Pilgrims clap their hands during the ceremony of beatification for late pope John Paul II on May 1, 2011 as it is broadcast live at the ancient Circus Maximus arean in Rome on May 1, 2011. Pope Benedict XVI declared John Paul II "blessed" at a mass in Saint Peter's Square in front of more than a million people on Sunday, putting his late predecessor on the path to sainthood. AFP PHOTO / MARIO LAPORTA