The late Pope had cured himself of Parkinson’s disease, thus moving a step closer to sainthood.

Vatican officials say Pope John Paul II will move a step closer to sainthood next week when the Vatican is presenting with evidence of what has been described the miraculous cure of a French nun who was said to have been cured of Parkinson’s disease. The nun, so far unnamed, suffered from the same disease as John Pole himself.

The United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said it is too soon to know whether the recent deployment of thousands of additional American soldiers to Iraq is helping to quell sectarian violence. Mr. Gates says it will probably be several months before the Americans knew whether they were succeeding.