In honor of the beatification of Blessed John Paul II, an examination of the saints: devotion to and purpose of, courtesy of Religion and Ethics Newsweekly today. (By the way a real question since I was in a Trappist monastery all weekend and missed the coverage: Has John Paul been declared a patron of anything yet? I would suggest: Parkinson's disease or old age.) In any event, the video, which covers a lot of ground in a short space. (Update: Fixed the link.)
Watch the full episode. See more Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.
Here is an excellent commentary on the beatification, focusing on the suffering of John Paul that indeed would make him a worthy patron of old age or of those with Parkinson's: http://catholicism.about.com/b/2011/05/01/the-beatification-of-pope-john-paul-ii-a-personal-reflection.htm