Pope John Paul II dies at 84

[Jolie Rouge]

Tears, tolling bells as Catholic leader succumbs after lengthy illness
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 4:13 p.m. ET April 2, 2005



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Dylan Martinez / Reuters
A poster of Pope John Paul II is illuminated by candlelight in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on Saturday night shortly after his death was announced.

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II, who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history's most-traveled pope, died on Saturday evening, the Vatican said in a statement. "The angels welcome you," Vatican TV said after the announcement came from papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls

The news was immediately announced to around 60,000 gathered in St Peter's Square. "Our Holy Father John Paul, 84, has returned to the house of the Father," Archbishop Leonardo Sandri told the crowds.


Bells and tears

The statement was met with a long applause, an Italian sign of respect. Bells tolled and many people wept openly.

World leaders reacted quickly to the loss.

"The world has lost a champion of peace and freedom" with the death of the pope, President Bush said in Washington.

In announcing the death, Sandri said, "The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37 p.m. in his private apartment. All the procedures outlined in the apostolic Constitution `Universi Dominici Gregis' that was written by John Paul II on Feb. 22, 1996, have been put in motion."

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican No. 2 official, then led a tearful crowd of 70,000 people in St. Peter's Square in prayers for the dead pope.

The windows of the pope's apartment were still lit up following the announcement of his death.

The announcement of the pope’s death was distributed to journalists via e-mail at the same time it was being read to the faithful. John Paul expired as cardinals were leading some 70,000 people at St. Peter's Square in prayers for him in his "last journey."

Italy's ANSA news agency said Vatican and Italian flags were being lowered to half-staff across Rome and elsewhere.

The pope died after suffering heart and kidney failure following two hospitalizations in as many months. Just a few hours earlier, the Vatican had said he was in "very serious" condition but responded to members of the papal household.

Before the pope's death, thousands of pilgrims had gathered on St. Peter’s Square to stand vigil, many tearfully gazing up at his third-floor window. The faithful around the world joined them in prayer.


'Placid and serene' before death

Vatican Cardinal Achille Silvestrini visited John Paul Saturday morning, accompanied by another cardinal, Jean-Louis Tauran. “I found him relaxed, placid, serene. He was in his bed. He was breathing without labor. He looked like he lost weight,” Silvestrini said.

He said the when he and Tauran came into the room, the pope seemed to recognize them. “The pope showed with a vibration of his face that he understood, indicating with a movement of his eyes. He showed he was reacting,” he added.

Around the world, people of different faiths had joined in prayer for John Paul. “Catholics, fellow Christians, ... will be praying for him at this time as he comes toward the end of his extraordinary and wonderful life,” said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the archbishop of Westminster and one of the most senior Catholic clerics in Britain, speaking to reporters outside London’s Westminster Cathedral.

'Man of peace'

In France, Muslim leader Dalil Boubakeur said Muslims had been praying for the pope, whom he described as a “man of peace” whose stature was a determining factor for change in the world.

In the pope’s home country, Poles gathered at churches as word spread Friday morning of his deteriorating condition. “I want him to hold on but it is all in God’s hands now,” said 64-year-old Elzbieta Galuszko at the church where the pope was baptized in Wadowice, southern Poland. “We can only pray for him so he can pull through these difficult moments.”

The pope received the sacrament for the sick and dying on Thursday evening. Formerly called the last rites, the sacrament is often misunderstood as signaling imminent death. It is performed both for patients at the point of death and for those who are very sick — and it may be repeated.

Hospitalized twice last month following two breathing crises, and fitted with a breathing tube and a feeding tube, John Paul had become a picture of suffering.

His 26-year papacy was marked by its call to value the aged and to respect the sick, subjects the pope turned to as he also battled Parkinson’s disease and crippling knee and hip ailments.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3305285

[Jolie Rouge]

The world mourns the pope's passing
MSNBC staff and news service reports
April 2, 2005

REACTION POURING IN

"The angels welcome you," Vatican TV said after the announcement came from papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, while shortly afterwards bells tolled in St. Peter’s Square.

Meantime, reaction came pouring in from across the world. Poland’s Lech Walesa: “[Without him] There would be no end of Communism or at least much later and the end would have been bloody.”

Israel’s Shimon Peres: “Even though he represented Catholicism, he managed, with his talent and personality, to also represent our entire global partnership.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque: “ We will never forget the pope's visit to Cuba in 1998... his words for peace... his courtesy to president Fidel Castro when he visited the Vatican (in 1997)."

THE POPE IS DEAD | 3:12 p.m. ET

Pope John Paul II has died. The news was conveyed in an e-mail to the world's media by papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls. The message was simple, "The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37 p.m. (2:37 p.m. EST) in his private apartment."

CONDITION MAY NOT BE WORSENING | 1:44 p.m. ET

Dr. Peter Salgo, associate director of the intensive care unit at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, tells the Associated Press that the reference to fever in the latest Vatican statement doesn’t necessarily indicate that the pope’s condition is worsening. "This is not a turn for the better, but it doesn't mean he's getting worse," he is quoted as saying. "Fevers come and go and it is often the last thing to go away when you get over an infection. You can still have a fever in response to antibiotics."

• FUNERAL PLANNING |1:17 p.m. ET

New signs that a major funeral is imminent are being seen in Rome, as the city makes plans to accommodate tens of thousands of pilgrims expected to descend on the Vatican in the coming days.

Portable toilets and extra ambulances appeared in greater numbers near the Vatican during the day Saturday and the city transport system said it was increasing service on bus and subway lines which stop at St. Peter’s, the Associated Press reported.

City officials also lined up fairground pavilions and sport stadiums to house the faithful, and the Italian state railway said it would add additional trains to bring pilgrims to Rome.

• VATICAN UPDATE | 12:23 p.m. ET

In a written statement, the Vatican says Pope John Paul II remains in very grave condition with a high fever, but that he continues to respond "correctly" when addressed by aides.

• STATEMENT ON CONDITION RESCHEDULED | 11:40 a.m. ET

A Vatican spokesman says the statement on the pope's medical condition will now be issued approximately 12:10 p.m. ET.

• VATICAN STATEMENT DELAYED | 11:25 a.m. ET

The Associated Press reports that the Vatican's statement on the pope's medical condition, originally expected around 11 a.m. ET, has been delayed. There is no immediate word on when the announcement will be made.

• BUSH: POPE ‘AN INSPIRATION’ | 10:14 a.m. ET

President Bush calls Pope John Paul II was “a faithful servant of God and a champion of human dignity and freedom.”

“He is an inspiration to us all,” Bush says in his weekly radio address. “Laura and I join millions of Americans and so many around the world who are praying for the Holy Father.”

The president has received regular briefings about the pontiff’s condition since the pope’s health began deteriorating Thursday.

Networks are told to expect another update on the pope's medical condition by Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls at approximately 11 a.m. ET.

STAGE IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE DISMANTLED 8:04 am (EST)

In a sign the Vatican was preparing for a funeral, workers dismantle a semi-permanent stage in St. Peter's Square. For the funeral of the last pope in 1978, that space was occupied by a relatively small altar.


• ITALY SUSPENDS ALL WEEKEND SPORTS | 7:01 a.m. ET

Italy's highest sport authority announces the suspension of all weekend sport events as a sign of respect for the pope.

Gianni Petrucci, president of Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI), made the announcement of Serie A soccer matches, a playoff deciding the Italian ice hockey title, basketball and volleyball league matches and amateur sports.

• POST OFFICE TO ISSUE SPECIAL STAMP | 6:06 a.m. ET

The Vatican post office says it will issue a special stamp when the pope dies, which can only be used until a new one is elected.

The stamps are valid for the so-called “interregnum,” the time span that begins with the death of the pope and ends when a new one is elected, but other Vatican stamps will also be valid in that period.

