A Double Canonization for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II

Pope Francis Declares Sainthood for Two Beloved Predecessors

Pope Francis chose to hold a single ceremony to canonize the pair, bringing together two popes who are closely associated with the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, which led to significant reforms in the church. Pope John XXIII, who reigned from 1958 to 1963, launched Vatican II, as it is commonly known, while John Paul II's nearly 27-year papacy, which lasted from 1978 until his death in 2005, oversaw the implementation of large parts of the reforms.

"To carry out a double canonization is a message to the Church: These two are good people," Pope Francis told reporters on the papal plane back from celebrating the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro last summer.

A composite photo showing the two tapestry portraits for former popes John Paul II and John XXIII hanging from the facade of St. Peter's Basilica

It is clear why these two men have been proposed for canonization: Both were not only deeply devout but dedicated almost their entire lives to God and the church, working tirelessly to preach the Good News. But they did so in different ways, which flowed from two very different personalities.

As the 20th-century Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner once said, "The saint shows us what it means to be a Christian in this particular way." What the church celebrated on Sunday, when Pope Francis canonized two of his predecessors, is not the canonization of a liberal and a conservative but the raising up of two individuals: Angelo Roncalli and Karol Wojtyla. And that is a powerful message to all of us who strive to be holy in a different way.

At the age of 87: Emeritus Pope Benedict arrives for mass before the canonisation ceremony in St Peter's Square

Pope Francis, right, embraces his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, during the ceremony in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

Costa Rican: Floribeth Mora, who claims she was cured of a serious brain condition by a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II, arrives with her husband Edwin Arce

Relics: Pope Francis receives a relic of John Paull II - a vial of his blood - from a woman whose brain aneurysm purportedly disappeared after she prayed to him

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI meets Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in St Peter's Square

Royals Albert II and Paola of Belgium and Juan Carlos I and Sofía of Spain.

Anna Komorowska (right)) takes a picture of her husband Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski (left, in right photo) and former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski

Piazza Navona

PROFILE: JOHN PAUL II

• 
  1920: Born Karol Wojtyla in Poland
• 1946: Ordained priest
• 1964: Becomes Archbishop of Krakow
• 1978: Elected Pope aged 58
• 1981: Seriously wounded in shooting
• 2001: Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
• 2003: Celebrates Silver Jubilee at Vatican
• 2004: Papacy becomes third-longest ever
• 2005: Dies after heart attack

John Paul helped topple communism in Poland through his support of the Solidarity movement. His globe-trotting papacy and launch of the wildly popular World Youth Days invigorated a new generation of Catholics. And his defence of core church teaching heartened conservatives after the turbulent 1960s.

PROFILE: JOHN XXIII

• 
  1881: Born Angelo Roncalli, Italy
• 1904: Ordained priest
• 1953 Appointed the Patriarch of Venice
• 1958: Succeeds Pope Pius XII aged 77
• 1962: Calls the Second Vatican Council
• 1962: Named Man of the Year by Time
• 1963: Dies of stomach cancer
• 2000: John, known as the 'Good Pope', is beatified by Pope John Paul II

John is a hero to liberal Catholics for having convened the Second Vatican Council. The meetings brought the church into the modern era by allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages rather than Latin and by encouraging greater dialogue with people of other faiths, particularly Jews.