Late Pope John Paul II to become a saint in record time

Rome: Pope John Paul II is on course for the fastest ascent to sainthood in the modern era, according to the priest in charge of managing the process.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder said he expected John Paul's beatification, the second of the three steps to full sainthood, to be bestowed by next spring.

"I am hopeful it will happen by spring 2009," said the Polish priest during a trip to Ischia, where he retraced John Paul II's journey to the island in 2002.

Oder is the late pope's postulator and is in charge of gathering together the "positio", a 2,000-page dossier of all the documents attesting to John Paul's holiness.

After the evidence is handed to the Vatican, it will be pored over by a committee of experts before a panel of cardinals meets to confer beatification.

When John Paul died on April 2, 2005, the throng of worshippers in St Peter's Square called for him to be "santo subito" - immediately sainted.

Responding to the calls, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the normal restrictions that bar candidates from being considered for sainthood until they have been dead for five years. The same exception was made for Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

However, if John Paul II is made "Blessed" by next spring, he will beat Mother Teresa's record of five years to reach the same stage. Normally, the process of becoming a saint takes decades. One certified miracle is required for beatification and a second for the final step, canonisation.

Full canonisation inscribes a candidate in the canon of the saints and would allow a universal feast day for John Paul II and allows him to be mentioned officially in the liturgy of the Church.