Beatifying Pope John Paul the Great

The Vatican has announced the beatification of Pope John Paul the Great will be on May 1st of this year. It is a fitting tribute to the late Pontiff to enact recognition of his works on May Day, the communist holiday, in light of the manner in which his life and actions served to rebuke communism, and indeed hasten its demise. But more importantly, the realization and acceptance by the Church of the holiness of this wonderful man, in such relatively short order, demonstrates that Rome can and will act quickly when circumstances call for it.

Yet this is something that does not sit well in certain mindsets. The National Catholic Reporter, a liberal catholic magazine of questionable repute, doesn't seem to like it. "This is madness," writes Michael Sean Winters, a columnist for the NCR. "After years of being frustrated at the slow pace with which the Vatican embraces change, in this one instance where haste could spell disaster, they appear to be rushing."

We are not impressed by the outrage of a periodical which routinely countermands true Catholic doctrine to its own biased ends. Nor are the laments of those interested only in denying the power and sanctity of the Church, such as the American media, to be taken seriously. Especially as this less than humble institution preys on the hardship of those with whom they disagree. its concerns ought to fall on deaf ears.

The most disconcerting aspect of beatifying John Paul the Great surely lie within the priest sex abuse scandal which has vexed the Church of late. Still, there is one thing here which admittedly matters only to true Catholics yet is in fact the salient point in the arguments over his beatification: is the Church blessed with the intuition, after thorough study of an event or a person's life, to see the holiness which enveloped that person or event, or is it not? If it is, then putting John Paul II on the fast track to sainthood must be taken at face value: the Church acted quickly because it was the right thing to do, and its actions will not turn out to be in error. If it is not, then anything Rome pretends to ask for, such as aid to the poor or even recognition of whatever legitimate claims the purported sex abuse victims may have, must fall flat as well. For if the Church as a religious institution does not have Divine guidance lighting her way, then nothing She or her followers may assert matters.

That John Paul the Great brought great things into the world is beyond doubt. We here in the Detroit area still feel the warmth and love he brought here during the papal visit back in 1987. There would be no statue in Hamtramck without a love for such an obviously gentle man. The whole earth still reverberates positively with the results of what he did, from his heroism in the face of communism to his personal battle with disease. This is something which is beyond the collective sneer of the media, even and perhaps especially the ugly grimace of such as the National Catholic Reporter. They will not accept that what is being expressed by John Paul's beatification is not of this world. They do not know really the truly sacred, but only worldly sanctimony.