Rome, Italy, May 6, 2011 / 09:07 am
Bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla Aguirre of San Sebastian, Spain told CNA that he hopes the canonization of Blessed John Paul II “will happen soon.”
“St. Theresa of Lisieux said, ‘I will spend my eternity showering roses upon the earth,’ and John Paul II is also doing this,” Bishop Munilla Aguirre stated.
Regarding the call to make the new blessed the patron saint of young people, Bishop Munilla Aguirre noted that it would be difficult to make John Paul II the patron saint of one single cause.
“I would say that St. John Bosco and John Paul II could be the two most important historical figures in youth ministry in the Church,” the bishop added. “Both could perfectly be the patrons of youth ministry,” as “even the elderly rejoiced at seeing the Pope with young people.”
Bishop Munilla Aguirre said Blessed John Paul II played a huge role in his priestly formation. The late Pope's beatification is “a reaffirmation of what the Church taught me,” the bishop said.
John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the perfect balance
The Spanish bishop recalled that the Popes “do not personally lead the Church, but rather it is the Holy Spirit who does so through them.”
“Some say that John Paul II was a Pope to be seen, and that Benedict XVI is a Pope to be read. The two complement each other, from a powerful charism to a more intellectual reflection.”
Bishop Munilla Aguirre explained that “a charism does not consist of your natural qualities,” but rather, it is when “God uses you as an instrument.”
He noted that Benedict XVI, in a culture that is increasingly secularized, is pushing back against the dictatorship of relativism.
“This is a very great gift” and “it is what the Church needs right now."