This is weird. It seems that the Vatican is trying to bend the rules so as to put Pope John Paul II on the fast track to sainthood. They are now talking about declaring him a martyr. What, you’re saying? He died of old age! Precisely right, friends. But the Vatican is investigating the possibility of whether or not his 1981 assassination attempt qualifies. But wait, don’t martyrs usually die for their religion? And he didn’t even die from that attempt, did he? Well, the dictionary definition of martyr is: “One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.” So, based on that, it doesn’t hold up. Let’s get more technical though. Catholic Encyclopedia says on this:

Thus, within the lifetime of the Apostles, the term martus came to be used in the sense of a witness who at any time might be called upon to deny what he testified to, under penalty of death. From this stage the transition was easy to the ordinary meaning of the term, as used ever since in Christian literature: a martyr, or witness of Christ, is a person who, though he has never seen nor heard the Divine Founder of the Church, is yet so firmly convinced of the truths of the Christian religion, that he gladly suffers death rather than deny it.

I don’t know how the Vatican is planning to fudge it’s way around this one. But the USA Today article on this says:

Ever since Pope Benedict XVI announced May 13 that he was putting John Paul on the fast track for possible sainthood, questions have arisen about whether he could be declared a martyr. Doing so would remove the need for the Vatican to confirm that a miracle attributed to his intercession had occurred after his April 2 death for him to be beatified.

The Vatican would still need to confirm a miracle occurred after his beatification for John Paul to be declared a saint.

Church officials had initially rejected outright any suggestion that the 1981 assassination attempt could be the basis for a martyrdom declaration since John Paul lived for 24 years after it. They also noted that other candidates for beatification and sainthood had also suffered ordinary illnesses at the end of their lives but weren’t declared martyrs.

However, top officials are no longer dismissing the idea. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said last month it was up to groups of theological experts to decide if the May 13, 1981, attempt on John Paul’s life in St. Peter’s Square — as well as his long, public suffering before he died — warranted a declaration of martyrdom.

So if you read that, it doesn’t make a lot of sense why they changed their mind. First they said it wasn’t a possibility and gave doctrinally sound reasons, as well as existing precedents. But then they say they are “no longer dismissing the idea.” What changed? Did they receive new information? Nothing else ought to account for such a radical doctrinal turn-around. Unless that is, they are motivated simply to rush JP2 through to sainthood. If that’s the case, what is the cause? Why would making him a saint so quickly be a desirable thing for the church? Would it boost their sagging image in the world? Would the knowledge that a saint walked among us wash away the sins of the Catholic Church in the eyes of the public? Would the rightful successor to a saint then wield incredible spiritual legitimacy? You tell me - I’m as curious as anyone.