The path to recognizing someone as a saint can take decades of centuries, but the cause of John Paul II is well underway three years after his death -- and even his successor seems to have a soft spot for it, as the text of his sermon at yesterday's memorial mass would seem to indicate.

Catholics around the world on Wednesday marked the third anniversary of Pope John Paul's death and Vatican officials said they were receiving a steady stream of pleas from the faithful convinced he was a saint.

Pope Benedict, John Paul's successor, presided at a solemn Mass before tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square, from the same spot on the steps of the basilica where John Paul's simple wooden coffin lay three years ago.

"For many days, the Vatican basilica and this very square were really the heart of the world," Benedict said in his sermon as members in the crowd waved flags of the late pope's Polish homeland and banners bearing his image.

Benedict did not use the word "saint" in his sermon but said John Paul had "many human and supernatural qualities" and was a mystic endowed with exceptional spiritual sensitivities.

Why the rush on sainthood for the late pontiff? Partly because there is a sense of the faithful on this one -- a general belief among Catholics that the holiness with which the man lived out his life and ministry demonstrates the sanctity of his life. A second reason is the fact that John Paul II lived out his pontificate in the public spotlight like none of his predecessors. It seems his every word and deed was somehow recorded, and so doing the sort of research on those areas is relatively easy compared to looking at the life of some seventeenth century nun in a convent in South America or a missionary in Africa during the 1800s.

I expect we will see his canonization in my lifetime -- a quick response to the call of Santo Subito that arose at his funeral.

Posted by: Greg at 10:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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