Opus Dei Founder, Monk Closer to Sainthood
A Vatican department has given the initial green light for Msgr. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, the Spanish founder of the controversial Roman Catholic group Opus Dei, to be declared a saint by Pope John Paul II, sources said.
The Vatican sources said the Congregation for the Causes of Saints also approved the sainthood cause of Padre Pio, an internationally famous mystic Italian monk who died in 1968.
If the pope approves the recommendation, which he is expected to do, the sainthood ceremonies will most likely take place in 2002.
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