Pope Francis beatifies Paul VI

Oct.
19, 2014, 11:45 p.m. – THE POPE who reaffirmed the teachings of the
Catholic Church on human life is one step away from sainthood.

Pope Francis on Sunday beatified Pope Paul VI during the closing Mass of the
Third Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family at St. Peter’s Square in the
Vatican.

The late pontiff’s image was unveiled in front of thousands of pilgrims. The
relic of Paul VI brought to Pope Francis was one of the two wool undershirts
that the late pontiff wore when a Bolivian painter stabbed him in the chest
during his visit to the Philippines in 1970.

Pope Francis, in his homily, described his predecessor as a “courageous
Christian and tireless apostle of Christ.”

“Paul VI is the pope who continued the mission of Christ by guiding the
Catholic Church,” Pope Francis said.

The late pontiff’s beatification was approved after the miraculous birth of
a baby in California was attributed to his intercession. The case involved a
pregnant woman bearing a child with brain defects. Instead of following the
doctor’s advice to abort the child, the woman sought the intercession of Pope
Paul VI. The child is now a healthy adolescent.

Blessed Paul VI, or Giovanni Battista Montini, was the archbishop of Milan
before being elected as the successor of Pope St. John XXIII.

The late pontiff, who served from 1963 to 1978, is best known for his
encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” which became controversial for its reaffirmation of
the teachings of the Catholic Church on human life and the regulation of birth.

Blessed Paul VI also reconvened and implemented the Second Vatican Council
that was started by his predecessor, Pope St. John XXIII.

Dubbed as the “Pilgrim Pope” for his numerous travels, Blessed Paul VI was
the first pontiff to travel outside Italy and the first pope to visit Asia,
North America and Africa.

Blessed Paul VI went to UST during his visit to the country in November
1970. In his mesage, he described UST as a “university which is one of the
most renowned for the richness of its history, one of the most important in
number of students and one of the most well-known for the care it devotes to
education of high quality.”

Blessed Paul VI’s beatification followed the canonizations of Pope St. John
XXIII and Pope St. John Paul II last April 27. A second miracle is required for
his canonization. Marie Danielle S. Macalino