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Saintly Bad BehaviorThe lives of the saints show us that being holy means being human, not perfect.

By James Martin
Posted Friday, April 20, 2007, at 12:18 PM ET

(Continued from page 1)

While I disagreed with some of Pope John Paul's positions, and while the late pope wasn't always a fan of the Jesuits, I believe he was a saint. The man born Karol Wojtyla was devoted to God, devoted to advancing the Gospel, and devoted to the poor. And, just like his critics, he was aware of his faults. (He went to confession weekly.) Those who oppose the idea of St. John Paul might remember that perfection is not a requirement for holiness. And sanctity does not mean divinity.

Supporters of John Paul, on the other hand, should remember that his inevitable canonization does not mean he was flawless, and that it isn't heretical to criticize a saint. As another saint, Frenchman Francis de Sales, wrote in the 17th century, "There is no harm done to the saints if their faults are shown as well as their virtues. But great harm is done to everybody by those hagiographers who slur over their faults. ... These writers commit a wrong against the saints and against the whole of posterity." John Paul wasn't a saint because he was perfect; he was a saint because he was most fully himself. And that will make it easier for me to say, some day, St. John Paul, pray for me.

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Photograph of Pope John Paul II by Franco Origlia/Getty Images.
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Remarks from the Fray:

So James Martin makes his case that saints aren't perfect. Fine by me. But he never explains to the satisfaction of this lapsed Protestant what saints are, or what makes one person a saint and others not. […]

In the case of John Paul it looks to me suspiciously like his elevation to sainthood is more of a political effort than anything else. […] I'm not sure what the deal is with old JP. Maybe the conservatives want to send a message that their hold on the Church is still strong, and to legitimize their agenda further by sainting a guy who was its advocate. Think of how Republicans talk about Ronald Reagan. Bet they'd love to stick his grinning mug on the twenty-dollar bill instead of that damned Democrat Jackson. […]

Like I say, we Protestants are educated so as to be able to sneer at Catholicism, so if somebody can straighten me out on this one, by all means do so.

--O_Hellenbach

(To reply, click here.)

Disagreeing with John Paul II on some of his quite orthodox teaching — something I oft enough did — isn't evidence that he was flawed. But, yes, he was a flawed human being trying to live the life of Christ. So, I ask: Did Jesus ever act on his human nature?

Certainly, just ask those who corrupted the temple.

Even what seems an act of human fault — Mother Teresa's chastising letter to a convent of her sisters — might be a virtuous act of charity. So too might be John Paull II's public scolding of Ernesto Cardenal, the Nicaraguan priest who held a public office in Ortega's Sandinista government.

Jesus would allow his human nature an expression that is an act of charity — he rebuked the money changers for their sin not out of anger, but out of love of God and love of Man.

Living the life of Christ is about becoming becoming more perfectly human, — following Christ's example — not "being perfect."

--TonyAdragna

(To reply, click here.)

Who prays to the Pope John Paul II anyway? Devout Catholics and just about no one else. So if they have no "Saint John Paul" to provide greater clout than his current revered state, they can always turn to many other old stand bys as they are always ready with a sympathetic ear.

Surely John Paul does not need the recognition for his own sake, this cannot possibly touch on vanity or it would immediately be cause for disqualification. So I do not get the rush to judgment myself? I might add some of the sins or habits of the earlier saints the article referenced would never fly in this current age. Simple as that.

Instant sainthood in our present age can be too easily connected with affluent culture's ever present instant gratification demands on all levels. For that reason alone, I object to a quick procedure.

--JV-12

(To reply, click here.)

Of the approximately 3000 Catholic Saints about 480 owe their sainthood to Jean Paul II's generous redefinition of sainthood. There are another 1600 cases pending. Jean Paul II did two things to speed up the saint production line. The most important thing was to eliminate the "Devil's Advocate" from the proceedings. There used to be a priest whose job it was to look at the evidence skeptically; but, skepticism apparently no longer has a place when one is talking about making saints.

Secondly, the proof of sainthood as opposed to saintliness was made much more elastic. Certified miracles performed or at least a heck of a good national sponsorship used to be required for sainthood. This has been true since Buddha (St. Josephat) was accidentally installed as a saint and the Bollandists were commissioned the clean up the sainthood roster in the 16th century.

Times change. John Paul II proclaimed more saints and blessed than all his predecessors together since 1588.

As Jean Paul II noted, "the saints and blessed manifest the charity of a local Church."

So, the more saints, the more charity and everyone likes charity.

The current standard for attaining sainthood is the satisfactory proof of the 'real' holiness of the prospective saint. This is determined by the examination of the documentary evidence of committees at the local and then the diocesan levels. After that one or several committees in Rome will take their shot.

There is the theological commission which must study, in the light of the documentation received by the diocese, if the real holiness of the person does or does not emerge.

A smart saint actually avoids miracles these days. They slow the saint train down.

--bubbuh

(To reply, click here.)

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