What happened?
The late Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński will be beatified, after Pope Francis gave official Vatican approval to a miracle brought about through Wyszyński’s intercession.Wyszyński was Archbishop of Warsaw from 1948 til his death in 1981, and helped lead resistance to communism. He was a mentor to St John Paul II.
Why was it under-reported?
Cardinal Wyszyński was once world-famous, hailed as “the uncrowned king of Poland” and “Primate of the Millennium”. During the long years of communist rule, he symbolised the endurance of Polish Catholicism – even, or especially, during his three years in prison. His relationship with Karol Wojtyła alone had a dramatic impact on Poland, the world and the Church. But times have changed. In today’s Poland, memories of communism have faded fast; and in today’s Church, John Paul II’s legacy seems much less secure than it once did.
What will happen next?
The date for the beatification ceremony has not been announced. Once beatified, Wyszyński will need one more miracle to be declared a saint.
Pope Francis also approved miracles through the intercession of Fr Francesco Mottola, an Italian priest; and Alessandra Sabattini, an Italian lay woman who worked with drug addicts and died in 1984 aged 22, while engaged to be married.
The Pope also recognised two new martyrs, including one of the Spanish Civil War: Juan Roig y Diggle, murdered at the age of 19.
