Canonizing John Paul

Shortly after Pope John Paul II passed away, I blogged about the talk of canonizing him. I wrote that I thought it was premature. Here is part of what I wrote at the time:

Whatever the merits of John Paul as a saint, I do not believe that the process should be accelerated for him. I like the idea of a five-year waiting period because there can be an upsurge of emotions when a person dies and there is no doubt that this grief can color the decisionmaking process, perhaps causing people to exaggerate how wonderful a person was or to go about the canonization process in semi-irrational fashion. This is not to say that John Paul was not a wonderful person or that he should not receive consideration; only that the canonization process should follow thorough investigation.

The Boston Globe reports that the beatification process is officially underway two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI waived the normal five year waiting period. I still think it is too much too early, that we are stlil affected by the immediate afterglow of affection for John Paul after he passed away to really make the decision in considered fashion.