Sainthood for Pope -Tactic in battle for church

"The conservative wing of the Roman Catholic hierarchy yesterday launched a pre-emptive strike to raise the late pontiff to the status of a saint within 24 hours of his death, and therby block any swing towards a more progressive stance.

"The Vatican's 'prime minister', Cardinal Angelo Sodano, surprised church observers by describing the late pope as John Paul 'the Great', a title only previously accorded to three of his 263 predecessors, all from the Dark Ages and all canonised.

"It's an effort to put Karol Wojtyla's profoundly conservative legacy beyond dispute and freeze the terms of debate on the next pope, signalling the start of what is likely to be a battle for the soul of the world's largest Christian denomination."