Pope John Paul’s Body Exhumed Prior To Beatification

Pope John Paul II’s coffin was exhumed last Friday prior to his beatification as thousands of people began arriving in Rome to witness one of the biggest events since John Paul’s funeral in 2005.

The Vatican confirmed that the coffin was removed from the crypts below St. Peter’s Basilica as Vatican officials looked on and prayed. Also present at the ceremony were John Paul’s closest aides.

Among those present included Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was John Paul’s secretary and right hand man for decades and the Polish nuns who managed the papal household for 27 years.

John Paul’s wooden coffin will be placed in front of the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica and will remain there after Sunday’s beatification until all visitors have had the chance to view it.

It will be moved to a crypt under an altar near Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture. The old marble slab used to cover his first burial place will be shipped to Poland.

The pope will be beatified on May 1, 2011 which also happens to be the most important feast in the communist world. May 1 celebrates the feast of the Divine Mercy. John Paul has been given credit by many who believe his papacy played a key role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

The beatification on Sunday moves John Paul a step closer to sainthood. Rome is swamped with the largest crowd since the death and funeral of John Paul in 2005, when millions came to pay tribute.

Several thousands of people are expected to attend the mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday when Pope Benedict XVI will pronounce John Paul “blessed” in Latin.

His beatification is a result of a miraculous cure of a French nun, Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, from Parkinson’s disease. According to Sister Marie, her cure was due to John Paul’s intercession with God.

Before John Paul is declared a saint, one more miracle needs to be attributed to him.