We Are Church Says Beatification of Pope John Paul II Controversial, WTMA, January 18, 2011

We Are Church Says Beatification of Pope John Paul II Controversial

WTMA
January 18, 2011

http://www.wtma.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=113&itemid=29622551

(ROME) -- The International Movement We Are Church released a statement Sunday denouncing the beatification of Pope John Paul II, calling him "controversial" and "contradictory."

The movement, which was founded within the Roman Catholic Church, based their opposition to Pope John Paul II on what they called a "discrepancy between his commitment to reform and dialogue in the world and his return to authoritarianism within the church." The group also highlighted examples in which they accuse Pope John Paul II of having a "need for hierarchical control" and allowing sexual abuse to go on within the church.

The IMWAC states that beatification should only be measured according to whether or not someone who seeks the "well-being of God's people."

"The International Movement We Are Church believes that beatification and ultimately sainthood should not be measured by whether a 'miracle' can be attributed to a particular person, but rather, whether someone's life truly embodies the values of Christ who sought, not power, but the well-being of God's people.

The Vatican announced Friday that Pope John Paul II would be beatified on May 1, 2011.