ROME, MARCH 10, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Future generations should understand why John Paul II’s generation cried out for his immediate canonization, says the postulator of the cause.
Monsignor Slawomir Oder stated this at a conference Wednesday for students and faculty of the School of Communication at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
The process of examining vast numbers of documents and testimonies did not reveal anything new, the postulator said.
«In a certain sense, everyone knew: There is no John Paul II in the media, Pope John Paul II in private … no, there have been no unusual discoveries. The real discovery was the proof that John Paul II was a real man. The process made comprehensible the reason for his coherence and unity of life: his close relationship with Jesus Christ.»
Nevertheless, Monsignor Oder affirmed the beatification process was needed: «[W]e must leave to future generations the reasons that, at the time, led us to cry ‘sanctity now.'»
He said the process progressed quickly for three reasons: the Holy Father’s fame of holiness, the cardinals’ initiative to request the process even before beginning the conclave to elect his successor, and Benedict XVI’s own conviction.
The monsignor has devoted the last six years to directing the investigation
«He was a true man and he was a man of God,» the postulator said.
But he wasn’t perfect, Monsignor Oder acknowledged. Responding to a question on the defects of Karol Wojtyla, the postulator recalled that holiness does not mean flawlessness.
«Only two people were born and grew up without blemish,» he reminded, «Jesus and Mary.»
