Pope John Paul II, Pope John XXIII To Be Declared As Saints

Popes John Paul II & John XXIII will be declared as saints next year, current Pope Francis has announced.

Francis announced the date during a meeting with cardinals inside the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, and said the canonization is set for April 27, 2014.

Francis had announced in July he would canonize two of the 20th century’s most influential popes together, approving a second miracle attributed to John Paul. John XXIII has been also credited with a miracle.

The beatification of John Paul – which is a step toward sainthood – was started by his successor, Benedict XVI, after John Paul died in 2005.

The Vatican said at the time that it waived its usual five-year waiting period to begin the process because of “exceptional circumstances,” according to The Guardian.

A first miracle was attributed to John Paul in 2011, in which the Vatican said a French nun that was dying of Parkinson’s disease was cured after she and other nuns prayed for the intercession of John Paul.

John Paul’s second miracle was approved by Francis three months ago. A 50-year-old Costa Rican woman said she was cured of a brain aneurysm after a photo of John Paul appeared to talk to her, The Guardian reports.

John XXIII was pope from 1958-1963 and called the Second Vatican Council which transformed the church, according to the BBC. HERE