Beatification of John Paul II to be screened at Westminster Cathedral

Pope John Paul II

To mark the Beatification of Pope John Paul II in Rome this Sunday 1 May 2011, Westminster Cathedral will show a re-transmission of the television coverage of the Beatification Mass on large video screens. All are welcome to attend.

The event will begin at 2pm. It will include messages from the Archbishop of Westminster and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, a long time aide to the late Pope, and the special screening of a film charting the path to beatification of John Paul II.

The event has been organised by the John Paul II Beatification Civic Organisation Committee in London, in conjunction with Westminster Cathedral. A statement from the Committee said: "Six years ago 20,000 Poles from London and from other parts of the UK set off from Trafalgar Square to Westminster Cathedral in a march to commemorate the death of John Paul II. Mourners, united in grief, came to pay tribute to the most prominent Pole in our history."

Source: Archbishops' House

"Next day, a vast crowd of pilgrims gathered during the funeral service in St Peter's Square in Rome chanting 'Santo Subito'. Finally, after six years, the dream comes true. and John Paul II will be beatified on Sunday 1 May. Let us experience this together at Westminster Cathedral and show the world that John Paul II, who cherished us greatly and of whom we are so proud will always be our role model and someone to follow and that he is always present in our hearts and minds."