The last time the Vatican post office issued vacant seat stamps was 1978, when John Paul the first died.

• VATICAN BUSINESSES OPEN | 5:19 a.m. ET

While the world awaits word on the pope, Vatican businesses such as the pharmacy and post offices open to the public as usual.

Tourists wait patiently in line to go through security screening to enter the basilica — both to visit it and to pray.

Police said they expected hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to arrive in the city over the next few days.

The city transport system said it was expanding service on bus and subway lines to the Vatican. State radio said portable toilets would be installed near the square.

• OBSERVERS WATCH FOR SIGNS | 4:07 a.m. ET

Over the centuries, the most traditional and telling signal that a pope has died has been the tolling of the Vatican’s bells, which prompts churches across Rome to join in. Other signs include the closing of the massive bronze portal beneath a portico off St. Peter’s and drawn shutters in the pontiff’s apartment.

The modern use of Bronze Door is spotty. In 1978, when two popes died in rapid succession, the tradition was ignored. Under normal circumstances, the Bronze Door is closed every night at around 8 p.m. and reopened in the morning. The doors reopened early Saturday.

And papal observers say it’s not clear whether the shutting of the door even in daytime would precede or follow an official announcement. The door remains closed until a new pontiff is elected.

POPE CONSCIOUS, SOURCES SAY | 3:08 a.m. ET

A Polish priest, citing Vatican sources, says the pope is in stable condition and has not lost consciousness.

"I have information from the Vatican from a half an hour ago. The Pope is in serious, but stable condition. The Pope has not lost consciousness," Father Konrad Hejmo, a close friend of the Pope's, tells Reuters.

•RUMORS OF VATICAN STATEMENT | 2:42 a.m. ET

Word of a possible statement from the Vatican at 3 a.m. ET is coming from a Romania-based TV station. NBC News has been unable to confirm the report. The press office reopened at 2 a.m. ET.

•WELL-WISHES FROM CHINA | 1:01 a.m. ET

China, which does not allow its Catholics to recognize the Vatican's authority, expressed concern for Pope John Paul II after a small group of local religious leaders and worshippers prayed for the pontiff.

"China expresses its concern and hopes the Pope can get meticulous medical treatment, recover and restore his health," a Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters by telephone.

• VATICAN PRESS OFFICE CLOSES | 12:14 a.m. ET

The Vatican press office, which stayed open throughout the night as several hundred people remained in St. Peter's Square to pray for the ailing pope, closed around 10 p.m. ET. The office was to open again at 3 a.m. ET.

• 'SERENELY CARRYING THE CROSS' | 10:51 p.m. ET

The pope's decision to remain at the Vatican rather than return to the hospital has become a source of reflection for many of those following the pontiff's medical struggle.

“The fact that he has not gone back to hospital (means) that he is serenely carrying the cross and ready to give up and to say, ‘It is finished,’” said Irish Bishop John Magi, who served as the pope's private secretary from 1978 to 1982.

“The pope has decided to die at home ... not fitted with tubes (but) facing death in front of the tomb of St. Peter,” said a front-page commentary Saturday in the newspaper La Repubblica.

• A QUIET NIGHT | 9:35 p.m. ET

As the night wears on, the crowds in St. Peter's Square thin.

• CUBANS LEARN OF POPE'S CONDITION | 9:10 p.m. ET

In a rare TV appearance, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the top Roman Catholic prelate in Cuba, tells Cubans that the pope is dying. Ortega is rarely seen in the island’s media, which are run by Cuba’s nonreligious government.

• CREDIT FOR ENDING COMMUNISM | 8:35 p.m. ET

Lech Walesa, founder of the Solidarity movement that toppled communism in Poland in 1989-90, tells The Associated Press that without the pope’s leadership, “communism would have fallen, but much later and in a bloody way.”

[Jolie Rouge]

• STANDING VIGIL | 7:40 p.m. ET

Wrapping themselves in blankets, many tearfully gaze at John Paul’s third-floor windows, where the lights remain on in the pope’s studio and his secretary’s room. The papal bedroom is not lit.

• "LONG AGONY" | 6:51 p.m. ET

The Rome newspaper La Repubblica quotes Vatican officials as saying the pope is "living a long agony" and that his strong will could draw out his death, which should not be expected "at any determined time."

• JEWISH WISHES | 6:35 p.m. ET

Rome's chief rabbi says he is praying in the piazza outside the pope's residence "as a sign of sharing in the grief of our brothers for their concerns and as a sign of warmth for this pope and for all that he has done."

• CROWD GROWS | 5:30 p.m. ET

As Friday turns into Saturday in Rome, police estimate that the gathering of worshipers in St. Peter's Square has grown past 70,000. The two windows of John Paul's apartment light up an otherwise darkened Apostolic Palace.

• PREDICTION OF DEATH | 4:45 p.m. ET

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the Vatican's health minister, tells Mexico's Televisa dal Vaticano that the pope is "on the verge of death."

• POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR HEADS TO ROME | 3:52 p.m. ET

NBC News reports that Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Nigerian cardinal viewed as one of the leading candidates to succeed Pope John Paul II, left Newark, N.J., where he was visiting, for Rome on Thursday.

• U.S. MASSES PLANNED | 3:50 p.m. ET

Cardinals Edward Egan of New York and Roger Mahony of Los Angeles prepare to celebrate special Masses this evening in the event of the pope's death.

• VATICAN STATEMENT PLANNED | 3:40 p.m. ET

The Vatican says it will issue a statement shortly.

• VATICAN DENIAL | 1:55 p.m. ET

The Vatican denies reports that Pope John Paul II has died.

• PRAYERS AROUND THE WORLD | 1:08 p.m. ET

Millions around the world are praying for the pope.

In Wadowice, Poland, people are leaving school and work early and heading to church to pray for their native son. "I want him to hold on, but it is all in God's hands now," Elzbieta Galuszko, 64, says at the church where the pope was baptized in Wadowice, in the south. "We can only pray for him so he can pull through these difficult moments."

In the Philippines, a crying Linda Nicol says she and her husband are asking God to grant John Paul "a longer life." Muslims in France are praying for the pontiff because he is a "man of peace," says Dalil Boubakeur, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith.

Press secretary Scott McClellan says that the White House is in close contact with the Vatican about the pope's failing health and that President Bush is praying for him. Chief of staff Andrew Card is keeping Bush up to date on the pope's condition.

"The president and Mrs. Bush join people all across the world who are praying for the Holy Father. He's in our thoughts and prayers," McClellan tells reporters.

"The outpouring of love across the world is a testimony to the greatness of the pope. The pope is an inspiration to millions of Americans and people all over the world for his great moral leadership," McClellan says.

• POPE UNCONSCIOUS? | 12:46 p.m. ET

Italy's APCom news agency, without citing sources, is reporting that the pope is unconscious. Vatican officials are not immediately available for comment. Earlier, the Vatican had denied another report by the same agency that claimed the pontiff had slipped into a coma.

• POPE OPENED EYES EARLIER | 12:23 p.m. ET

Among the top church officials gathering at the pope's bedside is Cardinal Marcio Francesco Pompedda, a high-ranking Vatican administrator, who says the pope opened his eyes and smiled.

"I understood he recognized me. It was a wonderful smile — I'll remember it forever. It was a benevolent smile, a father-like smile," Pompedda tells RAI television. "I also noticed that he
wanted to tell me something but he could not. ... But what impressed me very much was his expression of serenity."

• HOPE FADING? | 12:21 p.m. ET

Ansa News Agency is reporting that medical sources are saying there is no more hope for the pope.

• BUSH IN WHITE HOUSE | 12:09 p.m. ET

NBC News White House Correspondent Norah O'Donnell reports that President Bush is in the Oval Office monitoring the situation with his senior staff.

