Editor: Pope John Paul II was 'martyr'
VATICAN CITY -- The editor of the Vatican newspaper said Thursday that Pope John Paul II was a "martyr" even though he survived a 1981 assassination attempt - the latest official comment suggesting a speedy path to sainthood for the late pontiff.Mario Agnes, editor-in-chief of the official Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano, told an annual pro-Catholic political meeting that the stones in St. Peter's Square where John Paul's blood was shed should be preserved because it was the blood of "an authentic martyred pope."
Seems to be a stretch of the definition of martyr...
Seems to be a stretch of the definition of martyr...
And an unnecessary one at that.
I think a more precise term for for what the editor is describing is a "confessor." I could look it up to make sure, but I was always told that this is what someone is called who was perfectly willing to be a martyr, but happened to survive his ordeal.
If the writer is describing Communion & Liberation's annual event at Rimini as a "pro-Catholic political meeting", it makes me question his expertise.