Pope Francis has issued a video message hailing John Paul II's "extraordinary witness of holiness" ahead of Sunday's canonisations (Polish/Italian full texts). Francis has also praised John XXIII in a message to members of the late pope's home diocese of Bergamo. Pope Paul VI will be beatified in October, the Italian magazine Credere has claimed. Paddy Agnew, Greg Daly, Bill Huebsch, Noam Marans, Fr James Martin SJ, Peter Smith, John Thavis and George Weigel reflect on Sunday's papal canonisations. The Pew Research Center explains that papal canonisations are, in fact, "extremely rare" these days. Celia Deane-Drummond says it's "unlikely that Pope Francis will stipulate in precise detail what needs to be done about climate change" in his new encyclical. And a homeless man was among those received into the Church in San Francisco this Easter. Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day.
10:42 AM
Morning Catholic must-reads: 25/04/14
A daily guide to what's happening in the Catholic Church
Luke Coppen

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