I’m not staying around to debate this point, because I’m not in the best of health to debate anything these days. However, I think that there is a point that must be made here for the sake of those who are not Catholic or for Catholics who don’t understand how canonizations work.
Whether or not Bl. John Paul said or did anything that scandalized anyone becomes a mute issue as soon as the reigning pope says that he lived a life of extraordinary virtue and declares him venerable. At that point, the Church is no longer interested in any other opinions, not even the opinions of clergy. The pope has spoken and declared him venerable.
The next concern for the Church is two miracles that must be attributed to the Venerable and which cannot be attributed to any other saint. There are two parts to this. First part is that the Holy See has to declare that it’s a miracle. Here again, the Holy See is not interested in other opinions once it hears out all of the scientists and witnesses involved. There was a big issue made over Bl. Mother Teresa’s miracle, because one doctor said that the patient was cured by something else. The pope didn’t care what the doctor said. It’s the pope who decides whether it’s a miracle or not, not the doctor. The doctor is simply a professional who gives his professional opinion along with other professionals. But the faith of the Church does not depend only on professional opinions.
Once that first miracle is proven, the pope can order a beatification or do it himself. Then the Church waits for a second miracle and the process of assessing the miracle is repeated. Once the pope says that it is a miracle, the process is over. Then it’s a matter of inscribing the person into the canon of the saints and the liturgy of the Church. The pope can do that immediately or he can wait. That’s his call and no one is allowed to make any suggestions to him.
Having said all of this, there are some who argue that the process of canonization has changed and that it is deficient. This is not possible. Yes the process has changed. It is not possible for it to be deficient. A canonization depends wholly on the faith of Peter and the faith of the people of God, not on the process.
In other words, if Peter believes that a person is a saint, then he is. If the people of God, believe that a person is a saint, then he is. There is no requirement for miracles and investigations. These are strictly up to the reigning pope to use these systems or not. Many men and women have been canonized without an inquiry of any kind. In my own Franciscan tradition Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, and Clare of Assisi were canonized without an inquiry and without a beatification. Many miracles were reported, but none were ever proven. The popes who canonized them were personal friends of the saints and knew of their holiness personally. They did not need any (name removed by moderator)ut from man, nor any proof from God. They had seen what God had done in the lives of these people with their own eyes.
Other saints were never canonized and never needed it, because the faith of the people says that they are saints. Among them are the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, Jesus’ grandparents, the Apostles, the Fathers of the Church, the prophets of the Old Testament, the Patriarchs of Israel and a few other saints.
Scandal is only a concern for those who claim there is scandal. As far as the Holy See is concern, there is nothing that it found to be a scandal in the life of John Paul II. Therefore, the Holy See does not feel that need to offer an explanation for something that the Holy See says never happened.
What never happened? Bl. John Paul never did or said anything that the Church finds objectively scandalous. It considers the claims of scandal to be subjective. When such claims are subjective, the problem is no longer a problem of the Church, but one that the individual has to resolve for himself to bring himself into alignment with the Church.
Once the pope orders that all Catholics are to venerate Saint X and that all around the world are to celebrate a feast day and liturgy to commemorate his feast day and to pray to God through the saint’s intercession, there is no way that a Catholic cah bow out.
The Church does not command that I have a personal devotion to any saint. Which is good, because there are too many to have a personal relationship with all of them. But I am bound to venerate all of them. To venerate means that I must acknowledge that they are heroes of the faith worthy of veneration and imitation. I cannot say the contrary or I would be contradicting a statement of faith made by Peter, which statement is binding on all Catholics.
