Late pope on road to sainthood

VATICAN CITY, June 2 (UPI) -- Officials at Vatican City say they have received an overwhelming amount of evidence to support elevating the late Pope John Paul II to sainthood.

Investigators charged with judging the evidence indicate that beatification or elevation to the intermediate step of "blessed" could take place as early as next spring, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Since John Paul's death in 2005, the Vatican has received thousands of photographs, drawings, letters and other items in support of sainthood.

They include everything from a stuffed animal from a couple that credit him with ending their infertility to a letter from a prostitute who got her faith back thanks to John Paul.

The lead investigator in the case, Monsignor Slawomir Oder of Poland, announced earlier this year a 2,000-page report about John Paul's life and virtues had been completed by officials at the Rome Diocese and sent to the Vatican's 34-member Congregation for the Causes of Saints.