Santo subito! Sainthood now! exclaimed the people assembled in St. Peter s Square on the very day Pope John Paul II passed away. The crowd called for the canonization of the deceased pope. To many, John Paul II was a hero. He traveled the world and inspired the multitudes. He caused the fall of the Berlin Wall. He invited Catholics to be not afraid! He pardoned Ali Ağca for the attempt on his life of May 13, 1981. He was an intrepid defender of life, especially against abortion.

But the reality is not so simple.

An in-depth study of the requirements for beatification and the examination of John Paul II s pontificate in light of those requirements leads to amazement. Gray areas, sometimes extensive, come to light. The greatest of the Christian virtues: faith, hope, and charity are not unscathed. Many of the Pope s teachings and initiatives which for the wide public seem to be titles of glory prove to be in fact matters of grave reproach.

Benedict s beatification of his predecessor on May 1, 2011, may indeed have been a serious mistake.

Fr. La Rocque provides an in-depth study of the requirements for beatification and the examination of John Paul II s pontificate in light of those requirements.

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