Pope to canonize Blesseds John XXIII, John Paul II April 27
 Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II will be canonized together on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday. (CNS photos) |
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Recognizing that Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II have widespread reputations for holiness and that years of studying their lives and actions have proven their exceptional virtue, Pope Francis announced he would declare his two predecessors saints at a single ceremony April 27.
The pope made the announcement Sept. 30 at the end of an "ordinary public consistory," a gathering of cardinals and promoters of the sainthood causes of the two late popes. The consistory took place in the context of a prayer service in Latin and included the reading of brief biographies of the two sainthood candidates.
Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, read the biographies and highlighted the "service to peace" and the impact both popes had "inside and outside the Christian community" at times of great cultural, political and religious transformation.
The testimonies of their lives, "completely dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel, shine in the church and reverberate in the history of the world as examples of hope and light," the cardinal said.
Blessed John Paul, known as a globetrotter who made 104 trips outside Italy, served as pope from 1978 to 2005 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011. Blessed John XXIII, known particularly for convoking the Second Vatican Council, was pope from 1958 to 1963; Blessed John Paul beatified him in 2000.
Asked by reporters if retired Pope Benedict would participate in the canonization ceremony, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters it was possible, but given the retired pope's preference for staying out of the public eye, he could not say for sure.
The choice of April 27, which will be Divine Mercy Sunday in 2014, was not a complete surprise. Speaking to reporters traveling with him from Brazil to Rome July 28, Pope Francis said he had been considering Dec. 8, but the possibility of icy roads could make it difficult for Polish pilgrims who would travel by bus to Rome for the ceremony.
The other option, he said, was Divine Mercy Sunday, a celebration instituted worldwide by Pope John Paul. Since the beginning of his pontificate in March, Pope Francis has emphasized God's mercy and readiness to forgive those who recognize their need for pardon. He told reporters on the flight from Brazil that Pope John Paul's promotion of Divine Mercy Sunday showed his intuition that a new "age of mercy" was needed in the church and the world. Catholic News Service
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Pope John Paul II's reliquaries currently on exhibit at Gateway, Cubao, QC,
dubbed "Beatus: Embracing the Holiness of John Paul II" |
Pope Francis to Usher in Vatican 3D TV Transmission at Unprecedented Canonization Caremony
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis will become the first pontiff seen globally in 3D during the upcoming April 27 ceremony in St. Peter’s Square when two of his predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII, will be canonised as saints.
The unprecedented double canonisation event will be produced in 3D by the Vatican TV Center (CTV) in a partnership with Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Italia, BSkyB and Sky Deutschland payboxes, and Sony. The ceremony will also be beamed into 3D movie theatres across Europe and in North and South America, in what is being touted as the first convergence of HD, 3D and 4K technologies for such a high-profile multimedia 3D event.
At a press conference in the Vatican, CTV chief Monignor Dario Vigano said the live transmission will require “more satellites than the Sochi Olympics.”
Vigano underlined that the Vatican decided to offer the canonisation ceremony to the world in 3D in order to give people who would want to attend but cannot, for many reasons including economic ones, the chance to get a “fully immersive” experience.
The production will use 13 3D cameras positioned in spots that will give a unique and exclusive vantage point of St Peter’s Square. The HD feed will be carried by 100 broadcasters, including Italo pubcaster RAI, and viewed by an estimated 200,000 global TV audience. The 3D TV feed will be beamed into Italy, the UK, and Germany on Sky.
The fact that CTV has teamed up with Sky on the 3D TV project, rather than RAI, which has until now been the Vatican’s customary TV partner in Italy, marks a major coup for Sky Italia. Sky Italia managing director Andrea Zappia said he was “very proud” of the partnership with the Vatican which will also mark the first time Sky Italia, BSkyB, and Sky Deutschland team up on a live event.
More than 100 movie theatres in Italy will screen the ceremony in 3D through Nexo Digital, which will also beam it into movie theatres around the world, everywhere for free. VARIETY
