Pope Francis has cleared John Paul II for sainthood, approving a miracle attributed to his intercession.

Pope Francis also decided to canonise another pope, Pope John XXIII, even though there has been no second miracle attributed to his intercession. The Vatican said Pope Francis approved a decision by cardinals and bishops.

The ceremonies are expected before the end of the year. The date of December 8 - the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a major feast day for the church - has been floated as a possibility.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.