Canonization date of late Popes to be announced in September

Pope Francis plans to hold a consistory Sept. 30 to formally approve the sainthood of Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII, during which the official date of the canonizations will be announced.

Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, made the announcement during an Aug. 20 interview with Vatican Radio, saying that only Pope Francis knows for sure the date that the canonizations will occur.

“John XXIII was the great prophet and creator of the Council,” the announcement stated, and “John Paul II is the one who put it into practice and developed it, in all its aspects and in all its potential.”

The former Popes were lauded as being “two pillars not only of Christian culture, but also of Christian holiness.”