Blood taken from John Paul to be used as relic

THE TELEGRAPH

Blood taken from Pope John Paul II during his final hospital stay will be used as the official relic for veneration after he is beatified.

The Vatican made the announcement yesterday, ending speculation over what relic would be presented during Sunday's beatification.

In a statement, the Vatican said four small vials of blood had been taken from John Paul during his final days for a possible transfusion, but were never used. Two of the vials were given to John Paul's private secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, and another two remained at the Vatican's Bambin Gesu hospital in the care of nuns.

One of the hospital vials will be placed in a reliquary and presented on Sunday, while the other will remain with the nuns. John Paul died April 2, 2005.

FOX NEWS
VATICAN CITY – During his 2005 funeral Mass, crowds at the Vatican shouted for Pope John Paul II to be made a saint immediately, chanting "Santo Subito!" for one of the most important and beloved popes in history.

His successor heard their call and on Friday, in the fastest process on record, set May 1 as the date for John Paul's beatification -- a key step toward Catholicism's highest honor and a major morale boost for a church reeling from the clerical sex abuse scandal.

Pope Benedict XVI set the date after declaring that a French nun's recovery from Parkinson's disease was the miracle needed for John Paul to be beatified. A second miracle is needed for the Polish-born John Paul to be made a saint.

The May 1 ceremony -- which Benedict himself will celebrate -- is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome for a precedent-setting Mass: never before has a pope beatified his immediate predecessor.

Editor's note: Regarding relics....

Is Catholicism Biblical? A Former Catholic Nun Looks at the Evidence by Mary Ann Collins:

Relics were believed to have spiritual power to protect people from demons, give them victory in war, and bless them in other ways. People wore small relics on chains around their necks, as charms for protection. Churches were built over the bodies of saints. Important relics drewpilgrims, which could have a significant financial impact on a community. Bodies of saints were stolen and portions of them were sold for money. Graveyards were robbed, and the bodies were passed off as relics of saints. Kings and bishops took great risks to steal the bodies of important saints. Towns that had relics prospered and expanded.6 Relics were important for raising money. Historian Paul Johnson says, “A cathedral without a well-known saint was missing an important source of revenue.”

See also: Injured Race Car Driver To Receive Blood Relic of The Late Pope John Paul II , Miracles of the Dead? , Exhumed Body of Padre Pio Goes On Display , Apparition of Mary: The Sinless Lady of Lourdes

Learn more about relics here. (Link is for educational, not endorsement purposes)

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