Sainthood on hold

Five years after a crowd of nearly 4 million broke into chants of "Santo Subito" (sainthood now) during Pope John Paul II's funeral, the case for his beatification has encountered a serious roadblock.

We were all excited that the beatification and canonization of our dear late Pope John Paul II would coincide with the anniversary of his election as the 263rd successor to St. Peter in October. Polonians were also thrilled to have the Polish born Pope elevated to Sainthood during Polish heritage month. Unfortunately, there is the possibility we will not see this joyous event anytime soon, if ever.

The process of beatifying JP II now depends on whether doctors will confirm a miracle he allegedly carried out. A French nun was said to have been cured of Parkinson's disease as a result of the prayers of the late pope. At present, some physicians doubt whether the nun really suffered from Parkinson's or if she was wrongly diagnosed.

Everything is now in the hands of a committee of doctors who are investigating the case and have the power to confirm or reject the alleged miracle. If the panel rules that it was a healing, the Church will be able to start talking about a date for beatification. This is working pretty much like the panels called for in the 2,400 page Health Care Bill that past earlier this year commonly referred to as Obamacare. I've never liked committees very much. As with the Creator, my relationship with my docotor and my insurance company... let no man come between.