RITE AND REASON:The body of pope John Paul II will shortly be exhumed from the tomb which had, until 2000, contained the body of pope John XXIII
I WAS listening to Vatican Radio on January 14th when Pope Benedict XVI announced he would beatify pope John Paul II on May 1st. I called a friend 15 minutes later. He decided to travel to Rome and contacted the Hotel Minerva. While on the phone, the prices jumped from €215 to€480. It was 38 minutes after the public announcement.
The race had begun. Street hawkers, fast food vendors, hoteliers, restaurateurs, taxi drivers, souvenir shops all stand to make money from the three million pilgrims expected in Rome during Easter Week.
In life, pope John Paul attracted record numbers to Rome. In death, he does the same. A constant steam of tourists and pilgrims file pass his tomb in the crypt beneath St Peter’s pilgrims each day. The Vatican webpage runs a live webcam focused on the tomb for virtual visitors.
The beatification follows six years of investigation. Just 26 days after his death on April 2nd, 2005, Pope Benedict waived the rule that requires five years to pass before a person could be considered for beatification. This allows any euphoria to die down and see if the deceased continues to draw public support.
A total of 114 people who knew him well gave detailed testimony, both in his native Poland and in Rome. They concluded that pope John Paul had lived an exemplary life. The healing of a French nun who had suffered from Parkinson’s disease was the miracle required by Vatican regulations. None of this indicates that pope John Paul was without defects. Indeed, many question his judgment in several areas while more are sceptical about his long-term influence.
In the coming weeks, the body of the pope will be exhumed from the tomb which had, until 2000, contained the body of pope John XXIII. The coffin will not be opened. In the past, this was carried out to verify that the remains were those of the defunct beatus. In this case, there is no need. Following tradition, pope John Paul was buried in a triple coffin. The outer casket was made of oak while the inner cypress coffin was sealed within a zinc box. On both the zinc and oak lids is a cross, his name and coat of arms.
The pope was dressed in a red chasuble and white mitre, a white silk veil covering his face. Three bags of coins minted during his pontificate were placed at his feet, along with a brief biography.
The body will be placed in the Chapel of St Sebastian. It is the second chapel on the left as one enters St Peter’s beside the Chapel of the Pieta by Michelangelo. The body of Blessed pope Innocent XI lies underneath the altar but his remains will be removed to the Chapel of the Transfiguration.
Many will be uneasy with the procedure. When pope John was beatified on September 3rd, 2000, his body was displayed in front of St Peter’s Basilica. The same may happen with pope John Paul. Others will find the attempt to beatify a number of 20th-century popes – Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul I – bewildering.
The choice of May 1st is symbolic. May Day was the date for civic commemoration of communism. As pope, John Paul played a part in the retreat of atheistic communism. The feast of the newly blessed will most likely be April 2nd, the day of his death in 2005. Could pope John Paul become a saint? A new miracle, postdating his beatification, must be verified. Investigation into his life will be ongoing. Opponents will point to his blind admiration for the duplicitous and now disgraced Fr Maciel Degollado, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ.
Karol Wojtyla was certainly controversial and his memory evokes strong emotions. But unless some scandal emerges, it seems certain that John Paul will one day be canonised.
Fr Michael Collins is author of The Vatican, Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City(DK Publishing; fathermichaelcollins.com