{{Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will be declared saints on 27 April 2014, Pope Francis has announced.}}<\/p>\n
The Pope said in July that he would canonise his two predecessors, after approving a second miracle attributed to John Paul.<\/p>\n
Polish John Paul, the first non-Italian pope for more than 400 years, led the Catholic Church from 1978-2005.<\/p>\n
Pope John was pontiff from 1958-1963, calling the Second Vatican Council that transformed the Church.<\/p>\n
The decision to canonise the two at the same time appears designed to unify Catholics, correspondents say.<\/p>\n
John Paul II is a favourite of conservative Catholics, while John XXIII is widely admired by the Church’s progressive wing.<\/p>\n
‘The good pope’
\nJohn Paul stood out for his media-friendly, globetrotting style. He was a fierce critic of communism, and is credited with helping inspire opposition to communist rule in eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
John Paul has been on a fast track to sainthood since his death, when crowds in St Peter’s Square chanted “santo subito” (“sainthood now”).<\/p>\n
During his own papacy he simplified the process by which people are made saints, and created more of them than all previous popes combined.<\/p>\n
John XXIII is remembered for introducing the vernacular to replace Latin in church masses and for creating warmer ties between the Catholic Church and the Jewish faith.<\/p>\n
He has a big following in Italy, where he is known as Il Papa Buono, the good pope.<\/p>\n
Two living popes are expected to be present at the canonisation ceremony: Francis, who will officiate, and Pope Benedict, who retired earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The double canonisation will be the first in the Church’s history.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis approved John XXIII’s canonisation despite the fact that no second miracle had been attributed to him – usually a requirement for sainthood.<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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