Beatification of a born-salesman

Our dear John-Paul II beatification has been a lightning rod for numerous debates. My sense is that the Vatican really pushed that one as fast as it could, found a “convenient” miracle and elevated our most charismatic Pope in years, near Sainthood. That ultimate recognition will come in time and to me, it's a well deserved promotion to someone who's been a formidable ambassador to the Catholic faith.

His magnetism and his “salesmanship” allowed him to get away by remaining a staunch conservative and not touch anything anything that should have been changed to bring the Church into the 21st Century, while at the same time turning a blind eye to the rash of sex scandals that have shaken the institution towards the end of his reign. Too bad Pope Benedict let Mugabe attend the event! A man most of us could “relate to,” Jean-Paul II also came with a priceless and wonderful quality: He was a skier!