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>> sister bernadette pike from perth, australia and now works in the archdiocese of washington d.c. >> a reading from the first letter of st. peter. blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ who, in his great mercy, gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imparishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who, by the power of god, are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final times. in the we rejoice, though, now,

for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, that is perishable, even through -- though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory and honor, at the revelation of jesus christ. although you have not seen him, you love him, even though you do not see him, now, yet believe in him, you rejoins with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain this goal of your faith, the salvation of your soul. ♪

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♪ serving it is an inspiring morning in vatican city, as we continue with the process. lauren green is there. lauren, what is it like to be among basically a million people, who are there witnessing this? >> as you can imagine, it is -- it is not hard to fill the square with a million people but they are spilling into the city of e rome, many people slept overnight in the streets with sleeping bags and, thank goodness it wasn't raining last year, but they are blocks an blocks and blocks from st. peter's square, because they shuts the gates very early this morning and there is an intense atmosphere in rome, because, the

minute you enter the city you see the posters and the banners, proclaiming the blessed john paul ii. the city is filled with his spirit. he taught an entire generation to see their faith in a certain way, a different way, a man of god who lived out his faith and who taught a generation of catholics to do the same and the difference is, in many of society, the belief system does not operate at a living level and it is very easy to sort of have lost the ideas about god, about faith, about, you know, theology, but, john paul ii lived out his faith, through some of the most tumultuous times of the 20th century and taught people and young people to do the same and he was not averse to young people challenging his philosopher's ideas about god and about faith

and he was patient with those people, and, he taught them to love god in a different kind of way, than they had been taught before and he lived under the authority of god and this is what you are seeing in the emotion that is out pouring, in rome today. there are people from all over the world. i talked to some folks from england, a couple of days ago, who put the royal wedding off, because they wanted to be here with the beatification, because they felt it was more important than what was going on in london and they were here, because it was a joyous occasion, and they were here for the funeral and they said they would not miss this for anything in the love. >> eric: love and pride, by any of the poles, who are there, at st. peter's square and, it will

continue, because the coffin has been placed in the crypt, on this altar and, people will be able to pass by that, throughout the day. let's listen in. ♪ ♪ >> still believe... ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> john paul ii invited the whole world to consider his proposal, the proposal of the gospel of jesus christ. rather than impose it, he proposed it. and staked his entire life on the claim, that he said that jesus christ is the answer to the question posed by every human life, the same jesus whom we meet in the sacred words of the gospel, today and every day. ♪ ♪ >> the father has removed his mitre, and, the pope, too, listens and learns from the divine teacher, jesus christ. ♪ ♪ hallelujah...

>> the lord be with you... the gospel according to st. john. the deacon will now incense the book of the gospels as a sign of reverence for the words of salvation contained therein. he will chant the gospel in the latin language.

[chanting in latin]. >> on the evening of the first day of the week when the doors were locked and where the disciples were for fear of the jews, jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, peace be with you. when he said this he showed them his hands and his side. the disciples rejoiced when they saw the lord. jesus said to them, again, peace be with you. as the father has sent me, so i send you.

and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the holy spirit. whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained. thomas, of the 12:was not with them when jesus came and so the other disciples said to him, we have seen the lord. but, he said to them, unless i see the mark of the nails in his

hands, and put my finger into the nail marks, and put my hand into his side, i will not believe. now a week later, the disciples were again inside and thomas was with them. jesus came, although the doors were locked. and stood in their midst and said, "peace be with you." and he said to thomas, put your finger here and see my hands.

and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but, believing. thomas answered and said to him, my lord, and my god, jesus said to him, have you come to believe because you have seen me? blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. now jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples that are not written in this book but these are written that you may come to believe. that series is the christ, the son of god, and, that through this belief, you may have life in his name. the gospel of the lord.

