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Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan), succeeded John XXIII, and brought the Vatican Council to its conclusion in 1965.

On September 3, 2000, during the Jubilee to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ, Pope John Paul II beatified John XXIII along with Pope Pius IX (who died in 1878).

This double beatification provoked criticisms, including some from within the Catholic Church, partly because John XXIII had called a council to reform the church, while Pius IX was in many ways a conservative, centralizing authority and doctrine in the Holy See. In response to these objections, the Vatican declared that the two popes were beatified for their personal virtues, and not for the historic decisions that they had made.

According to Catholic teaching, the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints must confirm a miracle attributed to the candidate in question before he or she can be beatified—they are then granted the title "blessed." A second miracle is required before sainthood can be conferred.

The miracle attributed to John XXIII involves an Italian nun, Caterina Capitani, now aged 57, who worked in a hospital in Agrigento, Sicily.

Caterina, who attended Sunday's ceremony in Rome, told La Stampa, a Turin newspaper: "When I was 22 about 40 doctors declared that I could not be cured. I had a perforation of the stomach. On May 22 1966, a nun brought from Rome a piece of the cloth on which Pope John was lying when he died. I placed it on the open wound on my stomach.

"On May 25," Caterina said, "I suddenly felt a hand placed on my wound, and a voice called me. At the foot of my bed I saw Pope Roncalli saying to me: 'You and the other sisters have often prayed to me. You have plucked this miracle from my heart. Have no more fear, you no longer have any illness, now you can eat just like before. Where there had been an open wound, all marks had disappeared. The doctors declared that there was no scientific explanation for the cure."

Copyright © 2001 ENI.

John Paul II said it was a joy to celebrate Pentecost by having the venerated remains by the altar.

Devotees of Pope John XXIII are now convinced "il Papa Buono" is a saint after extraordinary preservation.

Elected to be a caretaker pope, he instead revolutionized Catholicism: Christianity Today sister publication Christian History examines the impact of Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII was Time's Man of the Year in 1962.

Pope John XXIII was pope from 1958 to 1963 and was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli.

Famiglia Cristiana is online—in Italian. But a rough translation by Babelfish is available.

La Repubblica , can also be viewed with a rough English translation.

La Stampa newspaper's English translation.

ChristusRex.org offers extensive writings on the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.

Catholicism.org features a brief summary of every Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church

Recent related Christianity Today articles include:

A Bishop and Two Theologians Propose a Radical Reform in College of Cardinals | Italian media speculate some cardinals could suggest an update of the papal election process. (June. 5, 2001)

Leading Catholic Theologian Outlines His Vision of Next Pope | Leader claims church needs a pope more like Pope John XXIII (Dec. 6, 1999)

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June (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45