Saturday, February 19, 2005

And More from the Vatican

I found this interesting that a discussion of sainthood even touches on disagreements between Christianity and Islam. The Word From Rome February 18, 2005: "In most cases, processes for beatification involve some degree of uncertainty, since one never knows quite how it will go. Every now and then, however, there's a slam-dunk candidate for whom it's only a matter of time. Such was the case with Mother Teresa when she died in 1997, and such is the case again this week with Carmelite Sr. Maria Lucia of Jesus and of the Sacred Heart, better known as Lucia dos Santos, the last of the three visionaries of Fatima, who died last Sunday.
Lucia passed away on the 13th of the month, the same day in May 1917 that, according to the Fatima tradition, the Virgin Mary began appearing to three small children in this remote site in Portugal. It's a spot named after the wife of Ali, the cousin of the prophet Muhammed, and hence a reminder of the Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula. (In some Koranic schools, especially in Shi'ite circles where devotion to Fatima is strong, it's long been believed that Mary, who is also venerated in the Koran, didn't come to Fatima for Christians at all, but for the Muslims). "

If you are interested the rest of the discussion is fascinating as it delves into Pope John Paul II's faith in soon to be Saint Lucia and also the intriguing tale of the relationship between the Visionaries of Fatima and the failed assassination attempt on the Pope

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