The late pope John Paul II could be made a saint as early as this year, after a second miracle was attributed to his intervention.

A meeting of cardinals and bishops has ruled the deceased Polish pontiff was responsible for a miracle two years ago on the night he was beatified, which is the first step towards sainthood.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican body that reviews candidates for sainthood, decided the pope's intercession was behind the healing of a woman from Costa Rica on May 1, 2011, according to the reports.

A panel of doctors has reportedly ruled the woman's healing was an inexplicable recovery.

Vatican officials have not commented.

John Paul II had already been credited with asking God to cure French nun Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand of Parkinson's disease, which helped lead to his beatification in 2011, when he was declared a "blessed" of the church.

Two miracles are required in order for someone to be given full sainthood.

Pope Francis must now give his approval for canonisation to proceed.

A canonisation ceremony for John Paul II, who died in April 2005, could come as soon as December, news agency ANSA said. That would be the fastest progression to sainthood in modern times.



While John Paul II was one of the most popular modern popes in his 27-year papacy, some have questioned the speed of the canonisation process.

John Paul II's successor, Benedict, waived a church rule that normally requires a five-year waiting period before the preliminaries to sainthood can begin.

Millions of people attended his funeral in 2005 and many cried "Santo Subito" or "Make him a saint straight away".

ABC/Reuters