On Sunday, April 27, Pope Francis canonized two of his most popular predecessors: Pope John XXIII, most known for inaugurating the Second Vatican Council, and Pope John Paul II, celebrated for providing the moral impetus to bring down Soviet Communism.
The secular media, while demonstrating its usual lack of theological nuance with regard to the process and meaning of canonization (the Pope, for instance, does not “make” someone a saint, contrary to Yahoo! News), has emphasized the political aspects of the joint canonization, arguing that pairing John XXIII and John Paul II symbolizes Francis’ desire to bridge the gap between “conservative” and “liberal” factions in the Church. While there is merit to this analysis, Christopher Hale in TIME Magazine reminds us of the dangers of assigning twentieth-century political labels to popes and saints. He argues that the canonizations honor John XXIII’s and John Paul II’s shared commitment to “engagement with the world” – a commitment that is also important to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. “The two popes' societal engagement – not supposed political ideologies – should be the markers of Sunday’s festivities,” Hale writes.
The word “saint” simply means any person who has attained eternal life with God, but the Church formally recognizes saints for whom we have evidence of their presence in heaven (both through their personal holiness and through their miraculous intercession) so that the faithful can know their friends in heaven and emulate their example on earth. Fr. James Martin reminds us that when saints are canonized we are challenged to ask what lessons we can learn from them. What models of holiness can we find in John XXIII and John Paul II?
Writing about John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaks of his deep spirituality, his courage, and his personal charisma put in the service of “bringing Christ to others.” Writing of John XXIII, James Schall speaks of his good humor, lively wit, and commitment to building a just moral order based on his awareness of the kingdom of God. Both had a passion for reaching out beyond the walls of the Vatican and bringing the Church to the world. As “modern” saints, both men have something to teach us about engaging with modern society, uniting a profound spirituality with a tough-minded dedication to confronting head-on the world’s deepest needs and its most pressing questions.
But more than anything, these popes were ambassadors of an energetic, enlivening Christian joy – a joy desperately needed in the tumult of the twentieth century, and still craved today in the face of injustice and apathy. In his encyclical Pacem in Terris, written in response to the Cold War just two months before his death, John XXIII encouraged the faithful to be “sparks of light and centers of love.” Speaking in Harlem in 1979, John Paul II urged his listeners to "be heralds of hope. Be messengers of joy." The joy that these popes radiated has had its impact, as evidenced by the testimony of people from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. In our everyday evangelization, let us also be inspired by their example of joyful service.
Pope St. John XXIII and Pope St. John Paul II, pray for us!
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