♪ ♪ >> jamie: to father jonathan morris in rome and, father, i want to ask you, the homily is next. and what can we expect? >> i think, pope benedict is going to talk about the holiness of john paul ii as it relates to the holiness that all of us are called to live. i say this without having read or being able to speak about the homily yet, because, it is under embargo to the press, but, this is about a celebration of the life of john paul ii. and, specifically as it relates to this sunday called divine mercy sunday as greg burke aptly described to us, that, john paul ii was the pope of string principle, but we remember him is a pope of unbelievable compassion an mercy. that is a trick, so to speak, hard to do, to be so strong, so

strong on principle, so strong on teaching, and, yet, at the same time to communicate that with love. and, that is what john paul ii did in such an incredible way, so i think we are going to see pope benedict xvi talk about what it means to live a holy life and how we saw that in the life of john paul ii, and as it is related to the gospel and to the scripture, the universal call to holiness, that we all receive, and, especially, in the divine mercy sunday. the mercy of god, who looks upon us in our weakness and im perfect and sin and says, i'm with you, don't worry, you are not alone and john paul ii told us that as a nation, as a world. >> jamie: and we won't miss a moment of it when he begins, but, quickly, if you can, the young nun we heard from, from australia, had the honor of participating today. what does it take to be a part of this?

>> good connections, how's that! jamie, what we see is a universal representation of the church -- >> jamie: father, the pope -- we have to listen, pope benedict xvi is about to begin. thank you. >> okay. >> translator: we gathered at the if you remember of pope john paul ii, and... he had an immense grace, that embraced the whole world. a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor's entire life and, especially, of his witness in suffering. even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity and in

any number of ways god's people have showed their veneration for him. for this reason, with all due respect for the church's canonical norms, i want the call of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. and now, the longed-for day has come. it came quickly because that is what was pleasing to the lord. john paul ii is blessed. [applause] . >> i would like to offer a reading to all of you who, on this happy occasion, have come in such great numbers to rome

from all over the world. cardinals, patriarchs of the eastern catholic churches, brother bishops and priests, official delegations, and, ambassadors and civil authorities, consecrated lay men and women and extend that greeting to all who join us by radio and television. today is the second sunday of easter which blessed john paul ii entitled, divine mercy sunday. the date was chosen for today's celebration, because, in god's providence, my predecessor died on the vigil of this feast. today is also the first day of

may, mary's month. and the liturgical memorial of st. joseph, the worker. all these elements serve to enrich our prayer. they help us in our pilgrimage through time and space, but, in heaven, a very different celebration is taking place, among the angels and saints. even so, god is of one, and one, too, is christ, the lord, who, like a bridge, joins earth to heaven. at this moment, we feel closer than ever, sharing as it were, in the liturgy of heaven. blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. in today's gospel, jesus proclaimed the beatitude, the beatitude of faith. for us, it is particularly striking, because, we are gathered to celebrate a

beatification, but, even more so, because, today, the one proclaimed blessed is a pope, the successor of peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith. john paul ii is blessed, because of his faith, a strong, generous, and apostolic faith. we think at once of another beatitude, blessed are you, simon, son of jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father in heaven. what did our heavenly father reveal to simon? that jesus is the christ, the son of the living god. because of this faith, simon becomes peter, the rock on which jesus can build his church. the eternal beatitude of john

paul ii which, today, the church rejoices, to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of jesus. blessed are you, simon, and blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. it is the beatitude of faith, which john paul ii also received, as a gift from god the father, for the building up of christ's church. our thoughts turn to yet another beatitude, one which appears in the gospel before all others. it is the beatitude of the virgin mary, the mother of the redeemer. mary, who had just conceived jesus, was told by st. elizabeth, blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the lord.

the beatitude of faith has its model in mary, and all of us rejoice that the beatification of john paul ii, takes place on this first day of the month of mary. beneath the maternal gaze of the one who, by her faith, sustained the faith of the apostles and constantly sustains the faith of their successors, especially those called to occupy the chair of peter. mary does not appear in the accounts of christ's resurrection yet hers is, as it were, a continual, hidden presence. she is the mother to whom jesus entrusted each of his disciples and the entire community. in particular, we can see how st. john and st. luke record the

powerful. maternal presence of mary. in the passages preceding those read in today's gospel and first reading. in the account of jesus' death, mary appears at the foot of the cross. and at the beginning of the acts of the apostles, she is seen in the midst of the disciples gathered in prayer in the upper room. today's second reading also speaks to us of faith. st. peter himself filled with spiritual enthusiasm... to the newly baptized the reason for their hope and their joy. i like to think how, in this passage, at the beginning of his

first letter, peter does not use language of exhortation. instead, he states a fact. he writes, "you rejoice," and he adds, "you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him." and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. all of these verbs are in the indicative, because a new reality has come about in christ's resurrection, a reality to which faith opens the door. this is the lord's doing, says the psalm and it is marvelous in our eyes. the eyes of faith.

dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold in the full spiritual light of the risen christ the beloved and revered figure of john paul ii. today his name is added to the host of those who he proclaims saints and blesseds during the almost 27 years of his pontificate. there by forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the christian life. to holiness, taught by the constitution on the church. all of us, as members of the people of god, bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women, religious, are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly home land, where the virgin mary preceded us. associated as she was, in a unique and perfect way, to the

mystery of christ and the church. karol jozef wojtyla took part in the second vatican council, first as an auxiliary bishop and then as archbishop of krakow and he was fully aware of the council's decision to devote though last chapter of the constitution of the church to mary, meant the mother of the redeemer, is held up as an image and model of holiness for every christian and for the entire church. this was the theological vision which blessed john paul ii discovered as a young man, and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. a vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified christ with mary, his mother, at his side.

this icon from the gospel of john was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat of arms of karol jozef wojtyla. a golden cross with the letter "m" on the lower right and the motto, drawn from the well-known words, st. louima re... in which karol jozef wojtyla found a guiding light for his life. [speaking latin] i belong entirely to you. and all that i have is yours. i take you for my all, oh, mary, give me your heart.

in his testament, the new blessed wrote, when on october 16, 1978, the conclave of cardinals chose john paul ii, primate of poland, the cardinal said to me the task of the new pope will be to lead the church into the third millennium. and the pope added, "i would like once again to express my gratitude to the holy spirit for the great gift of the second vatican council to which, together with the whole church, and especially, with the whole episcopant, i feel indebted." i am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that the council of the 20th century has lavished

upon us. and the bishop who took part in the council from the first to the last day, i desire to entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the future to put it into practice. for my part, i thank the eternal shepard who has enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years of my pontificate. and what is this cause? it is the same one that john paul ii presented during his first solemn mass in st. peter's square in the unforgettable words, "do not be afraid. open, open wise the doors to christ." [applause].

>> what the newly elected pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do. society, culture, political and economic systems, he opened up to christ. turning back with the strength of a titan, a strength which came to him from god. a tide which appeared irreversible. now pope benedict xvi speaks in the polish language, by his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called christian, to belong to the church, to speak of the gospel. and in a word, he helped us not to fear the truth, because,

truth is the guarantee of liberty. [applause]. >> to put it even more succinctly, he gave us the strength to believe in christ, because christ is... the redeemer of man. [applause].

>> christ is the redeemer of man. this was the theme of of his first encyclical and the thread which runs through all of the others. when karol jozef wojtyla ascended to the throne of peter he brought with him a deep understanding of the difference between marxism and christianity. based on their respective... of man. this was his message. man is the way of the church. and christ is the way of man. with this message, this was is a great legacy of the second vatican council and of a townsman, the servant of god, pope paul vi, john paul ii led the people of god across the threshold of the third millennium. which, thanks to christ, he was

able to call the threshold of hope. yes, throughout the long journey of preparation for the great jubilee he directed christianity, once again, to the future, the future of god, which transcends history, while nonetheless directly affecting it. he proclaimed the impulse of hope which had, in some sense, faltered before marxism and the ideology of progress and he restored to christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history, in an advent of spirit, in a personal and community experience, directed to christ. the fullness of humanity, and,

the fulfillment of all our longings, for justice, and peace. finally, on a more personal note, i would like to thank god for the gift of having worked for many years with blessed pope john paul ii. i had known him earlier, and had esteemed him. [applause]. >> but for 23 years, beginning in 1982, after he called me to rome, to be the prefect of the people of the faith, i came to his side and my own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights.

and his example of prayer continually impressed and edified me and was deeply devoted to god, even among the many demands of his ministry. then, too, there was his witness in suffering. the lord gradually stripped him from the everything, and yet he remained ever a rock, as christ desired. his profound humility grounded in close unn with christ enabled him to continue to lead the church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his fal strength declined.

in this way, he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation over priest and bishop, to become completely one with jesus, whom he daily receives and offers in the eucharist. blessed are you, beloved pope john paul ii because you believed. continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of god's people, amen. and now we ask, holy father, bless us, and bless all those presents here and all of those listening. [applause]. >> a long time personal secretary of blessed pope john paul ii. [applause].

