Path to sainthood

A file picture taken on January 17, 2011 shows French nun sister Marie Simon-Pierre posing next to a picture of John Paul II before a press conference in Aix-en-Provence, southern France. Late pope John Paul II is to be beatified on May 1, 2011 -- a key step on the path to sainthood -- the Vatican. The beatification follows the announcement that the Congregation of the Causes for Saints had approved the Polish pope's first miracle. The commission confirmed that French nun Marie Simon-Pierre was miraculously cured of Parkinson's disease through the intercession of John Paul II, who also suffered from Parkinson's. AFP PHOTO