Rarely do you see all 4 popes together in one event. Although two of them has since passed away years before Sunday's canonization ceremony, April 27 is no less historic as two living popes were present for the official enrollment of former pontiffs John XXIII and John Paul II in the roster of saints recognized by the Catholic Church.
"The faithful and the curious packed the streets of Rome around the Vatican before dawn, hoping to gain entry to St. Peter's Square and catch a direct glimpse of church history in the making," CNN reported.
"Vatican Radio put the crowds at some 800,000 in the St. Peter's area, including the square and the roads and gardens around it. Another 500,000 followed the proceedings on giant screens set up around Rome, according to estimates based on police aerial shots."
Rev. Victor Perez, who came with a group from Houston, Texas' John Paul High School, said that John Paul had a significant impact on the church and "completed the work of Vatican II." Today honors the last 50 years of what God has done in the church," he added.
"John XXIII and John Paul II cooperated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and updating the church in keeping with her pristine features, those features which the saints have given her throughout the centuries," Pope Francis said in his homily, as noted by Time. "They were priests, bishops and popes of the 20th century. They lived through the tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them."
Pope Francis' predecessor, Benedict, was the one who fast-tracked John Paul's elevation to sainthood. Francis also did his part and even decided that the required second miracle can be done without in John Paul's case. His canonization is said to be the fastest one in modern history.
"During his quarter-century papacy from 1978-2005, John Paul II helped topple communism through his support of Poland's Solidarity movement," Time said. "His globe-trotting papacy and launch of the wildly popular World Youth Days invigorated a new generation of Catholics, while his defense of core church teaching heartened conservatives after the turbulent 1960s."
"Pope John XXIII, who reigned from 1958-1963, is a hero to liberal Catholics for having convened Vatican II, which allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages rather than Latin and encouraged greater dialogue with people of other faiths, particularly Jews," the online news source also noted.
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