It perhaps should tell you something more about Pope Francis, that he championed the cause for sainthood of John Paul II. John XXIII changed the face of the Catholic Church. John Paul II changed the face of the world.
Via NY Post:
Pope John Paul II, whose world travels and 27-year reign made him the most famed and beloved pontiff in modern Catholic Church history, will be made a saint Sunday during a canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.
John Paul visited 129 countries while serving as pope, and the trips drew international attention because of their wide exposure on television and later, the Internet.
His travels included seven US visits, the first coming in 1979 highlighted by Mass at a packed Yankee Stadium.
John Paul will be made a saint along with Pope John XXIII — who reigned from 1958 to 1963 — by Pope Francis during the first twin papal canonization in the church’s history.In 1978, John Paul, formerly Karol Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland, was elected the first non-Italian pope in 450 years.
He was credited with being instrumental in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989 because of his steadfast defense of the Solidarity trade union in Poland.