• MEDICAL UPDATE | 12:04 p.m. ET

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls releases the following medical bulletin:

"The general conditions and cardiocirculatory conditions of the Holy Father have further worsened. A gradual worsening of arterial hypotension has been noted and breathing has become shallow. The clinical picture indicates cardiocirculatory and renal insufficiency.

"The biological parameters are notably compromised. The Holy Father — with visible participation — is joining in the continual prayers of those assisting him."

'SHALLOW' BREATHING | 11:59 a.m. ET

The Vatican issues a statement saying the pope's condition has worsened. His breathing "has become shallow" and his kidney function is deteriorating.

• 'VERY GRAVE' | 11:30 a.m. ET

"Yesterday afternoon ... following a urinary infection, a state of septic shock and cardio-circulatory collapse set in," a Vatican statement says. "This morning, the Holy Father's health condition is very grave."

• PRAYING FOR THE POPE | 11:15 a.m. ET

Hundreds of anxious faithful gather outside St. Peter's Basilica in silent prayer as news spreads that the pope's health has abruptly deteriorated. Poles stream into churches to pray for the pope, their revered countryman who appears on the threshold of death. Millions of Roman Catholics in Asia pack churches and hold vigils.

• CONSCIOUS AND STABLE | 11:00 a.m. ET

Pope John Paul II is conscious and his condition is stable, but his blood pressure is unstable and he continues to have breathing problems.

The Vatican dismisses as "rubbish" Italian media reports that the pope has slipped into a coma.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7357164/page/5/

[Jolie Rouge]

John Paul II and communism
A subtle push from Rome bears fruit in GdanskBy Andrew Nagorski
Newsweek
Updated: 2:54 p.m. ET April 2, 2005

NEW YORK - In the early 1960s, Zenon Kliszko, the chief ideologist of the Polish Communist Party, vetoed seven candidates put forward by the Roman Catholic Church to be bishops. The party ideologist reasoned that Karol Wojtyla, who had expressed little interest in mundane politics, could be manipulated easily. This has to rank as one of the most monumental miscalculations of the 20th century.

It was still the dark days of the Cold War, and the Polish government had the power to block such appointments. Kliszko warned he would continue vetoing candidates until he got the name he wanted.

Wojtyla, who, with the Polish Communist Party's approval, was installed as archbishop of Krakow in 1964 and was elected pope 14 years later, helped unleash the forces that brought about the fall of communism. He never overtly espoused any particular political agenda, but he lived his life according to the famous saying of the 19th century Polish poet Cyprian Norwid: "A man is born on this planet to give testimony to truth." As a bishop and then as pope, Wojtyla kept urging his countrymen and everyone else to "live in truth." Nothing could be more subversive in a communist system based on lies. His credo proved to be a highly contagious idea picked up and expanded upon by dissidents like Adam Michnik in Poland and Vaclav Havel in Czechoslovakia. The result was the flourishing of an alternative culture, including a vigorous underground press and eventually the birth of the free trade union movement Solidarity.

In his support of human rights, Wojtyla always assigned top priority to the struggle for religious freedom. He repeatedly sought to help the "silent churches," the persecuted in places like the Ukraine, Czechoslovakia and China. Sometimes, this meant bolstering underground churches, which secretly ordained priests; sometimes, it meant dispatching Polish priests, pretending to be ordinary travelers, to the Soviet Union, where they would celebrate masses in private houses. But most of the challenge was neither secretive nor conspiratorial. By talking about justice, morality and Europe's common "spiritual genealogy," Wojtyla undermined the communist system and the rationale for keeping the continent divided.

In 1979, when John Paul II was planning his first trip to his homeland after his election to the papacy, many communists had begun to realize how badly they had misread him. Soviet ruler Leonid Brezhnev warned the Polish leaders that he would "only cause trouble." A secret set of instructions sent out to teachers in Polish schools called the pope "our enemy." Later, when he barely survived the assassination attempt by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, there were charges -- never proven -- that the Kremlin had ordered the hit. Poles saw Wojtyla's survival as a miracle. But the bigger miracle was yet to come when, inspired by his bold example, they reclaimed control of their country -- and triggered a peaceful revolution that transformed Europe and the world.


Andrew Nagorski is a former Newsweek bureau chief in Warsaw, Poland.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3276657/

[Jolie Rouge]

A moral voice for peace and justice
A former ambassador to the Vatican remembers the pope
By Raymond L. Flynn
Special to MSNBC.com
Updated: 2:54 p.m. ET April 2, 2005

BOSTON - When I think about Pope John Paul II, I am reminded of two of my favorite prayers. The first is titled “One Solitary Life,” which was written by an anonymous author. The other is the “Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.” I will briefly paraphrase these two special prayers to explain why I believe they relate to Pope John Paul II.

“One Solitary Life” is about a poor preacher who never had mighty armies to rule, nor wealth, nor held powerful political positions. Yet 2000 years after His birth nobody has had as much of an effect on society and all mankind as this one poor priest: Jesus Christ. “The Prayer of St. Francis” asks Our Lord to make us instruments of peace; "where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury pardon."

Paradoxically, I am also reminded of what the Russian communist dictator Joseph Stalin sarcastically said of a previous pope's lack of influence: "How many divisions does he have?" All of these famous excerpts, with their conflicting opinions, help me understand the difficulty most people have in describing Karol Wojtyla.

But having known Pope John Paul II, long before he was pontiff, let me share with you one personal example above all others that will give you an insight as to how he looks at himself. This is not someone else's opinion, but from the man who best knows Karol Wojtyla -- and that is himself.

Pope John Paul II and former President Bill Clinton were preparing to address the media after their private meeting at St. Regis College in Denver, Colo. I informed both the pope and the president of the enormous media interest in their conversation and asked the Holy Father if he would agree to take questions about what the two leaders had to say to each other. I have a positive and special friendship with the man that dates back to when I first met him in Boston, when he was archbishop of Krakow, so I knew that he was emphatic, but sincere, in his response to me. "Raymond," he said, "I'm a Catholic priest." Somehow that comment said it all. Those four simple words spoke volumes as to who he felt he was and what he personally believed was his mission. His did not view himself as a powerful and famous political leader, but rather a moral voice for peace and justice.

Another defining moment was when I was able to observe, first-hand, John Paul II encompassing human compassion occurred in March of 1995. My wife, Kathy, and nine of her childhood friends — now mothers and grandmothers — came to Rome and stayed with us during my time as ambassador. At first, one of her friends, Charlene Bizokas, was not going to travel to Italy because she had recently lost her son, Ralph, in a tragic car accident. She was deeply despondent. A few days after the group — including Charlene — arrived, John Paul II presided over a major event in St. Peter's Square, with many important religious and secular leaders from all over the world attending.

During the service, I was able to make eye contact with Monsignor Dzwisz, the pope's secretary and long-time friend. He nodded to me in the crowd but later through my body language could sense that I had something important to communicate to the Holy Father. He sent a priest over to me discreetly, and I told him briefly about Charlene's anguish and pain. The priest then passed my words on to Monsignor Dzwisz and ultimately they reached the pope himself.

At the end of the service, I was told to wait on the steps by the Porta Sancta (holy door) with the "Boston mothers" as I introduced them to the Holy Father. He greeted them all warmly, but what he said to the grieving mother was so revealing about the man. "Mothers are given much love, but also much pain. Like Mary when her son died. I know that you have suffered, as Mary suffered. But like Mary, you will see your son again."

The Holy Father's face seemed to reflect the pain that lived in Charlene's heart. It was as if he were absorbing it, taking it from her. Charlene was sobbing, but you could almost feel her releasing some of the pain. Tears streamed down all of our faces, right there outside St. Peter's Basilica.

Even now, I still cannot stop thinking about what he once said to me. "Raymond, I'm a Catholic priest."



