“Ask a Priest: Should John Paul II’s Sainthood Be Revoked?”

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest
Q: Should the sainthood of John Paul II be revoked after the findings on former Cardinal McCarrick? How can a sitting Holy Father allow such a monster to have continued? What could this mean for the future of the Church? How can we put our faith in an institution that has willfully turned a blind eye to policing those it puts in power? – A.S.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It’s understandable that this whole situation has triggered a lot of anger and confusion among the faithful.

Unfortunately, Pope John Paul II was probably hoodwinked by Theodore McCarrick, as were many other people.

Canonization of a person doesn’t mean everything he did was perfect. Even saints can make mistakes.

It’s good to keep in mind, too, that it was the Church that produced the report on McCarrick. And the Church has been honest enough to admit that big mistakes were made, even by those at the highest level.

The Church has a human dimension that is prone to error and sin. But the Church also has a divine dimension. It is the mystical body of Christ, pure and holy, guided by the Holy Spirit.

This has been part of the history of the Church since the beginning. Even among the apostles, Judas betrayed Our Lord and Peter denied him three times. Yet the Church survived.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!