>> let us remain for a few moments in... >> eric: we are joined, from long island new york and we have listened to pope benedict xvi give the homily to his predecessor, who was beatified and monsignor, it was in a sense a personal homily, as you, the pontiff said that pope john paul ii exhibited immense great that embraced the world, said he is blessed, because of his faith, and you made a note earlier that that is something that is really the forefront of what we are witnessing this morning. >> it was a great homily and i loved that pope benedict xvi, holy man that he is, my personal holiness was made better because/worked with this man and, we in new york heard, from a cardinal dying of leukemia and

he said in those closing days, life is no less valuable when lived through the prism of suffering and illness and i love that pope benedict xvi pointed out that john paul used his illness as a teachable moment to say what he said through his pontificate, live in every stage of development is sacred and once again, pope benedict xvi was affirming one of the great lessons of his life, life is always holy, whether you are the unborn child or person dying at the end of life you are still, in god's eyes, beautiful and worthy of dignity and respect. and a great, great homily and i loved, too, there is some mutual in the church now amongst some -- movement in the church now to dismiss the council and, pope benedict xvi says let's not forget what pope john paul ii believed, it was not something we did for a moment and, it transformed the church and cannot be forgotten. >> eric: you are saying the ceremony this morning, reaffirms pope john paul ii's lessons, his views of the church, as well as

his personal suffering. at one point the pontiff said he was like a... in dealing with parkinson's disease and what we witnessed near the end and what he suffered. >> six years ago, people said he should either retire or go to a monastery or a hospital, but he -- his looks make us uncomfortable and he's not physically able to do what we knew him to do at one time and let's not look at this sick old man but that was his whole point, don't turn away, i am still john paul and, i am a channel of god an worthy of dignity and respect and it was a great lesson for those people who watch this pope like that, and was suffering from physical or emotional illness an wonders, is my life, still valuable. >> eric: now, let's listen in: ♪ ♪

>> we believe in one god, the father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. ♪ ♪ >> we believe in one lord, jesus christ, the only son of god, eternally begotten from the father, god from god, light from light, true god from true god, begotten, not made, long in being with the father. ♪ ♪

>> through him all things remain and for man, for our salvation, he came down from heaven. ♪ ♪ >> by the power of the holy spirit, he was born of the virgin mary, and became man.

♪ ♪ >> for our sake he was crucified by pontias pilate who suffered, died and was buried. on the third day, he rose again, in fulfillment of the scriptures. he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the father. he will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead. and, his kingdom will have no end.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we believe in the holy spirit, the lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the father and the son. with the father and the son he is worshipped and glorified. he has spoken through the

prophets. we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. we acknowledge one baptism, for the forgiveness of sins. we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. amen. ♪ ♪ >> brothers and sisters, we present the prayers of the church to god, the father, who is rich in mercy.

>> at each petition the cantor sings we pray to the lord and the people respond, we ask you, hear us. the deacon sings in latin, yet us pray for the holy church of god, in the spanish language, let the church, who draws her life from the eucharist, memorial of the paschal sacrifice, gather all those be born in baptism so that all may be one. ♪ ♪ >> let us pray for benedict, our pope. in the french language... let

our holy father, who proclaims the splendor of the truth to all peoples, with humble clarity, may be strengthened by the consoling intersession of the mother and of the custodian of the redeemer. ♪ ♪ >> let us pray for the needs of human life. >> in german... let persecuted and mistreated christians, may open their hearts to christ with courage, and persevering in their hour of trial, see themselves as active participants, in the same mission of the redeemer, for the sake of humanity.

♪ ♪ >> let us pray for the entire world. in the russian language... let the leaders of peoples and of nations, may be guided by the social concerns of the church and, rediscover the importance of living the gospel of life. ♪ ♪ >> lets us pray for the family of god, assembled here today. >> let the lord's disciples, gathered here today, enjoy and praise for the gift and the evangelical witness of blessed john paul ii under the guiding

light of faith and reason, may be tireless in their search for truth. ♪ ♪ >> heavenly father, moved by the holy spirit, to its lord and giver of life, we lift our prayers to you, hear them, through the powerful mediation of jesus, your son, the redeemer of man, he, who lives and reigns forever, and ever, amen. the last petition is read by a representative of the archdiocese of galveston, houston, in texas, in the united

