VIENNA, Austria, APRIL 5, 2005 (Zenit.org).- At least one Russian Orthodox Church official thinks John Paul II will soon be beatified and canonized by the Catholic Church.
Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions, delivered to ZENIT a comment on the late Pope.
“He was a great Pope, perhaps one of the greatest in the entire history of the Roman Catholic Church,” Bishop Hilarion wrote. “There is no doubt that he will soon be beatified and canonized by the Church to which he dedicated his entire life.”
“He was the most influential religious leader of modernity, and he made an impact on the entire human civilization,” he added. “Indeed, his influence went far beyond the Roman Catholic Church, which he headed for more than a quarter of a century.
“His message was heard and appreciated by millions of people all over the world, not only Catholics, but also Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans, Jews, Muslims, people of other faiths and, what is perhaps even more remarkable, by people of no faith.”
[Read more…]