Raymond L. Flynn is the former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, a former mayor of Boston and author of "The Accidental Pope: A Novel" and "John Paul II: A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3276506/

[Jolie Rouge]

Taking shelter in Christ
Surviving Nazism and communism forged pope's resolve
By Matthew Bunson
Special to MSNBC.com
Updated: 2:54 p.m. ET April 2, 2005

Christ at the center of all things was a theme to which John Paul II returned until the very end of his life and which served as his unceasing prayer for the church and the world. On Oct. 22, 1978, only a few days after his election as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II called upon the world: "Be not afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ. To his saving power upon the boundaries of states, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid."

In his first major papal document, “Redemptor Hominis” ("The Savior of Man"), John Paul wrote, "Our spirit is set in one direction; the only direction for our intellect, will and heart is toward Christ our Redeemer."

This Christocentric theology had profound ramifications for the Catholic Church in the modern world as it presented humanity not in isolation from God but reaching its fullness through God's Son. By proclaiming that human dignity can be seen only in the light of Christ, John Paul II challenged modern thinking and oriented the church to defend the human person against the great threats posed to true freedom and dignity by the political and philosophical systems of the 20th century.

Karol Wojtyla had witnessed first-hand two of those dehumanizing movements, Nazism and communism. He emerged from those experiences refined and resolute that the church offered the only antidote to a spiritually arid age. John Paul saw the church not in a static defensive posture but in fidelity to the call of the Gospel to preach to all nations. As one of the most active members of the Second Vatican Council, the pope knew that the council had mandated a dialogue with the modern world. In the long conversation of his reign, he spoke for the church and apologized for the past errors of its members, pleaded for the reunion of the splintered Christian family.

He also called for unity in Christ for all, even if the world seemed unwilling or unprepared to listen. To the frustration of Western secular humanists, he rejected anew abortion, contraception and euthanasia. In the face of moral relativism, he confirmed church doctrine on both natural law and absolute moral norms as integral to the development of the authentic person. At the same time he confounded social conservatives by his opposition to the death penalty, and in his social teachings he brought the church squarely into the arena of economic development, social justice, the rights of workers, a "radical capitalistic ideology" and rampant consumerism. Beneath this oft-criticized stern and unyielding face of the pontiff's teachings, however, was a genuine optimism rooted in the Gospel.

In every instance of his teachings, he returned the church to Christ as the model for humanity, the restoration of the dignity intended by God, and the triumph over fear and sin. As he wrote in his book “Crossing the Threshold of Hope”: "The power of Christ's Cross and Resurrection is greater than any evil which man could or should fear." John Paul II preached freedom for the world — not the ephemeral freedom of material possessions and moral license of modern culture, but the liberating horizon of acknowledging the sovereignty of God. Of this liberation, the pope declared, "To accept the Gospel's demands means to affirm all of our humanity, to see it in the beauty desired by God, while at the same time recognizing, in light of the power of God Himself, our weaknesses: 'What is impossible for men is possible for God.' (Luke 18:27)."



Matthew Bunson is editor of the Catholic newspaper Our Sunday Visitor.




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3276684/

[firechic]

Love your new title.

[YankeeMary]

God rest his soul and prayers to all that loved him. So sad.

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope John Paul II: In Memoriam


One of the most influential figures of the late twentieth and early 21st century, Pope John Paul II’s leadership style made him one of the world’s most beloved figures. The impact of his tenure will be felt for years by the world's one billion Roman Catholics. Below, readers share their thoughts on the passing of the Pope.


A man of faith

Pope John Paul II crossed religious, geographical, and cultural boundaries. I'm a Presbyterian, but tonight we all pause and remember the life and faith of this wonderful man. Not everyone agreed with him on issues... but all can agree this was truly a man of great faith.
—Priscilla, Wilmington, Del.


Good shepherd

I remember that I was 11 years old when the elected Pope John Paul. I waited for the white smoke with antisapation like a child waits for Santa. I have now experienced the death of 3 popes in my life but none touched me like Pope John Paul II. I turned away from the Church for awhile but like the good shepherd he was, he spoke I listened to his words. Even without know it he touch me. I have grown closer in the last 7 years to my faith. I will truly his strength and wisdom.
—Catherine Joyce, Germantown, Tenn.


He blessed Indonesia

When Pope John Paul II kissed the Indonesian land at the first chance he landed on Indonesia in 1988 I was a child but I could felt the heavenly joy in my soul and felt as if my poor country blessed. He is the man with power that can shower every place he visited with tremendous peace. The world lost her guardian angel. I will miss Pope John Paul II, his eyes, his fatherly smile and the way he bend down and kiss the land. Be happy with God in heaven our beloved Pope.
—Debbin Malau, Jakarta, Indonesia


A loved man

Being a born again Christian I do not understand all of the Roman Catholic church doctrine. I do, however, believe that Pope John Paul II was a Godly man and he was loved by many. He worked to bring understanding to other religions and to spread peace throughout the world.
—Cyndi Woods, Moreno Valley, Calif.


A blessed ticket

Annette Novak, Independence, Mo.: In September of last year we had general audience tickets to see the Pope. I knew we would be soooo far back, but the nun assured me, laughing, not to worry, "His blessing reaches that far!" she said. On the train, we met a girl, who by chance asked us if we were going to the Papal Audience. She gave us extra tickets. It was a total miracle! We ended up sitting so very close to him. It was a day I'll never forget, and feel very blessed to have experienced.


A blessing from the pope

Rose Cahill, Yarmouth Port, Mass.: This past summer, while in Rome we came in contact with a young Italian restaurant owner. The owner took a liking to my sons, befriended us, and by the end of the evening, he told us to be ready by 8 a.m. and he would pick us up and take us to the Pope's summer home for his weekly Sunday Blessing. There, we were escorted by the Swiss Guard to the very front of the court yard. He was wheeled out on to a stage and spoke for 45 minutes in Italian. Later to our surprise... we were escorted up on stage to receive a blessing from Pope John Paul II.


Texas trip

from Daniel E. Maeso: In my 69 years of age and during my 32 years in Public Service I have met heads of state and many dignitaries such as Presidents and Attorneys General but I had never had the Spiritual experience of feeling the presence of God in front of me until I was blessed to shake hands with his holiness Pope John Paul II during his visit to San Antonio, Texas in 1987


Souvenir from Alaska visit

from Susan Vallejo, Anchorage Ala.:
If someone had told me back when I first arrived in Alaska that Pope John
Paul would one day visit beautiful Alaska in 1981, I would never have believed it ! But there I was standing with my family in the snow with a huge crowd in Anchorage that day looking in awe watching Pope John Paul II in his long white coat and bright red Vatican hat walk through the crowds,
touching children sweetly as he always does, grinning widely with his twinkling eyes.


Polish pride

When I heard the news of Pope John Paul's death, I remembered the day he was elected Pope in 1978. As a descendant of Polish Jews, I felt a surge of pride despite a history of problematic relations between the country's Catholic majority and its Jewish community which lived there for 1,000 years. I wished him well then, and I cried today while watching the news. As a Jew I am grateful for the things that he did to build bridges to our people and eliminate the old prejudices and stereotypes that had corrupted relations between Christendom and Judaism. I will always remember the image of him at the Wailing Wall praying and placing the note in the crevices of our people's most holy place. I will also remember his going to the synagogue in Rome and to Auschwitz and his willingness to address the church's policies during the Holocaust by opening the Vatican files. However, even more so, I will remember him as a man who was directly impacted by the Nazi occupation of his country, just as my ancestors were, and his courage in fighting both the Nazis and the Communists who were oppressing his country. Without his inspiration, Communism would not have fallen in Eastern Europe.
—Steve Tursky, Fairfax, Va.

God's gift to us

Occasionally God grants us the gift of a person, who brings his message to the people in such a way, that all are moved by it and perhaps some will even act on it. John Paul II was God's gift to us in this past century. We may not see the likes of him for a long time to come.
—Michael, Fort Worth, TX.