states. you may have noticed that the petitions cleverlily contain within them the names of documents written by blessed john paul ii during his pontificate. ♪ ♪ >> you see the beautiful day we have here in rome, the packed street of the plaza. and, now, the gifts will be brought forward, the gifts of bread, and wine, to become the body and blood of jesus christ. the gifts are a reminder that each one of us is to present ourselves, on the altar and make our lives a gift to god. ♪ ♪ it is hard to believe six

years has passed since this square of st. peter's was packed for the funeral of pope john paul ii. the be at fix process had been underway for that amount of time and, normally the process for beatification or canonization cannot begin until five years after the death of the person in question. the waiting period is to assure the person had in fact an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. john paul ii waived three years of the five--year waiting period for blessed mother teresa and for benedict waived five years for the blessing of john paul ii. and, you recall, during the

chanting, the public affirmation for a pope has not happened since the earl 7th century, more than 1400 years ago, when the faithful attended the mass of pope gregory i and spontaneously declared him great, and, the sense of the faithful, who knew this man, john paul ii, could in fact be declared a holy man who lived with virtue. even though pope benedict xvi waived the five-year waiting period, the canonical norms were carefully and diligently observed in this case, as in all cases and during the investigation, hundreds and h t hundreds of witnesses were interviewed to discuss john paul's life, writings were

subject to scrutiny and in a sense, john paul's entire life was subject to a thorough examinati examination. you see pope benedict xvi receiving the gifts from those who are bringing the gifts forward. i mentioned the monsignor, who is responsible as the postulator, of the cause, to collect and gather all of the information and present it to the congregation for the causes, for saints, and the documentation, is contained in what is called a pozitzio, which has volumes of testimony from bishops, priests, religious laymen and women and, heads of state and political leaders.

in december, 2009, he honored john paul with the title, venerable. and when all of the documentation had been reviewed by theological experts, they confirmed that he had lived a life of virtue, but, even in this case, as in all cases, the church waits for, in a sense, divine testimony in the form of a miracle. showing the intersesory, of his or her union after death and the miracle must be complete and lasting, and immediate. and, the nun simon-pierre, who spoke at the vigil, and she had been diagnosed in 2001 with an

aggressive form of parkinson's disease, and, something john paul also suffered and she felt a great closeness to him in sharing in his same suffering. she said, last night she was left handed, and could not write at all, and suffered paralyzing sensations on the left side but, when john paul died, she and her sisters began to pray to him, for a cure and, in june of 2005, just two months after the death of john paul ii, she began to feel cured. and one night, she desired to write something, and even though her illness left her incapable of doing so, but to her surprise she was able not only to write but to write legibly.

and she got right out of her room and went to the chapel and thanked god and john paul, completely healed, of her illness. in october, of last year, medical experts examined all of the documentation, concerning this miracle, determined there was no natural explanation for the cure. in december, a theological commission ruled the miracle could only be attributed to god, and, that it was through the intersession of john paul ii whose intersession had been asked by the sister, by her community and by the faithful. and finally, in january of this year, the cardinal prefect and bishop members of the congregation for the cause of the saints expressed their

unanimous approval and accepted the authenticity of the miracle, clearing the way for blessed john paul's beatification. we hear the combined choirs now singing, a him, composed on the 50th anniversary of john paul's priestly ordination. as the holy father mentioned in his homily, and talked of john paul's complete confidence in mary. ♪ ♪ >> it is important to remember that john paul, today, declared

blessed not because of his achievements as pope or because of his impact on history or the church, which were great, or because of his brilliance, but because through god's grace he was witness to a holy christian life and, lived the theological virtues and the cardinal virtues and the church today is saying, in a sense, what the polish bishops said this past march we have a friend of god in heaven. we can all recall his complete faith in jesus christ. his tender love of the blessed virgin mary. his affection for the poor and the suffering. in particular, his ability to inspire young people, and with his patient and holy suffering he allowed the entire world to watch him, old, frail and dying.

and as the holy father mentioned, also, his intense, intense life of prayer. ♪ ♪ >> holy father, now, again incenses the altar and the gifts placed upon them. >> the sistine chapel choir you here today is led by a priest, who was named to the position last year. ♪ ♪ >> and now the deacon will incense the holy father and then the cardinal and bishops and faithful.