Theater actors want John Paul II as patron saint

Rome, Italy, Jun 1, 2006 / 22:00 pm

While the canonization process for Pope John Paul II is in its earliest stages one group is all ready calling to make St. John Paul their own.  Some Italian theater actors are saying they would like John Paul to be named their patron.

"We would be so happy to have him as our patron saint,” Giuseppe Ferrazza told the Catholic TV channel Telepace on Thursday. Ferrazza is the chairman of Italy's National Theatre Agency, which published a book on Pope John Paul's writings for and about theatre.

“Theatre needs a protector because it has become too atheist," Ferrazza was quoted as saying.

The young Karol Wojtyla was once an amateur theater actor and a prolific writer of poetry and drama for the theatre. Most biographers agree that the late pontiff's theatrical experience helped him become one of the best communicators in the world.