Friday, May 13, 2005

trackback []

Not that I have followed it at all closely, but Pope Benedict's "rush" to put John Paul II on the path to sainthood doesn't feel right to me. As I understand it, the Roman Catholic church has a customary five-year waiting period before the process of canonization can begin (just like Major League Baseball!). As closely as the institiutional church guards tradition, and as long-range an outlook they have, I can't see why they would violate their rules without a compelling reason (I can't even think of a hypothetical example for such a compellilng reason). The rules say "wait five years", so why is this case special? It seems like the church is actually pandering somewhat, by changing the rules for a singularly well-known candidate (just because you are famous doesn't make you especially saintly). Worse yet, for the ultimate insider. It just doesn't feel very clean. 4:22:43 PM    comment []