VATICAN CITY – Popes John Paul II and John XXIII will be declared saints next April 27. Pope Francis announced the date Monday during a meeting with cardinals inside the Apostolic Palace.

Francis had announced in July he would canonize two of the 20th century’s most influential popes together, approving a miracle attributed to John Paul’s intercession and bending Vatican rules by deciding that John XXIII didn’t need one.

The first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years, and the first from Eastern Europe, Poland’s John Paul, the former Karol Wojtyla, was immensely popular, eschewing the pomp that surrounded his predecessors and seeking contact with ordinary people.

Analysts have said the decision to canonize John Paul and John XXIII together was aimed at unifying the church since each has his own admirers and critics. Francis is clearly a fan of both: On the anniversary of John Paul’s death this year, Francis prayed at the tombs of both men — an indication that he sees a great personal and spiritual continuity in them.