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Article: Vatican Approves Beatification for Pope John XXIII
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 18, 1999
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The Vatican's formal approval of beatification for John XXIII, a
popular pontiff who helped modernize the Roman Catholic Church, will
be announced Monday. The decree of approval would set the pope
farther along the path to sainthood, and the beatification, the last
formal step before canonization, could come as early as next year.
John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council, which continued
under his successor, Paul VI. The council launched modernizing
changes for the church, including use of local languages instead of
Latin for Mass.
The head of the Vatican division that studies candidates for
sainthood, Monsignor Jose Saraiva Martins, told reporters today that
the decree of approval for ...