The Deacon's Bench
John Allen at Crux has the scoop:
Adding specificity to what was already known about the impending canonization of Blessed Paul VI in 2018, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope’s top deputy as the Vatican’s Secretary of State, said Tuesday that the sainthood rite will take place in late October at the close of a meeting of the Synod of Bishops, an institution Paul VI himself founded.
Pope Francis in mid-February confirmed that Paul VI would be elevated to the ranks of the saints within the year during a Q&A session with priests and deacons from the Diocese of Rome, with the Vatican afterwards releasing an official transcript of the pontiff’s remarks.
When he made the announcement, Francis joked that he and former pontiff Benedict, who resigned in 2013 and is now 90 years old, “are on the waiting list.”
Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 to 1978, led the Catholic Church through the closing of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the turbulent period that followed, overseeing significant transitions in liturgy, seminary formation, theological study, and many other areas of ecclesiastical life.
Paul VI also launched the Synod of Bishops in 1965, as an attempt to broaden the involvement of bishops from around the world in the governance of the Church. The next session is scheduled for Rome in October, devoted to themes of youth and vocations.
Early reports had indicated the canonization might coincide with the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae — but that will happen in July.
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