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Chico Harlan
Head of Rome office covering the south of Europe and sometimes beyond
VATICAN CITY – Four years ago, Pope John Paul II was named saint, a step that apparently ensured the legacy of one of the dominant figures of the twentieth century.
Instead, his papacy has been subjected to increasingly harsh and uncommon criticism, with some believers asserting that his moderate response during the early years of the sexual abuse crisis continues to haunt the Roman Catholic Church.
A debate on the actions of a papal saint would have been highly improbable in an earlier era of Catholicism, when the popes rarely received the greatest honor of faith.
But in recent years, the Vatican has given birth to a rapid rise of papal sanctity, canonizing its former rulers during mass ceremonies in St. Peter's Square, sometimes before history makes a final judgment on their rights. .
After the canonization of Paul VI on Sunday, with the Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero, martyr, he will be the third pope to be canonized in four years.
The successor of Paul VI, John Paul I, who held this post only 33 days until his death, is also about to commit himself, which means that the Vatican office charged with the saints examines his case.
A woman takes pictures of the tapestries of Roman Catholic Archbishop Óscar Romero, third on the left, and Pope Paul VI, fourth on the left, hanging on a balcony of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on 13 October 2018. (Andrew Medichini / AP)
Although canonization is supposed to reflect the virtue of a person – and not its place in history books – some strangers will say that the church has placed itself in a delicate position by transforming holiness into near-defect for modern popes. John Paul II was canonized in a modern record of nine years after his death in 2005.
The church is currently grappling with a global wave of sexual abuse crises, challenging its reputation, and details continue to emerge on how the institution has addressed this issue in the past. previous decades.
[[[[The Vatican fears that the church will lose young people – not just because of the scandals of abuse
Some of the cases that broke out this year in public view cast a prejudicial portrait of inattention to abuse during the papacy of John Paul II.
"The question becomes, why are you rushing?" Said Christopher Bellitto, a history professor at Kean University, who suggested a mandatory waiting period of 50 or 75 years for canonization after the death of the pope. "Paperwork is complicated, and we learn more after the pope's death."
The process of making saints is a complex process involving a dedicated Vatican office that checks the credentials of the candidate, as well as doctors and other experts looking for evidence of inexplicable "miracles," often involving healed illnesses and illnesses. Most candidates require a miracle before the beatification and another miracle for the last stage of holiness. But still, the current pope has the power to speed up the process or lower the bar of the number of miracles.
The saints are not without reproach. But controversy can effectively prevent popes from being canonized.
A modern Pope who is not yet a saint: Pius XII, who died in 1958, is the subject of controversy over his policy during the Second World War, including whether it was enough to oppose the rise of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. .
Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the new head of the Vatican Office of Saints, said this week that Pius's case "has not progressed".
"The most important judgment is that on the sanctity of life," said Bishop Guido Mazzotta, a Vatican judge who evaluated the case for Paul VI, the pontiff who ruled until 1978 and later. which is remembered in part for leading the reforms of the church. known as Vatican II and for his encyclical reaffirming the Catholic opposition to birth control.
The list of Catholic saints has about 10,000 members, including about one-third of the 266 popes of the religion.
[Read the Pope Francis’s letter on abuse in the church]
Almost every pope during the first 500 years of the church was canonized. But only three of the 66 pontiffs between 1294 and 1914 received this honor, according to data compiled by Bellitto.
Over the last decade, the tendency to papal holiness has radically re-accelerated – perhaps a recognition of how the popes of the post-Second World War have acquired a broader role in as symbols of faith that roam the world.
In this sense, John Paul II, who ruled for 23 years until his death in 2005, is the ultimate example. He visited more than 120 countries, helped to galvanize a global fight against communism and, on the day of his funeral, people in mourning were already singing "Santo Subito" or "Saint Now".
The way John Paul II dealt with abuses was controversial even during his lifetime. But some experts say that the consequences of his approach become more obvious after his death, even by changing his legacy.
Although Vatican observers discussed John Paul II's level of information on some of the attackers, they claimed he was dealing with the cold Warrior fortress mentality, opting for secrecy in handling the hierarchy affairs. who protected them. The question of the supervision of bishops and cardinals has since become a central problem in many scandals.
"He's been dead for 13 years and the issue of bishop responsibility is the time bomb that has exploded," said David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. "John Paul and his legacy are in the center of the blast zone."
In part, the spotlight came back on John Paul II because of Theodore McCarrick, who resigned from the College of Cardinals this summer in the midst of allegations of sexual misconduct.
McCarrick's historic downfall sparked questions about how he got into the faith despite warnings – sent to the Vatican in 2000 – about his behavior.
Francis, facing accusations that he was aware of McCarrick's allegations of abuse against young men, pledged to open the Vatican archives to investigate. But the Vatican said last week in a statement: "It may be that choices are made that are not compatible with a contemporary approach to these issues." McCarrick was promoted to Archbishop of Washington and Cardinal under John Paul II.
The many supporters of John Paul noticed that his health had deteriorated in the last years of his life and that he was surrounded by key lieutenants who could have taken over some decisions in his place.
"Karol Wojtyła was not a man who would stop facing real problems when they were presented to him," said Wlodzimierz Redzioch, author of a book on John Paul II, referring to the pope born in Poland and wearing his birth name. "If anyone had presented this question in all its seriousness, he would surely have addressed it."
Monsignor Slawomir Oder, who presented the case of Saint Paul in the Vatican in the name of John Paul II, stated that "all the verifications carried out confirm the integrity of the saint's behavior".
"This has been verified without a doubt," said Oder.
Read more
The scandals related to the abuses lower the pope's popularity in the United States.
Why the Vatican continues to fight the crisis of sexual abuse
Cartoonists attack the woes of the church
Today's coverage of Swiss Post correspondents around the world
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