Muslim reaction

As a Muslim Pakistani woman, he is the first and only Pope I have known in my 29 years of life. I always considered him as a man of peace because he always stood for the peace of the world by talking against the wars. He always stood against the sexual scandals no matter how harsh those scandals were on his religion. He touched the heart of not only millions of Catholics but also millions of Muslims by standing against wars and cruelty.
—Farheen Rizvi, Forest Hill, Md.

A man of the world

Pope John Paul II saw goodness in all people, because he saw God in all people. Through his travels, he interacted with rich and poor alike, showing that he believed in the dignity of all men. Whether or not you agreed with him, his actions toward others demanded that you respected him. I believe that he left a mark on the world and the papacy, and I'm sure that now he rests in peace with the Lord, whom he served so well.
—Bob Gan, Honesdale, Pa.


Father of the largest family

The man who endured so much strife in his life, the man with no family, who became the beloved Father of the largest family in the world, has left us to go home to be with his Father. God bless you and keep you John Paul, the entire world will miss you!
—Eileen, Newport News, Va.


Jewish perspective

As a Jew and an American, I am saddened by the loss of the Pope. While I do not agree with his position on certain social issues like abortion and birth control, I have always respected and admired his efforts to bring together the diverse interests of the people of Earth. His outreach to Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths and his determination to make all of us realize how important it is that we learn to respect each other and live together in peace makes him one of the most important people in history. I hope in death that he can remain a beacon of hope and teacher to all of the preciousness of life. Rest in peace.
—Bob Korren, Bedford, N.Y.

[cleaningla]

I can't help it. Do you think he knows the truth about Mary Magdalen yet? Do Popes go to purgatory like everyone else or do they get a direct ticket?

Go ahead and think this is disrepectful, but it's a little hard to feal sorry for someone who could be dining at Jesus table as I type. :)

[Jolie Rouge]

Exceptional encounters with the Pope
Updated: 9:17 p.m. ET April 2, 2005

Pope John Paul II’s eagerness to travel the world and meet with Catholics face-to-face will be one of the things for which he is most remembered. MSNBC readers share their experiences and encounters with the Pontiff, and how these moments impacted their lives.

Kiss of an Angel

We took our three boys to Europe this past summer: Ireland, Germany, Austria, and finally Rome. While in Rome we came in contact with a young Italian restaurant and club owner. The owner took a liking to my sons, I think because they picked me up, wheelchair and all, and carried me down 12-18 steps to a meal and performance that was out of this world. After all the patrons left, he sat and talked with us. By the end of the evening, he told us to be ready by 8 a.m. and he would pick us up and take us to the Pope's summer home for his weekly Sunday Blessing.

I'm not even sure if I slept. Before I knew it, we were on our way to what I thought would be a blessing to all who gathered in the courtyard of his summer home. My son, Chris and I were escorted by the Swiss Guard to the very front of the court yard.

The Pope did not open a window to bless the crowd. Instead, he was wheeled out on to a stage maybe five feet in front of us. Chris and I sat in total awe (I looking like drowned rat in lieu of the most wild thunder and lightening/torrential down pour of a storm I have ever been in) as the darkest day of our trip miraculously turned away to the light on the Son and rainbows overhead. He spoke for nearly 45 minutes.

When all the Priests, Bishops, Cardinals, and Dignitaries were escorted up on stage to be blessed by our Holy Father, Chris and I were summoned by the Swiss Guard to follow them, to what I thought would be to a safe passage out of the courtyard. To our surprise we were escorted up on stage, and yes, to receive a blessing from Pope John Paul II. Chris and I are now bound by this silent and holiest of moments for the rest of our lives.
—Rose Cahill, Yarmouth Port, Ma.


A blessed ticket

Annette Novak, Independence, Mo.: In September of last year we had general audience tickets to see the Pope. I knew we would be soooo far back, but the nun assured me, laughing, not to worry, "His blessing reaches that far!" she said. On the train, we met a girl, who by chance asked us if we were going to the Papal Audience. She gave us extra tickets. It was a total miracle! We ended up sitting so very close to him. It was a day I'll never forget, and feel very blessed to have experienced.


A blessing from the pope

Rose Cahill, Yarmouth Port, Mass.: This past summer, while in Rome we came in contact with a young Italian restaurant owner. The owner took a liking to my sons, befriended us, and by the end of the evening, he told us to be ready by 8 a.m. and he would pick us up and take us to the Pope's summer home for his weekly Sunday Blessing. There, we were escorted by the Swiss Guard to the very front of the court yard. He was wheeled out on to a stage and spoke for 45 minutes in Italian. Later to our surprise... we were escorted up on stage to receive a blessing from Pope John Paul II.


Texas trip

from Daniel E. Maeso: In my 69 years of age and during my 32 years in Public Service I have met heads of state and many dignitaries such as Presidents and Attorneys General but I had never had the Spiritual experience of feeling the presence of God in front of me until I was blessed to shake hands with his holiness Pope John Paul II during his visit to San Antonio, Texas in 1987



Welcoming the pope

If someone had told me back when I first arrived in Alaska that Pope John
Paul would one day visit beautiful Alaska in 1981, I would never have believed it ! But there I was standing with my family in the snow with a huge crowd in Anchorage that day looking in awe watching Pope John Paul II in his long white coat and bright red Vatican hat walk through the crowds,
touching children sweetly as he always does, grinning widely with his twinkling eyes.


Dog sledding with the Pope

When the Pope came to Anchorage in 1981, I decided what a better way for him to get a real sense of Alaska than to give him a ride with my sled dogs! Plans were all set to drive him on our Park Strip where he was going to be meeting with the people of Anchorage. But because of security concerns, the ride was shifted to the airport where I was to take him to his plane by dog team. Once he reached the airport, I was to drive him to his plane. When the pope appeared, I was standing at the back of the dog sled. I had the dog team harnessed and a professional dog driver standing beside each pair of dogs. After I was introduced, I had an idea: “Your holiness, would you like to drive the dogs and let me do the riding?”

He smiled quizzically and looked at the archbishop before answering. The archbishop said, “If Vaughan says its safe, it’s all right with me.”

“What must I do?” his Holiness asked.

“It’s very simple. You stand on the runners and hold these handlebars, and I’ll do the rest. You just ride along to the plane.” He stood on the back ready to go. I said, “Your holiness, there’s one thing I feel that I should tell you before we start. Two of my dogs have terrible names and I don’t want to offend you if I have to call out their names.”

He waited for a minute and said, “What are their names?”

“One is Satan and the other is Devil.” He thought a few seconds, and then he smiled. “No don’t take them out — just as long as I’m doing the driving.”

It was a rare privilege for me and I’m blessed to have had the opportunity.
—Carolyn Muegge-Vaughan



Cheered like crazy

I was lucky to see the Pontiff when he came to Chicago in the ‘70s. I excused my way up to the front about 20 blocks. When an armless man played the guitar for him, he jumped off the stage to give him a hug. We cheered like crazy. I will miss my Father.
—Vinnie Montez

[Jolie Rouge]

Secret believer

After graduating high school in 1982, my father took me on a trip to Italy and Sicily. Although my father was, and remains, a staunch atheist, I secretly did not share his views. Imagine my surprise when our stop in Rome included a visit to Vatican Square at the same time the Pope would address the crowd! As I stood under the colonnade next to some colorfully dressed Papal Guards, the Pope addressed an audience of approximately 3,000 people in Spanish, English, Latin and Polish. I listened with awe to his words, which radiated tremendous love not only in their meaning, but also in their expression. John Paul II is truly a Holy Father who takes Jesus' life and message to heart. After listening to him address the crowd, I turned and found next to me none other than a classmate and close friend from my hometown high school. Neither of us knew we would be in Rome that summer, much less right there at the Vatican. I have not seen her again since that day. But how miraculous are life's small wonders when brought together in the presence of the truly holy.
—Darling Poor, San Diego, Calif.



