Two saintly popes

If the College of Saints could meet in a consistory, as the world’s cardinals periodically do, then surely they would be delighted to welcome among their numbers Popes John XXIII and, perhaps especially, John Paul II, who canonised more than half of them.

The canonisation of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27 will be a source of great joy to the Church.

Both men are excellent archetypes of personal holiness, an attribute which one does not immediately associate with people who have great power—and, for centuries spanning the medieval and renaissance periods, even with the papacy itself.

As Pope John Paul II knew so well, the saints serve to inspire the faithful. The holiness of the two new saints, who led the world’s largest institution, should serve as a model for all who occupy leadership position—in politics, in religion, in society, in business, in management, and so on.

Some rules were waived in the cause for Pope John Paul’s canonisation, and those who suggest that an undue haste in which the pontiff was promoted to sainthood deserve a hearing. At the same time, the speed of the process recalls earlier methods by which holy people (and some who were not so virtuous) became saints—by public acclamation.

This public acclamation was evident at John Paul’s funeral in April 2005, when crowds spontaneously chanted the slogan “Santo subito”, or “Saint now”.

The Southern Cross had anticipated that demand. Our front-page editorial in the memorial edition for John Paul II, published only two days after the pope’s death, concluded: “It will be fitting when the pope who created more saints than all of his predecessors combined shall one day formally enter the college of saints himself.”

That day is arriving on April 27. And joining him on the ticket will be Pope John XXIII.

In the case of “Good Pope John”, Pope Francis waived the second miracle, which is usually required for a canonisation, the second time he has done so in a year (the previous such case was that of St Peter Faber).

We may be grateful for this, because there is no doubt that John XXIII is in the presence of God, even in the absence of a miracle.

Indeed, we can safely assume that most popes of the modern era, and the many virtuous ones who preceded them, are in the presence of God. And this may raise the question of whether it is necessary to canonise popes.

For more than 600 years the Church did not think it was. Between 1313, when Pope Celestine V was beatified, and 1950, when Pope Pius X became a saint, not a single pontiff was canonised.

Currently there are causes, in various stages of the process, for Popes Bl Pius IX, Pius XI, Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul I (though none for Leo XIII nor Benedict XV).

Popes attain sainthood only for the qualities of their personal virtue, not on the basis of their performances as popes. Pope John Paul II himself made that clear when he said: “The Church does not celebrate the specific historical decisions [a saint] may have made.”

And yet, at the 2000 beatification, the conservative Pius XI was matched with John XXIII, who is beloved especially by progressive Catholics. That decision was widely understood to be a political expedient which ultimately pleased neither camp.

That there needed to be such a compromise indicated that in the saint-making of popes, personal holiness is not the only consideration.

There always is a risk that the sainthood of popes might be seen as a political act. Certainly the opponents of the cause of Pope Pius XII take little interest in his private pieties, but judge him on his record as pope, probably unfairly so.

The dual canonisation on April 27 has none of the character of the 2000 beatification. Pope Francis’ evident interest is to let the ceremony be a unifying and happy event in the Church.

And in that spirit, we may direct our call: Saints John XXIII and John Paul II, pray for us.