ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Friday he had put his predecessor
Pope John Paul on the fast track to possible sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.
In a surprise announcement to priests in Rome, the Pope told them he had dispensed with Church rules that impose a five-year waiting period after a candidate's death before the procedure that leads to sainthood can even start.
The priests in St John's Basilica broke into sustained applause when he made his comments in Latin, the official language of the Church. He then joked that there was no need to repeat it in Italian since they all understood.
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