Pope arrives in St. Peter to beatify John Paul II

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in St. Peter's Square to beatify his predecessor Pope John Paul II, joining hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in moving the beloved former pontiff a step closer to possible sainthood.

Wearing John Paul's vestments and stopping to kiss babies, Benedict processed into the square that was packed before dawn in a scene reminiscent of John Paul's final days in 2005. Then, some 3 million people held around-the-clock vigils under his studio window and bid farewell to him once he died.

The beatification is a morale boost for a church starred by the sex abuse crisis, but it has also triggered a new wave of anger from victims groups because the scandal happended under John Paul's 27-year watch.