A second miracle

Several media agencies reported that the Commission of Theologians of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved the second miracle, which occurred after Pope John Paul II’s beatification, a step which is an indispensable condition for his canonization.  However, the official confirmation has yet to be announced by the Holy See. If all goes well, the proclamation of Pope John Paul II’s sanctity will take place just eight years after his death.

Following the approval of the second miracle, the next step is that the Commission of Cardinals and Bishops of the aforementioned dicastery, which will be meeting in the next few weeks, must give its consent. Pope Francis would then be asked to give his approval and fix the date of the ceremony.

The verdict of the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was given at the end of April – the inexplicable cure of a woman attributed to Pope John Paul II’s intercession. The miracle took place on the night of May 1, 2011, the day of Pope Wojtyla’s beatification. Nothing is known about its nature, but it has been referred to as very impressive.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder, postulator of the cause, presented the alleged miracle last January to the doctors for their examination and statement on its miraculous nature.  The two doctors of the Vatican Consultation were the first to approve it, considering it an inexplicable cure. The clinical material was then presented officially to the dicastery and discussed by the Consultation, a commission of seven doctors.

The Consultation, headed by cardiologist Patrizio Polisca, who looked after Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis, agreed that the cure was inexplicable.

The miracle that made Pope John Paul II’s beatification possible was the inexplicable cure of a nun, Sister Marie Simon Pierre, who was suffering from Parkinson’s.

The Church establishes that after the Commission of Cardinals approves the heroic virtues of a candidate, a first miracle is necessary to proclaim him Blessed, as confirmation by God, given that in a whole human life there can be unknown factors that impede holiness. If the cause is that of a martyr, a first miracle is not necessary. A Blessed may be venerated publicly in the local Church, namely, in his diocese.

A second miracle is required for canonization, after the candidate has been proclaimed Blessed. Canonization bestows on the candidate the title of Saint, allowing him or her to be venerated with public devotion by the whole Catholic Church.