SYDNEY, Australia – Australians may finally be about to get their first saint.
During a visit to a chapel devoted to Mary MacKillop, who is celebrated for her work caring for children in rural towns across the country during the last century, nuns said Pope Benedict XVI indicated a final judgment on the humanitarian's canonization was close.
MacKillop was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 after the Vatican determined she miraculously cured a woman suffering from leukemia. But the Vatican needs confirmation of a second miracle in order to make her a saint.
Monica Cavanagh of the Sisters of St. Joseph told The Associated Press on Friday that after a nun presented Benedict with a bronze bust of MacKillop on Thursday, the pope said MacKillop would be canonized after a second suspected miracle has “been through the process.”
The Vatican is looking at evidence that MacKillop was involved in curing a woman who had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The evaluation, which began in April, can take up to two years, said Cavanagh, the Mary MacKillop consultant to World Youth Day.
MacKillop founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart in South Australia in the 1860s. Benedict called her “one of the most outstanding figures in this country's history.”
Cavanagh said promoting MacKillop to sainthood is very important for Australians.
“It seems to touch into this kind of hero image,” she said. “Finally, we've kind of made it in the world. Finally, we've got a spiritual hero.”
STAGE FRIGHT: The actor who spent four months preparing to step into the role of Jesus during a crucifixion re-enactment held Friday during World Youth Day says being “nailed” to the cross isn't easy.
Alfio Stuto, a 27-year-old advertising professional from Sydney, said rehearsing for the three-hour performance known as the stations of the cross was “mentally and emotionally” exhausting.
“Being on that cross is quite challenging,” Stuto told Australia's ABC radio. “When I was first up there doing the rehearsal, at first I was feeling that I am not worthy to be up there. Then I thought to myself I'm serving God here – it's a performance people can watch and be connected.”
Stuto said he was selected for the role after an interview process. Despite his nerves, the actor said preparing for the part was “an unbelievable journey.”
CURIOUS OBSERVER: Mehar Deep Singh Chahal, a 32-year-old tourist from New Delhi, India, spent more than two hours on a bench in the heart of Sydney's Hyde Park on Friday, watching an ever-growing crowd of pilgrims with a curious eye.
“I don't know anything about what is a Catholic and what is a bishop,” said Chahal, a Sikh. “But I just saw a group walk past with an Indian flag, and that was very exciting.”
Chahal is on a two-month vacation in Sydney to visit his wife, a doctor taking a yearlong medical course here. He was spending the day in Hyde Park while she took an exam, and seemed intrigued by the noisy, happy pilgrims surrounding him.
“It's really good that all of these people came here with the same feelings and ideas, and that they didn't know each other before but they can come here and meet,” he said. “It's great that their religion brings them together, and they are so happy.”
Eying a large circle of Brazilian pilgrims who were clapping and dancing nearby, accompanied by guitars and tambourines, Chahal said, “We have dances like that in India. I could teach them something. But I think I'll just sit here and watch.”
SMILE WITH JESUS: Thousands of pilgrims have thronged around some of Sydney's best known tourist spots for days, posing for snapshots on everything from high-tech cameras to mobile phones. But the most photographed person at St. Mary's Cathedral on Friday? Jesus.
Four fiberglass sculptures of Jesus were situated in nearby Hyde Park, and pilgrims waited their turn to pose next to the unique artworks by young Australian artists.
One of the statues, covered completely in pieces of glass, was dazzling in the bright midwinter morning sunshine. An elderly woman gazed admiringly at the statue, then touched it and kissed her fingers. Pilgrims from the Philippines, Japan and the United States lined up to put their arms around the shoulder of another Jesus, covered in yellow, red and black handprints.
One sculpture draped Jesus in a camouflage robe. Artist Sam Evans said on the exhibit's Web site that his sculpture represented the battle with sin.
“However, with knowledge that Christ has already ultimately won the battle for us, I scratched the words 'consummation est' below his feet, which translates to 'it is finished' in Latin. The war is over.”
The “Jesus Walks” exhibit includes 33 uniquely decorated versions of the well-known image of a robed Jesus with outstretched arms on display at all of the major World Youth Day venues.
Associated Press writer Tanalee Smith contributed to this report.
