[MedjAdmin]

Cardinal Marchisano Says Pope Healed Him
Tells of Intercession for Throat Condition

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 10, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A cardinal who worked closely with John Paul II says that he was once cured of a serious throat condition after the Pope prayed for him and touched the affected area.

Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, revealed details of the incident on Saturday, the second day of the nine days of Masses celebrated for the Holy Father's eternal rest.

The Italian cardinal, a friend of Karol Wojtyla's since 1962, spoke of his previously unpublicized healing during the Mass he celebrated in the basilica with Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Pope's personal secretary.

The cardinal recalled that five years ago doctors operated on one of the main arteries in his neck that supply blood to the brain, "and by error of the doctors, my right vocal cord was paralyzed, obliging me to speak almost imperceptibly."

Referring to John Paul II, he said: "As a father, he came out to meet me and, for two or three minutes stroked the area where I had been operated.

"I was speechless. Meanwhile, he said to me: 'Don't be afraid, you'll see, you'll see. ... The Lord will give you back your voice. You'll see. I will pray for you. You'll see ...'"

"Soon after, I was cured," recalled Cardinal Marchisano.

He added during the homily: "Let us also thank the Lord for having given the Church a Pope like this, and let us ask the Lord for the grace to give to the Church other Popes who will follow this path."

[MedjAdmin]

Pope’s private secretary saw “miracle”: report
(AFP)

10 April 2005

VATICAN CITY - The private secretary of the late Pope John Paul II saw the pontiff perform what could be claimed as a miracle, one of the key stages to becoming a saint, Italy’s La Stampa newspaper reported Sunday.


It quoted Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz as relating how an American who was seriously ill received communion from the pope, and was cured.

The incident happened in 1998, but Dziwisz, who was John Paul II’s closest confidant for 40 years, spoke of the incident three years ago to reporters, who revealed it Sunday.

According to the report, Dziwisz told how an acquaintance had asked him if an American friend who was very ill with a brain tumor could meet the pope.

The acquaintance said the dying man had only three wishes: to see John Paul II, go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and return to the United States to die.

“I remember him very well, his face showed he was ill,” Dziwisz said. “I also remember that he had no hair, which was clearly due to the chemotherapy (treatment) he was having.”

The pope, at the time at his Castelgandolfo retreat outside Rome, led a private mass at which the sick man received communion, the holiest part of the Roman Catholic ritual.

Later, Dziwisz’s acquaintance rang him to say that the man had been cured, “his tumor completely disappeared in just a few hours.”

In his account of the incident, Dziwisz did not speak of a miracle but of a sign of “the supreme power of God” which surpassed human understanding.

La Stampa, however, pointed to the clamour at John Paul II’s funeral Friday for him to be made a saint, and said it could be interpreted as a miracle.

If he were to be canonised -- he made more saints than all his predecessors combined -- his case must pass three hurdles.

First is a ruling that he has led an exemplary life. Next is beatification following proof of a miracle as a result of his intercession.

The final stage, canonisation, requires at least one more miracle.

Earlier this week, a Mexican teenager claimed the late pope had performed a “miracle” on him 15 years ago that cured his leukemia, while a nun in Colombia has said he cured her of an illness affecting her balance.

On Saturday, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls pointed out in answer to a question on sainthood that it was up to the next pope to decide.

He said any such decision lay “in the sole competency” of the next pope.

[Covenant]

In addition to these miracles, there was a similar case that I read about which took place in the 1980s.

A French boy, about 7 years old, was dying of cancer and brought to the Vatican. Pope John Paul II prayed for him and when he returned to France, the cancer was gone.

This case has already been investigated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which apparently started its investigations into the miracles of John Paul several years ago; a move almost unprecedented.

Another one that comes to mind is a possesed woman that John Paul exorcised. No-one else could remove the demon, so the pope intervened. He prayed over the possessed woman and then said mass for her. The power of the Eucharist and John Paul's prayers completely made the woman whole and the demon departed.

If he was that powerful in death, imagine his powers now!!! In the lives of the saints often the greatest miracles occured soon after their deaths, as a demonstration of their sanctity. I believe that miracles are already occuring throughout the world by the intercession of John Paul II.