Before the addition of Pius X to the calendar in 1954, there had been no sainted pope since Pius V. The seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries passed by without a papal canonization. Since Vatican II, every pope is a saint, save only the brevi-regnans John Paul I (and even he is at least Venerable). Francis canonized the trio of John; Paul; and John Paul; John had already been beatified in 2000. Significantly, Francis has added all three to the calendar.
There is a powerful if subtle message being sent here, one that I would suggest is indicative of an unhealthy tendency in the contemporary church, a tendency that is the fruit of a poor grasp of Catholic doctrine on the papacy.
Read Full Article »