Tomb of Blessed John Paul II.
Floribeth Mora, the 50-year-old Costa Rican woman whose miraculous healing paved the way for the canonization of John Paul II, is taking to the Vatican a suitcase filled with handwritten letters for Pope Francis. Mora was cured of a brain aneurysm in 2011 thanks to the intercession of the then-recently beatified John Paul II. The approval of this miracle allowed John Paul’s path to sainthood to move forward. In statements to the newspaper “La Razon,” Mora said that she is preparing to travel to the Vatican to attend the canonization this Sunday and that “the most significant thing I am bringing is a suitcase with letters addressed to Pope Francis.” “I know I am going to cry when I see him. He is a humble pope, and I want to tell him that if he has the chance to visit America, that he should go to Costa Rica,” she said. Among the petitions she is brining with her, four stories particularly struck her: “a lady who suffered a stroke, a 5-year-old boy with a brain tumor, a baby with tubes connected all over his body, and a pregnant woman suffering because her unborn child has a disease.” During the canonization, Mora will also carry a vial containing the blood of John Paul II. According to her husband, Mora’s story was an incredible experience. “(She) has received many positive messages from the people. Every day we have different guests at home,” he said. In addition to the petitions, Mora will also be bringing books written by priests, and among the letters she will carry is one from a Venezuelan family praying for peace for their country.