The Vatican has secretly attributed a mystery miracle to the late John Paul II, clearing the way for him to be declared a saint.

Pope John Paul II in 2004  Photo: REUTERS/Max Rossi

By Nick Squires, Rome

11:35AM BST 19 Jun 2013

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The Holy See has yet to reveal what the miracle was or where and when it took place but Vatican sources said it would “amaze the world”.

It concerns the “extraordinary healing” of a Costa Rican woman who was cured of a severe brain injury after her family began praying to the memory of the late Polish pope, according to reports in the Italian media.

Details of the miracle are likely to be announced at the end of this month or at the beginning of July, a Vatican insider told The Daily Telegraph.

John Paul II was beatified — the first step towards sainthood — in a lavish outdoor ceremony in St Peter’s Square in May 2011.

The second miracle — which is required in order for him to be given full sainthood — reportedly occurred on the very day of his beatification.