John Paul Two, we love you

I first saw Pope John Paul during his visit to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993. I was one of thousands of teenagers and young adults who were fortunate to celebrate mass with him. What I will treasure most is the deep sense of hope, love and confidence that I think we all felt from him. The teenage years can be a time of confusion, awkwardness and turmoil, but Pope John Paul looked on that awkwardness with love. It was really empowering to know that he believed in us as we struggled to come to terms with adult faith and our place in the world. I think the words of the familiar World Youth Day chant say it all, "John Paul Two, We love you!"
—Maggie, Baltimore, Maryland



Barb wires

I am from Lima, Peru. When I was little I didn't know much about Catholicism. I came from a catholic family, but, for some reason, was not been raised accordingly. One night in 1985, my dad took me to see the Pope as he traveled down Brasil Avenue. He had arranged to sit on top of a high building that had metal barbs surrounding it. My dad told me to watch for those barbs that the might hurt me. I was 5 years old and a little frenzied to see this man (back then I didn't quite know who he was) who everyone was so eager to see. But, I stumbled and fell directly into those barbs! I even felt a very bad sting on my right hand. I don't quite remember exactly how it happened but I felt that something pulled me out of there. Now I understand that it was the hand of God; I looked at my hand and I didn’t even have a scratch. Since then, I became interested in his life and my faith had increased incredibly.
—Giancarlo Obando, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.


Cold day, warm visit

It was dead of winter, a cold day in February 1981. My husband and I had moved from warm California to spend our young adult years living and working in Alaska. If someone had told me back when I first arrived in Alaska that Pope John Paul would one day visit beautiful Alaska, I would never have believed it. But there I was standing with my family in the snow with a huge crowd in Anchorage that day looking in awe watching Pope John Paul II in his long white coat and bright red Vatican hat walk through the crowds, touching children sweetly as he always does and waving to us all, grinning widely with his twinkling eyes. His spirit of adventure and love for people around the world brought him to us in Alaska too.
—Susan Vallejo


I gave him a rose

When the Pope came to Phoenix, Arizona, he was scheduled to say mass at Simon and Jude. Two children from each class were allowed to attend the mass. When our 1st grade teacher put all our names into the hat, I said a prayer to God that I be one of the lucky two. My name was called and to this day I'm sure that my prayer was answered. I sat in the front pew and the Pope John Paul II put his hands over me and said a prayer. I gave him a rose in return. Thank you Jesus for blessing me through your Holy Vessel.
—John Martinez, Phoenix, Ariz.


Warm smile and blessing

It was a beautiful day in June of 1978, when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited his friend, Msgr. Sypek, at St. Attlebert Church in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. As a young member of the Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston's Children's Group, I was bestowed the privilege of presenting our guest with flowers. I recall kissing his ring and, in return, received a warm smile along with his blessing. Later that year, he became our beloved Pope! What a wonderful memory I get to share with my children.
—Pamela Bogdanski, Southborough, Ma.


World Youth Day

In 2002, the Catholic Church held the World Youth Day (WYD) celebration in Toronto, Canada. I, along with all of the youths and young adults from the Sacramento Diocese, gathered there with people from around the world. The day that the Pontiff arrived was an exciting day. Everyone there was looking up to the sky to watch for his helicopter. I was so excited when I arrived at the WYD activity area to find that our group of pilgrims found a spot right up against the barricade. I was so nervous due to my hope that I would be able to get a picture that would not be blurred as the Pope drove by. I was so pleased that I was able to get several nice, clear pictures of the Pope as they drove by us and was even more excited when I got a clear one of the Pope looking in my general direction. It has been an experience that has changed my life.
—Casandra Calderon, Galt, Calif.



Heavenly feeling

I was blessed to be in the Pope presence two times. My first was in New York at the racetrack in Queens. I was so overwhelmed I felt this was Jesus on earth. The tears came down my eyes uncontrollably. The next time I was at the Vatican for the beatification of Mother Theresa. I was on the tenth row seat from the Pope's podium. It was awesome. I felt warmth, beauty and a profound feeling of oneness with all those thousands of people who were there. Being in the presence of the Pope John Paul II makes me feel heavenly. I could not believe my eyes. I was really looking at him. He is indeed a precious gift to us Catholics and to the world. Tonight, I shall look at my photo album with pictures of the Pope that I took at the Vatican and reflect upon the life of this Holy Man.
—Marie Morgan


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7359190/

[Jolie Rouge]

Pontiff's lifelong message: 'Be not afraid!'
By Steve Kloehn
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 2, 2005, 2:31 PM CST

Pope John Paul II, who changed the course of the world through faith and sheer dint of will, will be remembered as a bold pontiff who towered over his century, then led his church into a new millennium.

Shaped by his childhood in rural Poland and fired in the kiln of World War II, the young priest Karol Wojtyla rose to lead the world's largest church, striding the globe with an authority that transcended Catholicism.

Some in his own church complained that he was a throwback to an earlier kind of pope, imperial and autocratic, bent on quashing dissent. Others said he was ahead of his time, traversing the world many times over to spread his message, the first jet set pope.

But few men in any realm have ever wrestled with the leaders and movements of their eras the way Pope John Paul II did.

From Nazi Germany to Soviet communism, from consumer culture to the slide into moral relativism, Wojtyla pitted himself against each of the great forces that swept over the world during his 84 years. "Be not afraid!" he called out, in his first mass St. Peter's Basilica on Oct. 22, 1978. Those were among the first words he spoke to the world as pontiff, and they became a refrain in each of his 104 trips abroad, in each of his 14 encyclicals and more than 60 other major papal documents.

"Be not afraid!"--part command, part prayer--became the driving force of his 26-year papacy, an epic reign that energized and polarized the Roman Catholic Church.

He stared down dictators and clamped down on critics. He was credited with toppling the totalitarian government of his native Poland in 1989, leading to the fall of communist Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

He was blamed for alienating women and liberal Catholics in the West with rigid stances against women in the priesthood, abortion, birth control and homosexuality. Church insiders chafed against the growing power of the Vatican during his pontificate, and a narrowing of debate.

He made new efforts to reach out to Orthodox Christians, Jews and Muslims, and he went out of his way to forgive the man who shot and almost killed him in 1981.

His ill health did take a toll on his work. Insiders say that in his last years, the pope focused only on those tasks he felt central to spreading the Gospel, while delegating the governance of the church to aides. That withdrawal led to confusion on some doctrinal issues and left the pope a virtual bystander during the crippling sexual abuse crisis faced by the Catholic Church in the United States.

But for most of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II embodied the power and tradition of Catholicism at a time when the institutions and influence of the church were in flux. Some of his best work carried the essence of the church's titans--the searing clarity of Aquinas, the mysticism of St. John of the Cross--freshening their ancient messages for 1 billion Catholics from Africa to India to Latin America.

He never let his followers forget that he was human. As scandalized aides looked on, the muscular, mountain-climbing pope of the early years would sometimes clown around, pantomiming that he was watching a crowd through binoculars, or donning a sombrero as he did in his first trip to Mexico in 1979.

The bent figure of the final years showed his humanity in other ways. One cardinal marveled at the pope's willingness to display his infirmities to the world, preferring that the world see a pontiff who might drool or lose his voice midsentence to a pope who withdrew to the privacy of his Vatican palace.

In the opening lines of "Crossing the Threshold of Hope," the 1994 book-length interview that became perhaps the first international best seller penned by a pope, he paused to note his own sinfulness, his feeling of unworthiness of God's love. "Every man has learned it. Every successor to Peter has learned it. I learned it very well," he said. "Of what should we not be afraid? We should not fear the truth about ourselves."



Karol Wojtyla was born in 1920 in the small agricultural town of Wadowice, Poland.

