This is one of the things that drives me nuts about Catholic sainthood. Being a saint should be a very rare honor. I have no problem with Father Baker or Pope John Paul II being named saints. Both led great lives of service to the Catholic Church and humanity. But what's with this "two miracle clause"? One miracle isn't good enough?
To become a saint, someone must declare that the person performed two miracles during their life. "Hey, I was walking over the Cazenovia Street Bridge the other day and I saw this dude walking across the water." "I saw him, too. Maybe he's a saint". "No, you need two." Come on!
These are men who simply did great things while they were on earth. Why lie and say they performed miracles, though? In this clip, they say Father Baker's blood was in liquid form when his body was exhumed in 1999. Maybe he was just lactose intolerant. They also say Pope John Paul II healed a French women of Parkinson's Disease. Well, where was he when Muhammad Ali needed him? Michael J. Fox?
I don't get bent out of shape over people's religion, though. I say believe what you want to believe. In fact, two of my favorite movie scenes have to do with religion. I'll never forget the Russian Orthodox Church wedding scene from The Deer Hunter or the baptism scene from The Godfather. Al Pacino executes order number 66 and kills the heads of all five of New York City's crime families, and still finds the time to serve as his nephew's godfather. Hey, now that's a nice guy. A very good example of multitasking...
