Pope John Paul II beatified before big crowd
A figurine of Pope
John Paul II is displayed in a
religious shop in Rome April 29,
2011.The late Pope John Paul II was
moved a major step closer to
sainthood at a ceremony that drew
about a million and a half people to
Rome and was celebrated by Catholics
around the world. "From now on Pope John Paul II shall be called 'blessed,'" Pope Benedict proclaimed in Latin, bringing cheers to the largest crowd in Rome since John Paul's funeral six years ago. Benedict praised his predecessor as a man who "restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope."
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He is credited with having
hastened the fall of communism in the East
Bloc in 1989 because of his strong support
for the Solidarity trade union in his native
Poland, whose leader, Lech Walesa, was among
the dignitaries in St Peter's Square.
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
John Paul had brought about a "miracle" in
the former communist country.
The crowd in Rome stretched as far back as
the Tiber River, more than half a kilometer
away. Devotees, many clinging to national
flags, rosaries and water bottles as they
sang, thronged the Vatican from all
directions from before dawn.
Many camped out during the night near the
square, which was bedecked with 27 posters
illustrating each year of his pontificate,
and his most famous sayings, "Do not be
afraid!"