His father, a lieutenant and clerk in the Polish army, was 40 at the time; his mother was 36. His only brother was 13. They were devout Catholics, especially his mother, who wanted young "Lolek," as she called Karol, to become a priest someday.

But his mother was sickly from the time he was born and died when Karol was 8. Karol's older brother, a young doctor he greatly admired, died just three years later, and his father was dead when Karol was 20.

By then, death was all around him. The Nazis had invaded Poland two years earlier, and Wojtyla did forced labor in a quarry and later a chemical factory. At one point during the war, he was struck by a German army truck, an event that was never clearly determined to be accidental or intentional.

Amid that horror, Wojtyla found a secret life, as an actor in an underground theater group and in a budding spirituality that drew him to illegal prayer meetings. Both callings tugged at him.

In 1942, he surprised his friends by saying that the choice had been made for him: He would be a priest.

On Nov. 1, 1946, Wojtyla was ordained a priest of the archdiocese of Krakow. He spent the next two years in Rome, earning a doctorate in theology, before he returned to Poland to work as a pastor. He began in a small farming parish and then moved to a university parish, where his love and talent for working with young people became legend.

He also continued studying, eventually becoming a faculty member in theology at the university.

When Krakow's archbishop died in 1962, Wojtyla became the temporary head of the archdiocese, just in time to give him a seat at the formative event of 20th Century Catholicism, the Second Vatican Council. In time, he became the spokesman for the 10 Polish bishops at the council.

When it came time to appoint a new archbishop of Krakow, Poland's communist officials--who had tacit veto power-- ignored the list of candidates provided by Poland's ranking hierarch, Cardinal Stefan Wys***ski. They dismissed the second list the cardinal submitted. And then they suggested the politically detached intellectual serving temporarily as bishop--Wojtyla--believing he would be easier to manipulate.

Eventually, Wys***ski gave in, and Wojtyla was appointed archbishop of Krakow in January 1964. The young archbishop--who quickly gained the attention of Pope Paul VI with writings following Vatican II and work on the pope's special commission on birth control--was elevated to cardinal in 1967.

Even with that quick rise to power, only a few people have ever been brave enough to claim that they believed Wojtyla would become pope at all, let alone so soon.

The conclave that elected Pope John Paul I in 1978 took just four ballots to find a man who satisfied the cardinals, a man seen as more pastoral than ideological. But his death, after just one month in the Vatican, left the cardinals in a much more difficult position.

It was a given that the next pope would be Italian--it had been more than 400 years since a non-Italian had been made the bishop of Rome--but there was a sharp split between two Italian factions.

As the cardinals began to search for a way around that disagreement, one name began to be mentioned more and more frequently: Cardinal Wojtyla, a relative unknown and very young at 58, but bright and winning. At a time when the church in the West was divided and dispirited, Wojtyla had brought vigor and growth to a church under communist repression.

On Oct. 16, 1978, the college of cardinals chose Wojtyla to be pope, and he, in turn, chose the name John Paul II, in homage to his predecessor.


(continues)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/na/chi-deathofpope.story

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope John Paul II quickly became known as one of the most approachable popes in history. Soon after he became pope, he officiated at a marriage ceremony for two "commoners" simply because they had asked him.

He made Vatican history on Good Friday in 1980 by putting on a regular priest's vestments and hearing worshipers' confessions for more than an hour and a half.

In one of his first public appearances as pope, he pushed his bodyguards aside, saying, "I don't want gorillas around. I know how to defend myself."

His security team's worst fears materialized on May 13, 1981, when a convicted murderer from Turkey, already on the run, lunged out of the crowd that had gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly general audience, and shot the pope twice, bringing him to the brink of death.

For years, investigators tried to find out whether Mehmet Ali Agca was part of a larger conspiracy against the pope, perhaps one inspired by Eastern European communists who feared--rightly--the effect of Pope John Paul II's calls for freedom and human dignity. No link was ever proved.

The pope focused his attention instead on learning from his suffering, and forgiving his attacker. On Dec. 27, 1983, the pope visited Agca in a Roman prison for 20 minutes. At the end, the pope once again offered the gunman his forgiveness, and Agca dropped to his knees, kissing the pope's hand.

Even more than his personal style, the aspect of Pope John Paul II's papacy that stood out most clearly from his predecessors was his visibility around the world.

He made 104 trips outside Italy, more than 150 within Italy, and personally visited almost all of Rome's 334 parishes.

One of his first trips abroad, in the autumn of 1979, brought the pope to Chicago. He was the first pope to visit Chicago, but it was his third trip to the city, where he had courted the huge and loyal Polish population on two previous visits as bishop and archbishop. They turned out in droves for his papal visit, lining Milwaukee Avenue and cheering wildly.

To the rest of Chicago's Catholic population, and indeed most of the world, the new pope was something of a mystery. But Chicagoans turned out in force nonetheless, filling Grant Park with hundreds of thousands of worshippers for the papal mass.

The pope traced his tireless appetite for travel to an experience he had on his first trip abroad as pontiff, a visit to Mexico in 1979.

At the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he spent more than an hour praying before the dark-skinned image of the Virgin Mary that is said to have had a profound impact in the conversion of Latin America during the 16th and 17th Centuries.

There, the pope later said, he had an epiphany, suddenly understanding that it was his mission to become the pilgrim pope, bringing the word of God to people around the world.

The pope made it one of his first imperatives to visit his homeland. Though Poland had been for centuries one of Europe's most devoutly Catholic countries, no pope had ever been there. Nor had any pope ever traveled to a communist country.

In June 1979, the pope arrived in Poland for what would turn out to be nine days of jubilation unlike anything the nation had ever known.

The homecoming carried strong undercurrents of pre-communist patriotism and genuine workers' movements that would challenge the ideology of the government.

More than a million people came to see him in Krakow. It was a turning point in Polish history, one recognized not only in the throngs, but in a disturbed Kremlin as well.

The fire ignited during that visit flared up here and there in the months that followed, most notably in the shipyard labor strikes that were led by workers carrying posters of the pope. From Rome, the pope supported the strikes, sending public and private messages.

So when the pope returned to his homeland in 1983, both the communists and the pope knew that it would be more than a simple, pastoral visit.

The late auxiliary Bishop Alfred Abramowicz of Chicago traveled with him. Near every stop, Abramowicz recalled, the communist government of Poland had mobilized tank battalions, ready to move in and crush anything that looked like a threat to government control. Crowds gathered in dangerous numbers.

The pope never blinked.

"He was a man who identified himself with the peasant, with the scholar, with the artist. You name it, he was intimately interested in these people. He became one with them," Abramowicz remembered in 1999.

"His talks were bold, almost revolutionary, and yet he controlled the crowds completely. There was no violence, no uprising. It was more like a strengthening of convictions."

In the years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, journalists and scholars have debated just what role the pope played in the demise of Soviet communism.

Most have argued his biggest influence on the political situation was through his uncompromising, theologically based preaching for a society that would put human beings first, giving them the freedom of worship, speech and thought.

"I believe he was absolutely central to [the fall of communism] ... central to why it happened in the 1980s, and why it happened non-violently," said George Weigel, a Catholic scholar in Washington who was granted more than two years of regular interviews with the pope in preparation for the 1999 biography "Witness to Hope."

The pope, Weigel said, saw his own role in Poland as "a spark in a tinderbox," lighting the intellectual fire that kept the social labor movement Solidarity alive through years of vicious suppression.

Pope John Paul II tried to provide that spark wherever he encountered oppressive governmental regimes, from Chile to Haiti, the Philippines to Nigeria. Seldom did he point fingers or explicitly side with political factions; he was careful not to embarrass his hosts or provoke a government backlash that would further harm the people.

But starting from Gospel passages and church teachings, his speeches and homilies would hold up an ideal of life in which governments served people, not vice versa.

