London, Nov 23 Pope John Paul II used to regularly whip himself in a sign of "remorse for his sins," a nun has claimed.

Five years after his death, the Catholic Church is considering the Pope for sainthood.

As part of the Vatican's investigation, thousands of documents have been collected and examined by officials from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

And these documents include the testimony of Tobiana Sobodka, a Polish nun of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order, who worked for Pope John Paul in his private Vatican apartments and at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

"Several times he (Pope John Paul) would put himself through bodily penance," the Telegraph quoted Sobodka as saying.

"We would hear it - we were in the next room at Castel Gandolfo.

You could hear the sound of the blows when he flagellate himself. He did it when he was still capable of moving on his own," she added.

Another bishop, Emery Kabongo, who was a secretary for Pope John Paul, has confirmed the flagellation in a testimony.

"He would punish himself and in particular just before he ordained bishops and priests. I never actually saw it myself but several people told me about it," he said.

"The investigation and documentation is still secret and as such we can make no comment on it until the final report is published,' said a Vatican spokesman.

"I know that the nun in question has returned to Poland and she would have spoken with the Congregation as she was with an order that worked in the apartments of Pope John Paul," he added. (ANI)