POPE OKS 19 MORE SAINTS

For reasons known only to Benedict (and, one would presume, God), the pope failed to proclaim John Stone as the Patron Saint of CHATTER. Perhaps next year.

The Herald Sun account goes thisaway:

The list named two future saints, a Polish priest from the 15th century and an Italian nun from the 16th century. The number of blesseds included nine Italians, three Germans, three Spaniards, a Dutchman and an Indian. The Indian priest, Agostino Thevarparampil, who died in 1973, was the most recent person to be named a blessed. Thirteen others were also from the 20th century.

The process of recognising the saints and blesseds, either for their heroic actions or martyrdom or intercession in a miracle, was begun by the late John Paul II, who died on April 2.

During his papacy, John Paul II canonised 482 saints and beatified 1338.

Benedict has confirmed all the sainthoods and beatifications begun by the late pope, with one exception. Earlier this year, he cancelled the expected beatification of a Frenchman, Leon Dehon (1843-1925), a Catholic social thinker whose anti-Semitic writings had initially escaped the notice of the review commission.

Nine Italians, three Germans, three Spaniards, a Dutchman and an Indian walk into a bar ...