According to a Catholic News Service (CNS) report , a new “insider’s” look at Pope John Paul II is getting snubbed by the Vatican.
The book, Why He’s a Saint: The Real John Paul II According to the Postulator of His Beautification Cause, was written by Msgr. Slawomir Oder, with the help of an Italian journalist. Not surprisingly, the book is getting some media attention, since it claims the late pope practiced certain types of self-mortification and penance.
As the CNS article notes, the role of postulator is typically carried out under the radar, with discretion. That doesn’t usually involve publishing a book. Additionally, it would seem prudent to refrain from publicly discussing information from witnesses while an investigation is still under way.
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It is true that a year before Mother Theresa’s beatification, her postulator published an article about her “dark night of the soul.” But this came from her own letters, and not from an investigation or the testimony of witnesses.
Officials at the Congregation for Saints’ Causes are “perplexed and unhappy at the book’s publication.” And apparently, Msgr. Oder now refuses to talk about it.
No wonder. What was he thinking?
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