Zooming toward sainthood
The week's news at a glance.
Rome
Pope Benedict tossed millennia of Catholic tradition aside this week to begin beatifying Pope John Paul II, who died just six weeks ago. Traditionally, a person must be dead for at least five years before beatification, the first step toward sainthood, can begin. Pope John Paul II himself first broke that tradition, when he fast-tracked Mother Teresa’s beatification, beginning just a year after her death in 1997. It will still be some years before John Paul II is declared a saint. For beatification, the Vatican must attribute one miracle to the candidate; sainthood requires a second miracle.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published