Pope Beatifies John Paul II

Pope John Paul II's beatification is the fastest in modern times.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, before a crowd of more than a million in St. Peter's Square in Rome Sunday. The former pontiff is now one step closer to possible sainthood. The beatification was celebrated by one of the largest crowds for a Vatican mass, including thousands of pilgrims from John Paul's native Poland, and is looked upon as a much-needed morale boost for the Roman Catholic Church in the wake of the sex-abuse scandal. It was the fastest beatification in modern times, coming just six years after John Paul died and breaking Mother Teresa's record for beatification by only a few days.