 others watching from video screens placed around Rome.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pope-francis-canonization-vatican-20140427-story.html |first1=Patrick J. |last1= McDonnell |first2=Tom |last2=Kington |date=27 April 2014|location=Los Angeles, CA |title=Canonization of predecessors provides another boost for Pope Francis|quote=An estimated 800,000 people descended on Rome for the dual canonisation, a Vatican spokesman said. That included the half a million around the Vatican and another 300,000 watching the event on giant TV screens set up throughout the city of Rome.}}</ref> The new saint's remains, considered to be holy [[Relic|relics]], were exhumed from their place in the basilica's grotto,<ref>{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=John Paul II remains moved in front of St. Peter's tomb |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/22426/john-paul-ii-remains-moved-in-front-of-st-peters-tomb |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref> and a new tomb was established at the altar of St. Sebastian.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pope Francis Prays at John Paul II's Tomb |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-francis-prays-at-john-paul-ii-s-tomb |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=NCR |date=3 April 2013 |language=en}}</ref> ===Beatification of the Pope's parents=== On 10 October 2019, the [[Archdiocese of Kraków]] and the Polish Bishops' Conference approved ''nihil obstat'' the opening of the beatification cause of the parents of its patron saint John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła Sr. and Emilia Kaczorowska. It gained approval from the [[Holy See]] to open the diocesan phase of the cause on 7 May 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=St. John Paul II's parents' sainthood cause has officially opened|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st-john-paul-iis-parents-sainthood-cause-has-officially-opened-69386|access-date=22 November 2020|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page