Malta tops list of John Paul II miracles

These claimed miracles – forwarded to the Postulator for Pope John Paul’s beatification, Monsignor Slawomir Oder, who is also the judicial vicar of the court of appeal of the Diocese of Rome – are said to have “constantly flowed” in from Malta over the last five years.

A senior source within the Special Commission to the Cause for Sainthood of John Paul II in Rome, told MaltaToday that the reports of alleged miracles from Malta were directly submitted to the postulator, as the Maltese Curia does not come into the process: given that it is the Vatican and a committee in Poland that are responsible for this case.

John Paul II died on April 2 2005 at the age of 84, after having completed a 26-year pontificate. The beatification process was initiated by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, on June 28 that year.

“Reports of miracles allegedly performed through the intercession of John Paul II were received from all over the world, but a large number have been signalled from Malta,” an aide to Mgr Oder told this newspaper.

He explained that at this stage, it takes only one confirmed miracle to determine a beatification, as is the case of French nun, whose inexplicable recovery from Parkinson’s disease was declared as the miracle needed for the penultimate step to sainthood of the Polish Pontiff.

However, Sr Marie Simon-Pierre subsequently suffered a relapse, casting doubts on the miraculous nature of her recovery.

Polish writer Aleksandra Zapotoczny, who recently published a book on Pope John Paul’s voyage to Sainthood,  lists 120 alleged miracles that have occurred to those praying to Karol Woytila,and suggests that fresh claims won’t be long in coming.