Paths to sainthood

Simon Western reflects on the fast-tracking of a saint in an increasingly secular world

The statue of saint Paul in saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City. | Photo: Photo: MAMJODH / flickr CC.

The path to sainthood for John Paul II was the fastest in modern history, raising eyebrows among traditionalists for packing a painstaking process that can sometimes take centuries into nine incredibly short years.

Whether John Paul II should or shouldn’t be a saint isn’t the issue I am addressing here. This article addresses the question of why the Catholic Church has fast-tracked this process and the social meaning it reveals.

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