Church Puts Pope John Paul II On Fast Track To Sainthood

04:10

April 29, 2011

This article is more than 11 years old.

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the remains of holy Innocenzo XI are moved inside St. Peter's basilica to make room for those of late Pope John Paul II, ahead of the beatification ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 1. (AP/L'Osservatore Romano) — The remains of holy Innocenzo XI are moved inside St. Peter's basilica to make room for those of late Pope John Paul II, ahead of the beatification ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 1. (AP/L'Osservatore Romano)

The late Pope John Paul II this weekend will be beatified, which is the first step to sainthood. The late Polish pontiff was loved by many for being the pope who "brought down communism," reinvigorated the faith and inspired a generation of young people to enter the priesthood.

But his beatification is the quickest in history (beating Mother Teresa's by 15 days), and some critics are wondering why the Catholic Church is moving so fast and whether he should become a saint at all, given his handling of the child sexual abuse scandal. John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter joins us from Rome.

National Catholic Reporter: In death as in life, John Paul a sign of contradiction

This segment aired on April 29, 2011.

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