Rome - May 1,2011

On January 14, 2011, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints announced that Pope Benedict XVI would preside at the rite of beatification for Pope John Paul II on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Pope John Paul II died at age 84 in April 2005 from complications from Parkinson's disease. Since his death, John Paul has been put on a fast track for sainthood. Usually the road to becoming a saint is measured in decades or even centuries. However, Pope Benedict XVI waived church rules that normally impose a five-year waiting period after a candidate's death before the procedure that leads to sainthood can start.

Beatification Ceremony Requires Pope John Paul II ’s Exhumation


Millions of people have visited the tomb of John Paul II since his death in 2005. After the beatification ceremony, even larger crowds of visitors are expected at the relocated tomb.

The coffin of the late Pope John Paul II was exhumed and displayed on beatification Sunday, May 1, 2011 along with a vial of his blood that was taken just prior to his death in 2005.

The body was originally placed beneath St. Peter’s Basilica and was be re-interred in another location following the ceremony. Beatification is the long-practiced recognition by the Catholic Church of the deceased’s entrance into Heaven and is considered the first step in becoming a saint.

Tens of thousands attended the ceremony including 22 heads of state, making it one of the biggest events in the Italian capitol since the former Pope’s funeral.

The River Tiber, which runs close by the Vatican, was heavily patrolled during the ceremony, and thousands of officers patrolled the streets throughout the weekend. The end result was a well maintained beatification ceremony.