Thousands fill St. Peter's Square to celebrate canonization
of Pope John XXIII, John Paul II
VATICAN CITY – Hundreds of thousands of people filled
St. Peter's Square Sunday for a historic day of four popes, with Francis and
Benedict XVI honoring their predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II and
declaring them saints in the first ever canonization of two pontiffs.
Polish pilgrims carrying the red and white flags of John
Paul's beloved homeland were among the first to push into the square well
before sunrise, as the human chains of neon-vested civil protection workers
trying to maintain order finally gave up and let them in.
Italy's interior ministry predicted 1 million would
watch the Mass from the square, the streets surrounding it and nearby piazzas
where giant TV screens were set up to accommodate the crowds eager to follow
along.
"Four popes in one ceremony is a fantastic thing to see
and to be at, because it is history being written in our sight," marveled
one of the visiting Poles, David Halfar. "It is wonderful to be a part in
this and to live all of this."
Most of those who arrived first at St. Peter's had camped
out overnight nearby on air mattresses and sleeping pads. Others hadn't slept
at all and took part in the all-night prayer vigils hosted at a dozen churches
in downtown Rome.
By mid-morning, the scene in the square was quiet and
subdued -- perhaps due to the chilly gray skies and cumulative lack of sleep --
unlike the rollicking party atmosphere of John Paul's May 2011 beatification
when bands of young people sang and danced in the hours before the Mass.
The Vatican on Saturday ended weeks of speculation and
confirmed that retired Pope Benedict, 87, would indeed participate in the
canonization. The move sets a remarkable precedent for the 2,000-year-old
Catholic Church, which has never seen a reigning and retired pope celebrating a
public Mass together.
Benedict had promised to remain "hidden from the
world" after resigning last year, but Francis has coaxed him out of
retirement and urged him to take part in the public life of the church.
Sunday's canonization is also the first time two popes have
been declared saints at the same time. Francis' decision to canonize two of the
20th century's greatest spiritual leaders amounts to a delicate balancing act,
giving both the conservative and progressive wings of the church a new saint.
John, who reigned from 1958-1963, is a hero to liberal
Catholics for having convened the Second Vatican Council. The meetings brought
the church into the modern era by allowing Mass to be celebrated in local
languages rather than Latin and by encouraging greater dialogue with people of
other faiths, particularly Jews.
During his quarter-century papacy from 1978-2005, John Paul
helped topple communism through his support of Poland's Solidarity movement.
His globe-trotting papacy and launch of the wildly popular World Youth Days
invigorated a new generation of Catholics, while his defense of core church
teaching heartened conservatives after the turbulent 1960s.
"John Paul was our pope," said Therese Andjoua, a
49-year-old nurse who traveled from Libreville, Gabon with some 300 other pilgrims
to attend. She sported a traditional African dress bearing the images of the
two new saints.
"In 1982 he came to Gabon and when he arrived he kissed
the ground and told us to `Get up, go forward and be not afraid,"' she
recalled as she rested against a pallet of water bottles. "When we heard
he was going to be canonized, we got up."
Kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers from more than
90 countries were expected to attend the canonizations. Some 20 Jewish leaders
from the U.S., Israel, Italy, Francis' native Argentina and Poland were also
taking part, in a clear sign of their appreciation for the great strides made
in Catholic-Jewish relations under John, John Paul -- and their successors
celebrating their sainthood.
No comments:
Post a Comment