Arinze: Wojtyla Santo Subito

When the Vox Clara Committee of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is meeting in Rome at the same time the prefect of said-same dicastery is in... Pittsburgh, you've got a better impression of the state of things in these confusing times.

Then again, it's but the latest double message from the Vatican's liturgy czar.

Indeed, Cardinal Francis Arinze made his customary appearance at the Apostolate for Family Consecration's annual benefit in the Steel City the other night. While it wasn't as action-packed as his prior turns for the Bloomingdale, Ohio-based AFC, it wouldn't be an Arinze event if he didn't say something of note.

Even as the Pittsburgh "Bishop's Race" heats up, Ann Rodgers of the Post-Gazette has the story:

The late Pope John Paul II is certain to be beatified and then canonized a saint, said a visiting cardinal who has a hand in the decision.

"It's only a matter of time," said Cardinal Francis Arinze, speaking Wednesday night at a benefit dinner on Mount Washington for the Apostolate for Family Consecration. The cardinal, 73, a top-ranking Vatican official, spends summer vacation at the group's headquarters in Bloomingdale, Ohio, making video and audio teaching tapes on Catholic doctrine.

At the dinner he spoke about the "five pillars of the family" -- understanding God's call, family prayer time, Mass as the center of life, genuine love and parental responsibility for teaching the children. He also fielded questions from the 125 guests, including an inquiry about Pope John Paul's cause for sainthood....

He reminded his audience that canonization is simply a formal declaration by the church that someone is in heaven.

"We [at the Vatican] do not decide who goes to heaven, but we decide who is canonized down here," said Cardinal Arinze, a native of Nigeria.

Does this mean we can start taking over/under wagers on the timeframe?

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