“Some interesting new facts have come to light regarding Pope
Luciani’s state of health, thanks to the testimonies (167 people have
been heard) and medical documents collected. These sources definitively
confirm that he was not killed.”
This is according to Mgr. Enrico Dal
Covolo, Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and Postulator of
John Paul I’s sainthood cause, who spoke to Italian news channel Tgcom24 in
an interview on Pope Luciani who passed away after just 33 on the papal
throne.
On Wednesday Mgr. Dal Covolo will deliver the first part of the Positio
- the documentation on John Paul I’s heroic virtues, on his life and on
the miracle he is believed to have performed – to the Prefect of the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato.
“We will deliver the Positio on 17 October - the postulator
said – and the process for determining the Pope’s miracle will continue.
I am certain that the Pope will soon be proclaimed a saint, though we
still do not know exactly when. The cause is hanging by a very thin
thread and we need to be careful!”
“I met with Pope Benedict XVI about a week ago – Mgr. Dal Covolo
added – and he confirmed he was very glad about this step forward in the
late Pope’s beatification process, advising me to be cautious. He
strongly supports this cause, with great affection and interest. He gave
a special blessing.”