Pope John Paul II, very nearly a saint.

KRAKOW TOURS – According to an Italian daily newspaper, the beatification ceremony of John Paul II – an important step towards sainthood, could be held at the Vatican as early as April this year.

Il Giornale reports that a committee of doctors and theologians have recognised a miracle by John Paul II – one of the conditions of beatification – and the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints will take a final vote in the beatification process this month.

The Italian newspaper writes that just before the end of last year, the committee of doctors at the Vatican ruled that the cure of French nun Marie Simon-Pierre of advanced Parkinson’s disease was inexplicable other than from intervention of the Polish Pope.

“All I can tell you is that I was sick and now I am cured. It is for the church to say and to recognise whether it is a miracle,” the 46 year-old nun told a press conference back in 2007.

“I am cured. It is the work of God, through the intercession of Pope John Paul II,” she said, cliaming her symptoms cleared after praying to JP II.

A committee of cardinals and bishops have now received all the documentation connected with the case and will meet in mid-January to assess them. If positively assessed then they will be sent to Benedict XVI.

Beatification could then take place on 2 April 2011, the sixth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II.

The ceremony could be held in October, however, on the 33rd anniversary of the election of Karol Wojtyla as pontiff.