Hello everyone,
The last week has been a poignant one for not just Catholics but also for millions of people all over the world, for the passing away of Pope John Paul II from this world into the welcoming arms of The Almighty has left behind a lacuna that would be hard to fill easily. As the voting Cardinals are gathered in Conclave to elect the next Pope, let us try to understand how Pope John Paul II came to be one of the best loved Popes in modern times.
The last week has been a poignant one for not just Catholics but also for millions of people all over the world, for the passing away of Pope John Paul II from this world into the welcoming arms of The Almighty has left behind a lacuna that would be hard to fill easily. As the voting Cardinals are gathered in Conclave to elect the next Pope, let us try to understand how Pope John Paul II came to be one of the best loved Popes in modern times.
A Brief Biography of Pope John Paul II:
Born on May 18, 1920 near Krakow in Poland, Karol Wojtyla would become Pope John Paul II, the spiritual leader to approximately one billion Roman Catholics and one of the most influential persons of the 20th Century. His mother Emilia Kraczorowska died in 1929, his brother Edmund in 1932 and his father in 1941.
Karol Wojtyla first became interested in becoming a Roman Catholic priest in 1942. During WW2 he worked in a quarry and a chemical factory in Nazi-occupied Poland to avoid being deported to Germany. The Nazis forbade seminary studies, so Karol had to pursue his calling to priesthood in secret. He was ordained in Krakow on November 1, 1946. On June 26, 1967 Wojtyla became the Archbishop of Krakow.Cardinal Wojtyla was desceibed as an important contributor to the Vatican Council II, which modernised the Church and granted parish priests greater autonomy.
On October 16, 1978 Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II and greeted the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the first ever Polish Pope and the first non-Italian Pope elected since 1523!
Pope John Paul was seriously wounded when a 22 year old Turkish gunman shot him at St. Peter's Square on may 13, 1981. The pontiff was gravely wounded in the abdomen and was hospitalised for 77 days, during which time he repeatedly prayed for the soul of Mehmet Ali Agca, the gunman who sought to assasinate him. Just over a year later, he visited Agca in Rome's Rebibbia prison and forgave him for his sins.
As Pope, John Paul II proved to be a conservative and was of the opinion that any form of artificial birth control was sinful. He has openly condemned cloning and experiments with human life. Pope John Paul II, during his pontificate, made 96 trips abroad meeting the Common Man in every continent. It is estimated that he has been seen by more people that anyone else in history earning him the sobriquets "the Pope of the People" and "the globetrotting Pope". He spoke eight different languages learning Spanish after becoming Pope.
The Pope worked to reuinfy Roman Catholicism with the Armenian and Eastern Orthodox Churches following a centuries-old schism. During his pontificate the Pope ordained thousands of priests and presided over 138 beatification ceremonies including Mother Teresa of Calcutta and 49 canonization ceremonies creating 472 new saints. In his homily for the service during the beatification of Mother Teresa, the pope wrote: "I am personally grateful to this courageous woman whom I have always felt beside me. Mother Teresa, an icon of the Good Samaritan, went everywhere to serve Christ in the poorest of the poor."
After a prolonged illness that began with breathing difficulties from the flu in February and Parkinson's disease Pope John Paul II departed to heaven aged 84 on 2 April 2005.
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As I sit in front of my TV watching the funeral unfold, I cannot help but thinking that this man really has had a following in life and even in death. Millions of people gathered at St. Peter's Square and billions all over the world watched on TV I am sure. The feeling of grief was unanimous. The presence of world leaders from different countries was proof of the power the pope wielded and the presence of religious leaders from various faiths proved to me that it is the man and what he does that matters and that religion is only a means of keeping you on the right path.
I am sure the world would find it hard to replace this pope with one as good, but having said that I am also sure that someone has it in him to live up to the requirements of the office.
There are many Cardinals in the reckoning for the papacy and in the next week one will be chosen ending the Conclave. So who would the next pope be? An Italian by tradition, an European or an African or a South American? We will know soon, but whoever it would be would have a challenge to live up to, a standard set by the dear departed John Paul II.
But for now, it has been one of the greatest farewells in history to one of Vatican's greatest popes.
Karol Wojtyla first became interested in becoming a Roman Catholic priest in 1942. During WW2 he worked in a quarry and a chemical factory in Nazi-occupied Poland to avoid being deported to Germany. The Nazis forbade seminary studies, so Karol had to pursue his calling to priesthood in secret. He was ordained in Krakow on November 1, 1946. On June 26, 1967 Wojtyla became the Archbishop of Krakow.Cardinal Wojtyla was desceibed as an important contributor to the Vatican Council II, which modernised the Church and granted parish priests greater autonomy.
On October 16, 1978 Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II and greeted the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the first ever Polish Pope and the first non-Italian Pope elected since 1523!
Pope John Paul was seriously wounded when a 22 year old Turkish gunman shot him at St. Peter's Square on may 13, 1981. The pontiff was gravely wounded in the abdomen and was hospitalised for 77 days, during which time he repeatedly prayed for the soul of Mehmet Ali Agca, the gunman who sought to assasinate him. Just over a year later, he visited Agca in Rome's Rebibbia prison and forgave him for his sins.
As Pope, John Paul II proved to be a conservative and was of the opinion that any form of artificial birth control was sinful. He has openly condemned cloning and experiments with human life. Pope John Paul II, during his pontificate, made 96 trips abroad meeting the Common Man in every continent. It is estimated that he has been seen by more people that anyone else in history earning him the sobriquets "the Pope of the People" and "the globetrotting Pope". He spoke eight different languages learning Spanish after becoming Pope.
The Pope worked to reuinfy Roman Catholicism with the Armenian and Eastern Orthodox Churches following a centuries-old schism. During his pontificate the Pope ordained thousands of priests and presided over 138 beatification ceremonies including Mother Teresa of Calcutta and 49 canonization ceremonies creating 472 new saints. In his homily for the service during the beatification of Mother Teresa, the pope wrote: "I am personally grateful to this courageous woman whom I have always felt beside me. Mother Teresa, an icon of the Good Samaritan, went everywhere to serve Christ in the poorest of the poor."
After a prolonged illness that began with breathing difficulties from the flu in February and Parkinson's disease Pope John Paul II departed to heaven aged 84 on 2 April 2005.
*************************************************************
As I sit in front of my TV watching the funeral unfold, I cannot help but thinking that this man really has had a following in life and even in death. Millions of people gathered at St. Peter's Square and billions all over the world watched on TV I am sure. The feeling of grief was unanimous. The presence of world leaders from different countries was proof of the power the pope wielded and the presence of religious leaders from various faiths proved to me that it is the man and what he does that matters and that religion is only a means of keeping you on the right path.
I am sure the world would find it hard to replace this pope with one as good, but having said that I am also sure that someone has it in him to live up to the requirements of the office.
There are many Cardinals in the reckoning for the papacy and in the next week one will be chosen ending the Conclave. So who would the next pope be? An Italian by tradition, an European or an African or a South American? We will know soon, but whoever it would be would have a challenge to live up to, a standard set by the dear departed John Paul II.
But for now, it has been one of the greatest farewells in history to one of Vatican's greatest popes.
Sources of information: The Washington Post, ABC News and the internet.
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