ITALY: If he is following events from up there in heavan, Pope John Paul II could be forgiven a wry smile. According to news reports from Poland yesterday, his old enemy, Polish military dictator Gen Wojciech Jaruzelski, will soon be called on to testify before the Vatican's Congregation for the Cause of Saints with a view to supporting the case for the late pope's sainthood.
If Gen Jaruzelski's summons comes as a surprise, the same can hardly be said of the other Pole due to testify in Rome - former Solidarnosc trade union leader Lech Walesa. Along with John Paul II, Mr Walesa was a key figure in the social upheaval which eventually brought down communist regimes, first in Poland and later all over the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc.
During tense moments in the early 80s when Gen Jaruzelski imposed martial law in Poland, it was Mr Walesa, prominently aided and abetted by John Paul II, who led widespread civic resistance to Soviet-dominated rule.
Now it seems Gen Jaruzelski and Mr Walesa, who were bitter opponents during those heady days, will find common ground in endorsing Pope John Paul II's claims to sainthood.
Witnesses in a beatification process are sworn to secrecy, so it was no surprise that both men declined to confirm the speculation yesterday. When contacted by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, Gen Jaruzelski merely said: "How did you know about that?" Lech Walesa, asked by private station Radio Zet, was also unforthcoming.
Proof of at least two miracles forms part of the Catholic Church's requirements for full sainthood. However, the Congregation for the Cause of Saints must also check out the proven Christian virtues of the candidate. It may well be in regard to the latter rather than to the question of a miracle that the congregation will wish to hear from Mr Jaruzelski and Mr Walesa.