Pope's beatification celebrated around LI

Roman Catholics marked the beatification of Pope John Paul II at Masses across Long Island Sunday with prayers and tributes to his historic work, celebrating the steady move toward sainthood for a pontiff many viewed as a personal hero.

Hundreds packed the auditorium at Our Lady of Assumption in Copiague for a Mass in Polish featuring a film on his life. At St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Glen Cove, parishioners were given prayer cards depicting John Paul.

And at St. Agnes Cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, John Paul's picture was displayed by a painting of Jesus near the lectern. Bishop William Murphy, in his homily, lauded the pope as a virtuous example for humanity.

"His faith never wavered. His hope was never defeated, even by the dark forces of exploitation, greed and death around us," Murphy said. "He struggled to free the oppressed from Marxist communism and right-wing dictators, because the human person must be defended and human dignity must always be protected."

The Long Island services took place on the day Pope Benedict XVI beatified his predecessor in front of 1.5 million people in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. The next step would be canonization as a saint, a process that could take years and requires two Vatican-certified miracles. John Paul has one.

Some parishioners Sunday said they rose early to watch the beatification on television.

"It was beautiful," said Carmen Sacaridis, 78, of Rockville Centre, after Mass at St. Agnes. "They didn't give this to him. He earned it."

After the Copiague service, some called it a fitting honor for a hero to many Poles. Born Karol Wojtyla in the Polish town of Wadowice, John Paul worked to defeat Communism in Eastern Europe during the early part of his 26 years as pontiff.

"For Polish people, he has always been a saint," said Janusz Filipkowski, 48, of Lindenhurst. "He's an icon for Polish people. He brought trust and power with him."

But the move toward sainthood just six years after John Paul's death felt too swift for some Catholics. Voice of the Faithful, a group advocating for priest abuse victims and structural changes in the church, said more time was needed to assess who was responsible for covering up the sexual abuse crisis, which arose during John Paul's papacy. "We feel as though the beatification is taking place too soon," said spokesman Nick Ingala.

Even for Matthew Gibe, 43, of Uniondale, who called John Paul "one of the greatest men and greatest popes who ever lived," the process seemed quick.

"We have to wait and see what miracles are attributed to him," Gibe said after Mass at St. Agnes. "They can't just try and give it to him just because they liked the guy."

At St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa, the Rev. Kenneth Zach said the beatification is a "wonderful moment" for all who had met or attended Mass with John Paul, the most widely traveled pope in history.

Anna Conroy, 81, of Massapequa, said she was happy John Paul was moving toward sainthood while he was still fresh in the public's mind. "Usually they wait so many years, you kind of forget," she said.

Murphy, who served in Vatican City for 14 years, said there was a long history of speeding the canonization process for popular figures. But he called the process "meticulous" and based on the pope's "extraordinary record of personal holiness."

"It would have been an unnecessary and artificial thing to delay it," Murphy said.

With Patrick Whittle, Yamiche Alcindor and Candice Ferrette