Pope John Paul II will be given the title “Blessed” after his beatification on Sunday, May 1 in Rome. Thousands of people from around the world are expected to attend the vigil on Saturday evening and for Sunday’s beatification mass.
The pope’s beatification, which is the final step before possible sainthood, will take place in St. Peter’s Square, at 10:00 a.m. local time (4:00 p.m. in Manila) and will be streamed live on YouTube.
Preparations for Pope John Paul II’s beatification began when the pope’s body was exhumed on Friday. The Vatican placed the coffin in front of St. Peter’s Basilica’s main altar for the ceremony.
The pope’s blood taken from him during his illness in case a transfusion is needed will also be displayed for adoration. The blood was never used but remained in a liquid state because of an anti-coagulant.
The ceremony will focus on Pope John Paul II‘s battle with Parkinson’s disease and the miraculous healing from the same disease of a French nun Marie Simon-Pierre, the miracle which paved the way for the pope’s beatification.
After all visitors viewed the coffin, it will be moved to a new crypt under an altar in a side chapel near Michelangelo’s statue of the Pieta.
