IIRC, wasn't Ste. Therese canonized pretty quickly after her death. She died in 1897 and was canonized in the '20's sometime (less than 50 years, but p'haps more than 25 -- my math is sketchy). JPII's heroic virtue was obvious to anyone possessed of a brain (or even half a one). At 58, I remember PXII, JXXIII and PVI... John XXIII made more of an impact in my mind that Pius XII and Paul VI. I've always considered JPII as a complement and extension of John XXIII. As for Popes Pius and Paul, they were "the Pope", but neither one was as engaging as Good Pope John or John Paul the Great. And Fr. McBrien's attitude is picayune to say the least. Maybe he wants BXVI to canonize him and is throwing a mild hissy fit because he won't get his way. Earth to Fr. McBrien: the Church is way bigger than you -- get over it!
Back in 2003, I fisked a couple of McBrien's articles on John Paul II and sent McBrien a link to it via e-mail. The only response I was able to get was this.
Clayton,
I read your commentary and found it quite rewarding. Excellent work. There is something about the likes of McBrien and Reese that compel one to dissect their words piece by piece. IMHO and are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are clever enough to measure their words and use nuance in the promotion their errors or in their discrediting of orthodox Catholics. Wasn’t there a serpent who used a similar technique?
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