Dual papal canonizations to be a 'no-frills' event
April 01, 2014 - The low-frills style of Pope Francis is having an effect on the
upcoming canonizations of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII. Organizers of the event
said on Monday that the April 27 saint-making ceremony is going to be a much more
sober affair than the three-day extravaganza that accompanied John Paul's 2011 beatification.
That 2011 event included a prayer vigil on Rome's Circus Maximus field for tens of
thousands of people and ended up costing several times the original estimate of 1.2
million euros (US$1.65 million). No such vigil is planned this time around.
Cardinal
Agostino Vallini, the vicar of Rome, said churches in Rome's center will remain open
overnight before the canonization to provide a spiritual retreat for pilgrims, ``but
not much else.'' Italian news reports have said as many as 5 million or even 7 million
people may flock to Rome for the period surrounding the canonization, which also includes
the busy Easter week before it and the May 1 holiday afterward. Polish pilgrims are
expected to come en masse, as they did for the beatification of their native son,
John Paul.
The Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi played down the
number of people who might attend the canonization itself, noting that about 250,000
can fit in St. Peter's Square and the main boulevard leading to it. Lombardi also
declined to confirm if emeritus Pope Benedict XVI might attend. Francis has encouraged
Benedict to play a greater role in the public life of the church, and Benedict made
a surprise cameo during the recent installation of 19 new cardinals.