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Cardinal George To Attend Beatification For Pope John Paul II

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- The beatification of Pope John Paul II comes May 1, and Francis Cardinal George says he will be in Rome and participating in the ceremony.

As WBBM Newsradio 780's Mary Frances Bragiel reports, some 300,000 people are expected to jam St. Peter's Square for Pope John Paul II's beatification Mass.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Mary Frances Bragiel reports

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Cardinal George says he will be participating alongside Pope Benedict XVI, and calls it a source of deep satisfaction.

"I believe that Karol Wojtyła – Pope John Paul II – is with the Lord, and I knew him. I preached his retreat once. You don't often preach a retreat to a saint," George said. "That's something I keep thinking about all the time."

The Cardinal expects the beatification to be an exciting time for Chicago Roman Catholics, especially Polish Catholics.

Meantime, the Vatican has announced that Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, the French nun whose recovery from Parkinson's disease was the miracle needed to beatify Pope John Paul II, will share her story in Rome the night before the Mass.

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