Pope John Paul II

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After Nazi Medical Torture, She Befriended a Future Pope

Wanda Poltawska died at the age of 101

(Newser) - Wanda Wojtasik was 19 when she was captured by the Gestapo in February 1941 in Poland. She was eventually brought to the Ravensbrueck concentration camp in Germany, where more than 90,000 people died before the camp's 1945 liberation. She was a survivor, one who was subjected to medical...

Poles Turn Out in Defense of John Paul II

Marchers object to documentary with allegations about sexual abuse coverup

(Newser) - Thousands of Poles joined marches Sunday in defense of the late pope, St. John Paul II, in response to a TV documentary that alleged he covered up child sex abuse involving clergy in his native Poland before being elected pope. The marches, which took place in Warsaw and other cities...

Sicilian Judge Killed By Mafia Moves a Step From Sainthood

Pope calls Rosario Livatino a 'martyr of justice'

(Newser) - A Sicilian judge who was called a martyr by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis has moved to one step from sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. The beatification of Rosario Livatino took place Sunday at the cathedral in Agrigento, near the spot where the judge was shot to...

Pope John Paul II's Blood Stolen in Broad Daylight
Pope John Paul II's Blood 
Stolen in Broad Daylight
in case you missed it
Nov 21, 2020 12:51 PM CST

Pope John Paul II's Blood Stolen in Broad Daylight

Cops have a suspect, who's been known to lift sacred relics, but vial of blood is still missing

(Newser) - Pope John Paul II died more than 15 years ago, but people still try to get their hands on relics of the Polish pontiff when they can—even his blood. That's what a man from Tuscany is accused of swiping, and Italian authorities are now trying to track down...

Vatican Report: John Paul II to Blame for McCarrick's Rise

Probe into disgraced cardinal lets Pope Francis off the hook, blames other bishops, cardinals, popes

(Newser) - A Vatican probe into ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has found that a series of bishops, cardinals, and even popes downplayed or dismissed reports he slept with seminarians, and determined that Pope Francis merely continued his predecessors' naive handling of the predator until a former altar boy alleged abuse. The Vatican took...

Catholic Archbishop Slams Trump's Visit to DC Shrine

He calls it 'baffling and reprehensible'

(Newser) - President Trump has now angered two Washington, DC religious leaders in two days. Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slammed the president Tuesday ahead of the Trump's visit to the Saint John Paul II Shrine, the Washington Post reports. "I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would...

Benedict Suggests New Title for John Paul II

Only two predecessors have been given the title 'the Great'

(Newser) - Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI is floating the idea that St. John Paul II have another title added to his name—"the Great." Only two other popes have received the honorific. John Paul's longtime secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, held a press conference in Krakow, Poland, on Friday to...

John Paul Letters Show 'Intense' Friendship With Married Woman

32-year correspondence includes 'deeply personal' notes, pics

(Newser) - Photos and more than 350 "intense" letters from Pope John Paul II to a married woman he corresponded with for more than three decades have been found at the National Library of Poland, Deutsche Welle reports, via a BBC documentary. The notes and images—often showing the pontiff, who...

Pope Embraces the Kids via Church's Tablet 2.0

Francis opts for gadget to sign himself up for World Youth Day

(Newser) - Pope Francis today opened the registration period for next year's World Youth Day in Poland, using a tablet to sign himself up from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square during the traditional Sunday blessing. The pontiff was joined by two young people as he extended an invitation to...

Berlin Wall? Met the Pope? More Brian Williams Qs

NBC is still carrying out investigation into anchor's exaggerations

(Newser) - Brian Williams has been shot at by Iraqi forces, contracted dysentery , and watched as a dead man floated by after Hurricane Katrina, according to reports by Brian Williams. Now, after being suspended for six months from NBC for misleading statements about his Iraq War activity, the news anchor is...

Guy Who Tried to Kill Pope Leaves Flowers on His Grave

Mehmet Ali Agca says he 'felt the need to make this gesture'

(Newser) - Mehmet Ali Agca, who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, today brought flowers to the late pope's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica, the AP reports. Agca, a former extremist who was 23 when he shot the pontiff, told police in Rome, "I felt the...

2 Living Popes Canonize 2 Predecessors

John Paul II and John XXIII canonized in historic ceremony at Vatican

(Newser) - It's a four-pope day at the Vatican, as two living popes gathered for the first time to canonize two of their predecessors: Pope Francis presided today over what the AP notes is really a pretty brief ceremony that confirmed the sainthood of John Paul II and John XXIII. Appearing...

Giant Crucifix Dedicated to Pope Crushes Pilgrim

He dies just days before John Paul II's sainthood

(Newser) - Tragedy struck just days before the canonization of Pope John Paul II when a giant crucifix dedicated to the late pontiff crushed an unfortunate pilgrim in northern Italy. The victim, 21-year-old Marco Gusmini, was posing for photographs with other members of a group of young Catholics in front of the...

John Paul II's Impending Sainthood Is Wrong
John Paul II's Impending Sainthood Is Wrong
OPINION
Apr 23, 2014 11:43 AM CDT

John Paul II's Impending Sainthood Is Wrong

Maureen Dowd: He led the church during its pedophilia scandal

(Newser) - John Paul II accomplished great things as pope, but the Vatican is making a mistake in canonizing him as a saint this weekend, writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times . The reason is simple and obvious: He "presided over the Catholic Church during nearly three decades of a...

Popes' Canonization Will Be Francis' Style: Low-Key

Newly no-frills Vatican plans subdued saint-making ceremony

(Newser) - When in Rome, apparently do as the current pontiff does: The low-frills style of Pope Francis is having an effect on the upcoming canonizations of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII. Organizers of the event say the April 27 saint-making ceremony is going to be a much more sober...

Cops Recover Cloth With Pope John Paul's Blood

It's missing a few threads but otherwise OK

(Newser) - Police in Italy have recovered a valuable but unusual piece of stolen property—a bit of cloth stained with the blood of Pope John Paul II, reports Reuters . It apparently suffered some rough treatment, but a bishop says he was able to piece it back together, save for a few...

Pope John Paul II's Blood Stolen

One of only 3 known vials taken from Italy church

(Newser) - A vial of Pope John Paul II's blood has been stolen ... by Satanists? The first part is fact, the second speculation. NBC News reports that the relic was taken on Saturday from the Church of San Pietro della Ienca, which is located in central Italy's Abruzzo region. Reuters...

In 7 Months, It'll Be 'Saint John Paul II'

John XXIII also set for sainthood in first double canonization

(Newser) - It's official: Pope John Paul II will be declared a saint on April 27, 2014—as will Pope John XXIII, pontiff from 1958-1963, in the Catholic Church's first-ever double canonization. Pope Francis, who will lead the ceremony, announced the date at a meeting with cardinals today, the AP...

So, What Was Pope John Paul II's 2nd Miracle?

Floribeth Mora says he healed her brain aneurysm

(Newser) - As promised, more details have been released on the second miracle that got Pope John Paul II cleared for sainthood . Floribeth Mora, a 50-year-old Costa Rican woman, told her story publicly for the first time today, tears in her eyes. She developed a brain aneurysm in 2011 and had no...

John Paul II Cleared for Sainthood: Vatican

Ceremony should occur this year

(Newser) - Tuesday brought the news that Pope John Paul II awaited just the final sign-off from Pope Francis before being made a saint. Three days later, that approval has come. Reuters reports that the Vatican today announced that Francis has approved the second of the two miracles needed on the road...

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