Pope John Paul II is on course for the fastest ascent to sainthood in the modern era, according to the priest in charge of managing the process. Mgr Slawomir Oder said he expected John Paul II's beatification, the second of the three steps to full sainthood, to be bestowed by next spring.
Mgr Oder is the late pope's postulator – a church official who presents an appeal for beatification or canonisation. He is in charge of
gathering together the positio, a 2,000-page dossier of all the documents attesting to John Paul II's holiness.
"I am hopeful it [the beatification] will happen by spring 2009, once we have consigned the positio," said the Polish priest during a trip to Ischia, where he retraced John Paul II's journey to the island in 2002.
After the evidence is handed to the Vatican, it will be pored over by a committee of experts before a panel of cardinals meets to confer beatification.
When John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, the throng of worshippers in St Peter's Square called for him to be "santo subito" – immediately sainted.
Responding to the calls, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the normal restrictions that bar candidates from being considered for sainthood until they have been dead for five years. The same exception was made for Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
However, if John Paul II is made "Blessed" by next spring, he will beat Mother Teresa's record of five years to reach the same stage.
Normally, the process of becoming a saint takes decades. One certified miracle is required for beatification and a second for the final step, canonisation.
One miracle already attributed to him was the inexplicable recovery of a French nun, Sister Marie Simon Pierre, 46, who was diagnosed with incurable Parkinson's disease in 2001 and prayed to the late pope for his help.
Beatification recognises the candidate's accession to Heaven and his or her capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name.
Full canonisation inscribes a candidate in the canon of the saints and would allow a universal feast day for John Paul II and allow him to be mentioned officially in the liturgy of the Church.
There has been speculation that the beatification could take place on the fourth anniversary of his death, since he completed the first step of being declared a "Servant of God" on April 2, 2007.
However, the Vatican was keen to play down the idea of naming an exact date for beatification.
Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said the rigorous process set down for declaring someone a saint meant it was impossible to make a clear prediction.
"Everything depends on the way in which the developments of his case proceed," he said.
"After we have the positio, there is a survey by historians, by theologians, by doctors and then the exam by the cardinals. We could have it done by that time, perhaps before, perhaps after."
Cardinal Martins has previously described the late pope as a "saint and a living gospel".
Last year, on the second anniversary of John Paul II's death, Pope Benedict expressed his desire that his predecessor should become a saint swiftly.
"His love for Christ was without reserve or limit. The perfume of his love filled our house, the Church," he said.
During his tenure as leader of the Catholic Church, John Paul II beatified 1,340 people, more than the sum of all his predecessors since the 16th century.
The fastest canonisation in modern times was that of Saint Teresa of Lisieux, a French nun who gained fame through her writings. It took 28 years.
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