Fifty years after Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council
that revolutionized the Catholic church, will the jolly man known as
the "Good Pope" be declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church?
Perhaps the better question is: Should he be?
On the evening of June 3, 1963, John XXIII died, his family, doctors
and household staff present in the papal apartments where he had lived
for four and a half years.
The Vatican press office issued this terse
statement: "He suffers no more."
Immediately, there was a movement by some close to the deceased pope
to have him canonized by acclamation, as saints had been during the
early centuries of the church. The first session of the Second Vatican
Council (1962-65) had ended in December 1962, and the pope had published
his landmark encyclical letter, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) in April 1963.
He was beloved by people throughout the world who understood the
historic significance of his brief pontificate and of his council
project.
It was reported at the time that Belgian Cardinal Leo Suenens, who
was close to John XXIII and a leading voice in the council, favored a
quick move to proclaim him a saint, eschewing the lengthy processes that
could sap the energy and enthusiasm from the cause.
Suenens said people
needed new and contemporary figures as models of sanctity to inspire
them in their spiritual lives.
A proposal was circulated among the bishops, urging quick action, but
traditionalist leaders and the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of
Saints won the day.
John XXIII's successor, Pope Paul VI, announced in
1965 that two sainthood causes would be opened: for both Pope Pius XII
and John XXIII.
Two investigations began, one of which culminated in
2000 with John XXIII being beatified, or proclaimed "Blessed," the
penultimate step to sainthood.
Only 80 of the 264 popes are officially recognized as saints (not
counting St. Peter himself, but among his successors as bishop of Rome).
In the last 400 years, ever since the church strictly formalized the
process for canonization that includes investigations and verifications
of miracles, only two popes have been declared saints: Pius V (16th
century) and Pius X, the first pope of the 20th century.
So, despite the enthusiasm of the rank-and-file and even many highly
placed supporters, the chances for any pope achieving sainthood are
surprisingly slim.
John XXIII is different, however. When his body was transferred from
the papal crypt beneath St. Peter's Basilica and reinterred beneath the
Altar of St. Jerome on the main floor of the basilica in 2001, about
40,000 people attended the ceremony.
When his coffin was reopened, John XXIII's physical remains were
remarkably uncorrupted.
After less than a day of work on the corpse,
those present saw the face of John XXIII.
Cardinal Virgilio Noe, who
oversaw the project and was responsible for the "physical plant" of the
Vatican, described the late pope's face as "intact and serene."
He said
witnesses present at the opening of the coffin were overcome with
emotion.
The historical circumstances of John XXIII's reign on the Throne of
St. Peter and his personal sanctity -- well-attested and recorded during
his lifetime and verified after -- have brought the "Good Pope" to the
threshold of sainthood.
The world only awaits verification of a
post-beatification miracle credited to his intercession, as required by
the rules.
I have no doubt that he will pass the final hurdle and "qualify" as a
saint with flying colors, perhaps as soon as the 50th anniversary of
his death, in 2013.
Why?
John XXIII's Second Vatican Council was, in
itself, nothing short of a miracle.
Inspired, as Catholics believe, by the Holy Spirit, John XXIII's
council saved the Catholic Church from perhaps inevitable calcification
and possible collapse.
Every once in a while, say, every 300 to 500
years, the church has needed to re-examine itself and its place in the
world and "get its act together."
That's what happened at Nicaea in the
4th century and Trent in the 16th century -- and most certainly at
Vatican II in the 20th.
Unblinking, and with a smile, even as he sought to reform and reclaim
his cherished church, he walked with charity and humility always,
through some of the darkest days of world history, as a young priest and
soldier, as a diplomat and pastor, as a successor of St. Peter.
The
evidence of his inner life is revealed in his "Journal of a Soul," a
masterwork of religious writing and reflection that ought to be more
widely read today.
Even so, John XIII is a saint, acclaimed by many throughout the world
already.
They don't need the official stamp of approval of the Vatican
hierarchy to verify what is already written on their hearts.