Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pope John Paul II To Be Beatified
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 14, 2011
Modified Jan 14, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 14, 2011
Modified Jan 14, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Pope John Paul II, the beloved pope who died in 2005, is on the road to sainthood: The AP reports that Pope Benedict XVI "set May 1 as the date for John Paul's beatification — a key step toward Catholicism's highest honor and a major morale boost for a church reeling from the clerical sex abuse scandal."
A French nun proclaimed that she recovered from Parkinson's after Pope John Paul II interceded, and doctors have not found a cause for her sudden much-better health, so that was miracle number one. However, in order for Pope John Paul II to become a saint, there needs to be a second miracle. The AP also adds that the new honors are "not without controversy, however. While John Paul himself was never accused of improprieties, he has long been accused of responding slowly when the sex abuse scandal erupted in the United States in 2002. Many of the thousands of cases that emerged last year involved crimes and cover-ups that occurred on his 26-year watch. Critics have faulted John Paul's overriding concern with preserving the rights of accused priests, often at the expense of victims — a concern formed in part by his experiences in Communist-controlled Poland where priests were often accused of trumped up charges by the regime."
NY Archbishop Timothy Dolan told the Daily News, "Pope John Paul visited New York three times - twice as Pope, and once when he was the Cardinal-Archbishop of Krakow. In many ways we consider him to have been an honorary citizen of what he famously referred to as 'The Capital of the World.'" CNN's Belief blog offers nine reasons why Pope John Paul II mattered.
Tagged
beatification
church sex abuse
miracle
pope benedict
pope john paul ii
Roman Catholic Church
vatican
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
Don't be surprised if you run into someone from your building in Beacon.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 10:46 a.m. ET
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
News
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
By
Charles Lane
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .