Poland's President Coy on Pope Testimony

[emad]

Poland's outgoing president gave a coy response Wednesday to a report that he had testified in the beatification procedure of the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II.

The Rzeczpospolita daily reported that President Aleksander Kwasniewski answered "at least a few dozen questions" from Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, who heads the five-member panel gathering evidence in Poland, at the presidential palace on Tuesday.

"Just as I have been instructed, I do not confirm and I do not deny," Kwasniewski said when asked about the report on state-run Radio 3.

"The whole thing should be done discreetly so I will say nothing more," Kwasniewski said. He confirmed, however, that he has been asked to testify.

The Vatican is separately gathering evidence from witnesses outside Poland. The number and identity of witnesses is kept secret.

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/ap/2005/12/21/ap2407328.html

[Stuckinthebush]

1. Doesn't there have to be a "miracle" to for this to happen?

I'm not up on the Sainthood procedure, but I thought that a miracle needed to be evident. I don't recall any miracles performed by the ex pope.

[emad]

2. Ratzi got elected. Miracle enough?

?

[GrpCaptMandrake]

3. That's the cool thing about miracles

The simple can believe 'em even if they're complete fabrications. Under any other circumstance, just making crap up is called lying, or, perhaps "Republicanism.". In this context, however, it's called "piety."

[Ian David]

4. They've lowered the bars on miracles lately and they're NOT skeptics

Saints are a marketing and public relations tool of the church. With their popularity failing, the only thing The Vatican has left is scapegoating gays and finding new and exciting saints. Otherwise, someone might pay attention to the pedophilia and financial scandals.

The Pope greets and blesses (I'll make up a number) a million people per year. Then, they go out and find three or four out of the millions he's blessed over the years who claim, "The Pope cured me of cancer!"

The "Miracle" would be if he cured everyone of cancer, not just a half-dozen or so out of millions he supposedly cures.

Out of a million people in general, a few are going to suddenly go into "miraculous" remission whether they meet the pope or not-- including Atheists.

In this age of global travel and communication, such "miracles" are actually easier, not harder.

And if we try, I bet we can find more people who suddenly died right after meeting the pope.