To unify Catholics, conservative Pope John Paul II to be canonised alongside progressive John XXIII

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said late popes John Paul II and John XXIII will be made saints at an unprecedented joint ceremony on April 27, 2014, in a bid to unite Catholic conservatives and liberals.

Pope Francis made the announcement on Monday at a meeting of cardinals known as a consistory.

The canonisations of two popular popes are set to bring hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome.

The popular Polish pope John Paul and his Italian predecessor, two of modern-day Catholicism's most influential figures, will be canonised at a joint ceremony at the Vatican.

The unprecedented double sainthood for two popes is seen by Vatican watchers as an attempt to breach a traditional left-right divide in the Church.

"John XXIII is generally a hero to the church's progressive wing while John Paul II is typically lionized by Catholic conservatives," said John Allen, Vatican expert for the US National Catholic Reporter.

Allen said the decision could be interpreted as "a statement that any attempt to set them at odds is artificial, and that what they had in common is more fundamental than any perceived differences".

Sainthood normally requires two "confirmed" miracles, though Francis has approved the canonisation of John XXIII (1958-1963) -- with whom he shares a personal touch and reformist views -- based on just one.

John Paul II, who served as pontiff from 1978-2005, was credited with his first miracle just six months after his death, when a French nun said she had been cured, through prayer, of Parkinson's -- a disease he had also suffered from.

His second miracle was reportedly carried out on a woman in Costa Rica, who said she was healed from a serious brain condition by praying for John Paul's intercession on the same day he was beatified in 2011.

The Polish pope was popular throughout his 27-year papacy and helped topple Communism -- although he alienated many with his conservative views and was blamed for hushing up paedophile priest scandals.

At his funeral in 2005, crowds of mourners cried "Santo Subito!" -- "Sainthood Now!" -- prompting the Vatican to speed up the path to sainthood, which normally begins five years after death.

Nicknamed "The Good Pope", John XXIII made his name by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) which overhauled the Church's rituals and doctrines, reached out to other faiths and raised the status of lay people.

Many compare the Italian pope, who died in 1963, with the current head of the Roman Catholic Church for their similar pastoral attitudes, humble, open manner and sense of humour.

The reportedly miraculous healing of an Italian nun who had severe internal hemorrhages was attributed to John XXIII when he was beatified in 2000.

Francis is believed to have waived the need for a second miracle because his canonisation had been called for by the participants of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, who wanted to pay homage to the man who ushered the Church into modern times.

Francis also promises to be a reformist pope, planning an overhaul of the Vatican bureaucracy and finances and promising a "poor Church for the poor".

On Tuesday, he will begin three-day talks with an advisory board of eight cardinals he has appointed to help him clean up the troubled Roman Curia -- the intrigue-filled administration -- and improve communication between the Vatican and local churches.

Vatican experts say it is not clear whether details from the meetings will be made public, but liberal Catholics hope that the conciliatory tone adopted by Francis on many issues will translate into action.

Topics may include the role of women in the Church, whether priests should be able to marry, if Catholics who remarry should receive the Eucharist and the Church's position on homosexuality and gay clergy.

source: interaksyon.com

Saint Pedro Calungsod, our model of faith and witness

Martyrs are those who stand witness for their beliefs and who give testimony to their faith.  Since the early years of the Church, there have been thousands of martyrs; people who never feared, or even if they did, stood their ground for the sake of the principles they espoused and the faith that they lived by and lived for.

Martyrs therefore are the models of the faith, especially those who believed and followed Jesus, the Christ and in effect, were persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and killed.  Martyrs did not renounce their faith and remained true to their beliefs even if the consequence meant death.

Today, October 21, 2012, the Catholic Church and all Filipinos worldwide are one in thanking the Lord for the gift of faith and witness of one of our very own.  As  Christians and as Catholics, we  joyfully celebrate the life and faith  of Blessed Pedro Calungsod and six others who will be elevated to the altar of God and will be known as “holy men and women” of  the Church and in the world.  They will be canonized by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and will be declared  and given the title fitting to them. As they are declared Saints (or Holy Men and Holy Women), they  can now be publicly venerated by the  Church.

Saint Pedro Calungsod was a Visayan who joined the missions in the Marianas in the 17th century.  He was a lay young man who worked in the evangelization and proclamation of the gospel to the Chamorros, the indigenous people who lived at that time in islands of the Marianas.  He helped and assisted Blessed Diego de Sanvitores, a Spanish Jesuit in work of catechesis and in the delivery of the   sacraments to  the people.

This young man who made a decision to be a missionary gives us an idea of who he is.  A person with a certain level of maturity in his faith so that he committed himself to join the mission and dedicated his life in the following of Jesus in his capacity a lay young man.   He was not only willing to go but made himself available for others as well.  He was a catechist as he taught to the people the Story of Jesus and his saving message  of love.  We know in history that during those times, going to missions was very hard and it was possible that one would not be able to return.  It was really a decision of faith and loving service that he made for the sake of the gospel.

At 17, San Pedro Calungsod was killed  on April 2, 1672 in Tumon, Guam together with Blessed Diego de Sanvitores when they were suspected by some villagers that  the water used in baptism has poison.  Their stories never ended after they died because their lives were the very witness of faith. After 340 years, that young Visayan martyr is recognized by the Church as a “Beloved of Christ” and worthy recipient of the crown of sainthood.

May Saint Pedro Calungsod be our model of faith, of witness, of service.  He is not only a model for the young people but for all of us who want to share God’s good news to everyone.  May we also follow Jesus and be His witness, like the young martyr named Pedro Calungsod, for at 17 he made a difference in his life and faith.

Saint Pedro Calungsod, pray for us and be our model faith and witness.

source: interaksyon.com