Pope John Paul II will be beatified this year on the feast of the Divine Mercy. I'm not sure this is a good idea. Before anybody gets mad, let me try to explain. I don't doubt JPII's personal holiness but five years is too soon to beatify anybody but a martyr and St. Margaret Clitherow, who did die a hideous death for the Faith in 1586 had to wait until 1970 to be cannonized. St. Therese waited 20 years I think, and St. Thomas Moore waited for hundreds of years. St. Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431. She was only officially beatified in 1909! St. Pio and St. Andre Bessette, with hundreds of known miracles in their lifetimes and afterwards waited decades for their recent cannonizations.
The Church traditionally waited, prudently for emotions to die down and for uncritical fans or hate blinded critics to cool off or die off. The Church also had the position of the devil's advocate -- a man whose job it was to look for anything that would prove that a person was not a saint. This method served the Church well.
I'm not knocking John Paul, I loved him. A photo of him has been in my bedroom since I was a child but I think this is all too soon.
Mary, Virgo Prudentissima, who John Paul II loved and was loved by, pray for us.
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