Pope John Paul II to be beatified on May 1 2011

On the silver jubilee year of Pope John Paul II's visit to Kerala, we gets another reason to enjoy. Pope John Paul II is going to be beatified on the May 1st, the Sunday after the Easter celebrations in Vatican. It was a matter of exceptions. It is the first time in the history of Catholic Church, a person is beatified just after 6 years of his death.
Pope John Paul II, who was well accepted as the morel centre of the world during his papacy, led a saintly life. Rather than keeping his vision inside the 4 boundaries of Vatican, Pope John Paul II chose to lead the world. He was well accepted by all societies of the world and he witnessed the end of communist era in many of the European nations including his country of Poland.
Pope John Paul II was a pope who loved traveling. He had traveled into the corners of the world. According to the statistics, Pope John Paul II had traveled thrice the distance traveled by all his successors. He was the most traveled pope ever, visiting more than 120 nations during the third longest papacy and covering distance equal to nearly 1.5 trips to the moon. During his travels, Pope John Paul II visited Kerala in 1986, where he beatified Sr Alphonsa (who is now the Saint Alphonsa) and Fr Chavara Kuriakose Elias.
Pope John Paul II is the one who raised most number of persons into the designation of 'Saint'. John Paul II remained as the only Pope in the history of catholic church who was shot. It was in 1981 May 13 and yet he survived miraculously and also forgave the turk Ali Agka, who shot him. During his papacy, Pope John Paul II remained as the moral voice of the world against war, human rights violations, abortions etc.
He passed away on April 2, 2005. Millions of people attend his last ceremonies. People vowed to proclaim him as the saint at that moment itself. But catholic church has some strict criteria regarding the matter of sainthood. According to the canon law of the church, the process should be started only after 5 years of death. But Pope Benedict XVI, granted full exceptions and the process started just after some weeks after his death and now this is the moment awaited by the billions. Pope John Paul II is going to be beatified on May 1st. The medical cause for the process was accepted. The miraculous curing of the Parkinson's disease of a nun was the cause for the beatification. Now only one more miracle away from the sainthood. Hope this saintly pope be elevated to sainthood in the near future.