A young Italian man cured of lung cancer has attributed his recovery to the miraculous intervention of John Paul II in a case which could speed the late pope along the road to sainthood.
According to Neapolitan daily Il Mattino on Thursday, the man from Salerno south of Naples was taken into hospital last year where he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
After his wife prayed to John Paul II, the dead pope reportedly appeared in a dream to her and reassured her that her husband would be alright.
A few days after the dream, doctors noticed a marked improvement in the man's condition. Within weeks, his cancer completely disappeared, doctors say.
Salerno Archbishop Gerardo Pierro told Il Mattino he was confident that a miracle had taken place.
"There is medical proof otherwise I wouldn't have dared bring up the case. The recovery has lasted - a year and a half later, the inexplicable remains confirmed," he said.
"This could mean that John Paul II will soon be beatified," the archbishop added.
The diocese of Salerno is now looking into the case.
Vatican officials are already working for the beatification of the Polish-born John Paul, who died in April 2005 at the age of 84 after a reign of 27 years.
His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, has put the beatification cause on a fast track, waiving a rule requiring a five-year wait before the start of the process.
Information is now being gathered on John Paul's life and teachings, including all private writings from the period before he became pope.
Beatification is the penultimate step before sainthood in the church.
For somebody to be beatified or 'blessed', the Vatican must first be satisfied that the candidate lived a life of "heroic virtue". This involves collecting evidence and presenting it to a panel of cardinals in the Vatican.
In addition, promoters of the candidate must show that a miracle has taken place thanks to his or her heavenly intervention. Most miracles are medically inexplicable cures.
Miracles have to be certified as such by a medical panel as well as by cardinals.
For actual sainthood, at least two miracles are required.
During John Paul's funeral, scores of placards were held up saying 'Santo Subito!' (Saint Now!).
Dozens of reports of alleged miracles attributable to him have since been piling up in the Vatican, including the mysterious case of a French nun who was apparently cured of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease after praying for his intercession.
