Protest over delays in Pope John XXIII beatification

by our Rome correspondent AN official protest was lodged with the Vatican this week by an Italian Franciscan dismayed by the Vatican's failure to conclude the beatification process for Pope John XXIII after almost 20 years.
The protest by Renato Moretti came as the latest in a flood of similar protests were reaching the Vatican over the beatification last week of the controversial Spanish-born founder of Opus Dei, Mgr Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer, just 17 years after his death.
A crowd of more than 200,000 people watched as the beatification of Mgr Escriva was announced in St Peter's Square last Sunday.
In his letter to Pope John Paul, the Franciscan reminded the Pope that the "documents for Pope John's process have been gathering dust in the archives of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints for 18 years".
Moretti warned that unless the Congreagtion took steps to speed up the workings of its bureacracy the "Good Pope" would be delared beatified by popular acclaim.
"The canonical proclamation of his beatification risks becoming superfluous because the faithful all over the world already recognise John XXIII's saintliness," Moretti told John Paul.
The cause for Pope John XXIII's is known to have reached the positio stage the collation of documentation and the summarium of testimonies to his virtue is nearing publication.
After that, the Vatican will have to examine claims of miraculous cures through the intercession of John XXIII.
Vatican sources said the appeal on beahalf of John XXIII would he followed by others for Padre Pio, the southern Italian monk with the stigmata.