Pope John Paul II to be Beatified in 2011?

The following comes from the NCR:

John Paul II could be beatified in 2011, perhaps even before the summer, according to the veteran Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli.

Writing in Il Giornale this morning, he reports that in recent weeks, the medical advisers of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints have produced “a favorable view on the miracle attributed to the intercession of Pope Wojtyla - the healing of a French nun from Parkinson’s - and the documentation in recent days has also passed the scrutiny of theologians.”

He says the Cause now moves to the cardinal and bishop members of the congregation who have just received the dossier on the miracle. They are to cast their vote in a couple of weeks.

Tornielli says it is “theoretically possible” John Paul II could be beatified on April 2, 2011, the sixth anniversary of his death, or a date in May. October is another possibility as that would coincide with the anniversary of his election to the papacy.

However, the beatification ceremony will require a good deal of planning to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims expected, and so it’s probably doubtful it will happen at least until the end of the year.

The Vatican hasn’t yet commented on the story.

John Paul II was declared “Venerable” in December 2009.