VATICAN CITY - The Vatican on Friday dismissed doubts over a miracle that would qualify the late pope John Paul II for beatification, saying the vetting process had only just begun.

"The process is in its beginning phase, that of the study of the miracle by two experts named by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints," the Vatican's deputy spokesman Ciro Benedettini told AFP.

Seven medical doctors have yet to examine the dossier, he noted, adding that he could not elaborate because the process was generally carried out in secret.

The miracle under examination is the apparent full recovery from Parkinson's disease of a French nun who said she prayed for John Paul II's intercession.

Doctors could not explain Sister Marie Simon-Pierre's recovery in 2005.

In an unsourced article, Poland's Rzeczpospolita daily Thursday said the nun may have suffered from another disease with symptoms to Parkinson's -- the ailment that ravaged John Paul II in his final years.

John Paul II moved closer to sainthood in December when Pope Benedict accorded him the title of "venerable."

The validation of a miracle is necessary for his beatification, and a second one will be required for sainthood.

Benedict XVI set in motion the process of beatification for John Paul II just two months after his predecessor's death on April 2, 2005.