Process Begins for John Paul's Sainthood

Venerable John Paul II.

Great he may be, but "the Great" fits him like the papal tiara.

But I wasn't going to argue that point with Fr. Neuhaus, who spoke last night to open this year's Pallium Lectures, and referred throughout to John Paul the Great.

Fr. Neuhaus spoke on Ecumenism since Vatican II. He expressed disappointment that what should be breakthroughs, like the joint Lutheran-Catholic statement on justification, or the encyclical Ut Unum Sint, produce no response. Later he spoke of the Catholic-Evangelical "ecumenism of the trenches," the closer relationship from working together on things like pro-life issues. The latter might help explain the former. From what I've read, there are leaders in the Orthodox and Protestant churches who can see the way to reunification, but they cannot proceed until they can bring their people with them.

I recognized Karen Marie Knapp from her photo and her rosary-knitting, and we finally met non-virtually.