Pope Benedict XVI has formally approved a miracle attributed to his late predecessor, paving the way to John Paul’s beatification on 1 May.
The process of beatification, or declaring the late pontiff to be “blessed”, is a crucial step towards making him a saint.
John Paul died in 2005 after a papacy of nearly 27 years.
The Vatican credits him with the miraculous cure of a nun said to have had Parkinson’s Disease.
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