sainthood

[Peri]

In light of the current news about Pope John Pauls possible fast track to sainthood I was just wondering whether a saint can be decided by a person.  Firstly the proposed saint has to have led a life of heroic virture - fair enough this bit can be proven.  Then a miracle has to take place after the persons death and then a second miracle.  I personally feel how can we prove a miracle.  Also the group deciding on sainthood are all men and without a fair balance of men and women in this day and age, what can I say. I hope I'm not offending anybody but I think the whole thing is so hypocritical.

[pixi]

I'm with you on this.  Again not wishing to offend anyone, Im not at all religious and think that a lot of the time people go out of their way to try and prove a miracle, which in my humble opinion could be sheer coincidence, good luck, or mind over matter. eg people getting cured of illness by visiting places where a miracle had taken place-this then becomes another miracle. 

As to the group deciding who becomes a saint being all men, i think it is a miracle they can make a decision at all without a women being present.

Also if a woman ever became pope would she be called a popette?

I really hope this doesnt come across as belittling peoples faith as i really dont mean it to sound that way.

[Sligachan14]

I had five - count them - five birdies in my round of golf last Saturday. I don't think you need look much further for your miracle.

[Peri]

lol pixi I like this popette image.  And Sligachan (what does that mean) definitely a miracle I would contact the counsel if I were you.

[shaneystar]

I don't wish to offend anyone if this is what they believe to be true.
I think it would be a miracle if I get away from AB for a while and catch up on my housework!

[Sligachan14]

Sligachan is a place in Skye. I ars*d up my registration, thinking that was my password so I'm stuck with slig.

[Peri]

Thank for the explanation slig.  And Shaneystar if I keep an eye on AB for you will you do my work here.

[shaneystar]

Now that would be a miracle!!

[WoWo]

In my opinion it's yet another example of how out dated the church and bible are (and I couldn't give a monkeys if I offend anybody by the way)...

The bible is a collection of stories meant to highlight good virtue, they shouldn't be taken literally but people do. In this day and age science and knowledge has moved on enough that we don't need to atrribute things we don't understand to divine intervention.

Short of living so long I can't see what mircale to could ascribe to JP2.

[El D]

Ditto, why so scared of offending people? If they are offended that's their problem. He did nothing miraculous and the whole business is a painfully obvious attempt to cash in on the man's popularity. But then, I don't know what I was expecting. . . these people are experts at manipulation.

[slimjim]

The whole thing is pointless. The Catholic Church will proclaim him a saint (can't see anything to stop it now). Only Catholics will be bothered and I've never come across a catholic who could explain what having a new saint would mean to them. Pointless.

[Peter Pedant]

Oh come on lighten up! his holiness declares saints for the benefit of us left footers, so that those rock cakes that are minded, can pray through them.

All John Paul's miracles (and they have started dribbling through) during his life have been declared off-side.

The most side splitting event (yes sainthood can be fun!) was when a protestant divine was pitched out of his cloister and onto the street just after Diana's death. One of the crowd, in an open mouthed fashion whimpered, "WAS she a saint?" The poor fellow nearly had a fit and on camera he had to point out that a) you can't be a saint when you're alive and b) Princess Di was not a roman catholic and so was not in the running.

The crowd -open-mouthed or not - was not convinced by these obviously jesuitical arguments.

Have fun babies -if you dont like saints, dont pray to them.

 

PP

[MargeB]

I would point out several key facts being ignored here:

The pope is infallible

This infallibility carries over to saints.

Philomena, a big saint, who turned out never to have existed, was just a blip.

Amen.