Santo Subito

SPECIAL INSTALLMENT: ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY
Italians know a saint when they see one. Do we?

When Pope John Paul II died two years ago, over a million people filed past his plain cedar coffin to pay their respects. About four million flooded into Rome to attend his funeral or to watch the service on giant video screens placed across the city. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people — maybe even billions of people — watched the funeral on television.

In Rome, a cry began to spread through the crowd, “Santo subito … santo subito.” The phrase also appeared on hand-painted signs held up by worshipers at the funeral.

Santo subito.

Translation: “Sainthood immediately.”

The fans of John Paul II want the Vatican to cut through its normal red tape and pronounce the pope a saint right away. No delays! Chop-chop! Stat! In a New York minute!

He’s clearly a saint, they say. So let’s make it official.

According to Time magazine (April 3, 2007), the new pope, Benedict XVI, has moved as quickly as possible to get his predecessor into the...