Weekend World Events Slightly Overshawdow Joyous Beatification of Pope John Paul II

A number of events that took place around the world this past weekend are sure to remain in the hearts and minds of many of us for years to come. Weather it was the assassination of the most hated man in the world Osama bin Laden, the royal wedding of Prince William and his lovely bride Kate Middleton, or the beatification of Pope John Paul II, these historically events which all took place within about a 72 hour time span could all be described as being unforgettable. Being of Polish descent and a practicing Roman Catholic, the beatification of Pope John Paul II, was an event that was very near and dear to me, although possibly slightly overshadowed by some of the other worldly events that were taking place. I, like other Roman Catholics across the world find great joy in these types of religious ceremonies. I personally liked and had great respect for this great leader of the Roman Catholic who was pope for 27 years.

Huge crowds packed the streets around Vatican City before the 10:00A.M. ceremonial mass that brought Pope John Paul II, one step closer to sainthood. The beatification of Pope John Paul II is one the fastest ones ever celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church. Normally the process toward sainthood doesn't start for at least 5 years after the death of a proposed individual. Pope Benedict dispensed this waiting period and started the process of beatification within weeks of John Paul's death on April 5, 2005.

Pope John Paul II is predicted to possibly be labeled as Pope John Paul The Great by the Catholic community. Many in the Polish community feel the late pontiff had a hand in toppling Communism in Poland. He constantly worked to defend life, promote justice and seek peace in the world. He traveled the world to renew faith and survived an assassination attempt on his life in 1981, while fulfilling his duties as pope.

Despite all of Pope John Paul's great accomplishments in this world, criticism still follows him and he will continue to be under scrutiny for the crimes and cover-ups of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church during his papacy. These allegations continue to surface and will probably not go away anytime soon. They didn't stop the beatification process, though.

Church officials have announced that in the Diocese of Rome, Pope John Paul the II will have a feast day automatically inserted into the annual calendar. Oct. 22 has been chosen as that day because it's the anniversary of his inaugration as pope

Sources: CBSnews.com

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