Religion Roundup
Pope Advances Sainthood for Priest who Helped Lepers in Hawaii
The Associated Press
July 4, 2008
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of a 19th century priest who ministered to lepers in Hawaii, clearing the way for him to be declared a saint.
Benedict has declared that a Honolulu woman's recovery in 1999 from terminal lung cancer was the miracle needed for canonization of Father Damien, the celebrated "Man of Molokai." The miracle was attributed to the intercession of the late Belgian priest, to whom the woman had prayed.
The approval means that Father Damien, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995, will be canonized at a date still to be set.
Damien went to Hawaii as a missionary in 1864. In 1873, he began ministering on the island of Molokai, where some 8,000 lepers had been banished. Damien eventually contracted the disease and died in 1889.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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