Through his trips abroad, covering more than 720,000 miles, the prevailing mood was one of euphoria and adoration.

But some observers worried that the enthusiastic greetings the pope received had more to do with celebrity worship than with any particular devotion to the message he was carrying.

"The real question one has to ask is: What kind of lasting effects do these trips have? Is there any evidence that his visits have a lasting effect on the local churches?" said Richard McBrien, a theologian and papal scholar at the University of Notre Dame.

If it is difficult to estimate the lasting effects of a pope's personal presence, there is little doubt that his teaching has shaped the church for generations to come.

By volume alone, his writing is bound to wield influence over a wide swath of issues that face the church. He wrote 14 encyclicals, the highest form of papal discourse, along with 13 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 42 apostolic letters, hundreds of more minor documents and several popular books.

Like his prayer life, writing was a discipline he practiced rigorously, devoting hours each morning to working on whatever project was at hand.

In one encyclical, "The Splendor of Truth," the pope made an impassioned argument against the moral and metaphysical relativism that has seeped through modern culture.

In another encyclical, he put the church's traditional teachings on wealth and work into a modern context in which capitalism has triumphed while globalization undermines the most basic assumptions people have about their livelihoods.

Lesser works have included a landmark apology to Jews, including a controversial discussion of the role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust; a letter that emphatically declared that women cannot be priests; and others touching on the nature of Catholic colleges, war and peace, the future of the church in Africa.

Perhaps his most ambitious piece was "Faith and Reason," an encyclical released in the fall of 1998, on the eve of his 20th anniversary as pope.

In more than 100 pages of complex but lucid reasoning, the pope makes the case for why religion is not only possible, but a necessary response to scientific advancement, post-modern doubt about the nature of truth, and all that has transformed human attitudes in the 20th Century.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...athofpope.story


((continues))

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope John Paul II thought often about the new millennium, more often as it approached.

He declared 2000 a Jubilee year, in which Catholics could earn indulgences by making pilgrimages to the holiest sites of the faith.

He also saw 2000 as a time to look beyond Roman Catholicism. He put special emphasis on mending relations with Orthodox Christians, making his first visit to an Orthodox nation, Romania, in 1999. He also made major overtures to other Christians, Jews and Muslims.

The heart of the Jubilee, and one of the crowning moments of his papacy, was a series of trips retracing the story of Christian faith. While political difficulties prevented a proposed trip to a site believed to be the ancient city of Ur, in modern Iraq, the pope traveled in February 2000 to Egypt, to walk in the footsteps of Moses.

In March 2000, he traveled to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, his first visit there as pope and only the second papal visit to the Holy Land.

Two events in Jerusalem cemented his bond with the Jewish people. First, the pope went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, where he prayed and met with survivors. Then, on his last day, he went to the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism. , There, the pontiff bent his head near the pitted stone and prayed silently before leaving a small written prayer stuffed into a crack in the wall, surrounded by the thousands of notes and prayers Jews leave there every day.

Only briefly did that triumphant journey silence the growing hubbub about the pope's health, however.

For more than a decade he had been troubled by symptoms that appeared to observers to indicate a form of Parkinson's disease. By the last few years, he had been bent into a permanent hunch, his walk reduced to a shuffle and his hands beset by tremors. The syndrome also slurred his speech and limited the expressions of his once-lively face.

Still, the journey continued.

In October 2003, he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his pontificate. Even as Vatican officials sought to extol the virtues of the pontificate, the pope shifted attention away from himself by choosing to beatify Mother Teresa the same weekend, pushing a contemporary and kindred spirit on the fast track to sainthood. By March 2004, his pontificate was longer than all except Pius IX's 31 years and St. Peter's estimated 34 years at the helm of the church.

The pope often referred to his approaching death. But almost always he said it with a smile and with a window held open by his unshakeable faith in God.

In 1999, after a crowd of Poles wished him 100 years of life, he joked, "Don't set limits on divine providence!" And as so many times before, hundreds of thousands of adoring followers broke out into joyous cheers.



http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...athofpope.story

[janelle]

I can't help it. Do you think he knows the truth about Mary Magdalen yet? Do Popes go to purgatory like everyone else or do they get a direct ticket?

Go ahead and think this is disrepectful, but it's a little hard to feal sorry for someone who could be dining at Jesus table as I type. :)

And the truth would be? It's a FICTIONAL novel---the author said so.

If the Pope had any stain of sin on his soul he would go to Purgatory but from my guess Pope John Paul was such a holy man if he did go to Purgatory it was for a walk through. He suffered for so long and offered up his suffering to save the poor souls in Purgatory that he got many into heaven, I'm sure. I don't think anyone has to worry about the soul of this dear man of God.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

May He Travel Gently.

regardless of faith and personal belief...he was A Good Man

[justme23]

He got many in to Heaven? The pope gets to negotiate such things w/ Jesus? I thought salvation could only be decided (through actions) by the individual.

I know he was a great man... at least, historically speaking for everyone in the world (whether Catholic or not) and I have great respect for the things he's done... but I just don't understand how he can be held up almost on the same pedastal as Jesus... my husband was brought up Catholic and even he can't explain it to me... can someone explain it please? I really do not mean any disrespect here... I am genuinely curious about how it works for ppl who follow the Catholic belief.

[Jolie Rouge]

World mourns as pope’s body lies in state
Cardinals meet Monday to set funeral date
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 9:57 p.m. ET April 3, 2005


http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050403/050403_pope_main_hlrg_7a.hlarge.jpg
Gianni Giansanti / Pool via Getty Images
Cardinals and bishops pray by the body of Pope John Paul II in Clementine Hall on Sunday

VATICAN CITY - Finally at rest after years of debilitating disease, Pope John Paul II’s body lay in state Sunday, his hands clutching a rosary, his pastoral staff under his arm. Millions prayed and wept at services across the globe, as the Vatican prepared for the ritual-filled funeral and conclave that will choose a successor.

Vatican television gave the world its first glimpse of the late pontiff since his last public appearance Wednesday, his body dressed in crimson vestments, his head covered with a white bishop’s miter.

In the Apostolic Palace’s Clementine Hall, two Swiss guards stood at attention on either side of the pope’s body, which was placed in front of a fireplace adorned with the Vatican coat of arms, a crucifix at one side and an ornate candle burning on the other.

Outside, in St. Peter's square, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, celebrated a Mass for the repose of the pope's soul, calling on the faithful to pray for "our beloved John Paul."

An estimated 100,000 people turned out for the Mass and thousands more — tourists, Romans, young and old — kept coming throughout the day, filling the broad boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Basilica. They clutched rosaries and newspaper photos of the late pontiff as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder in prayer. “Even if we fear we’ve lost a point of reference, I feel like everybody in this square is united with him in a hug,” said Luca Ghizzardi, a 38-year-old nurse with a sleeping bag and a handmade peace flag at his feet.

Setting date for a funeral

The pontiff’s body was displayed Sunday for officials of the Roman Curia, authorities and the diplomatic corps.

His body will be moved to St. Peter's Basilica on Monday afternoon for public viewing, and Rome was preparing for up to 2 million pilgrims to pay their respects or attend John Paul's funeral.

The city was arranging security measures, as well as thousands of beds, water supplies, medical assistance and bus shuttles. “For us, it will be an extraordinary challenge,” Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said Sunday.

The exacting timing of the pope's funeral had yet to be decided, but it must be held between Wednesday and Friday. The College of Cardinals was to choose a day on Monday morning in its first gathering before a secret election to be held later this month to choose a new pope.

The Vatican has declined to say whether John Paul left instructions for his funeral or burial. Most popes in recent centuries have asked to be buried in the crypts below St. Peter’s Basilica, but some have suggested the first Polish-born pope might have chosen to be laid to rest in his native country.

John Paul died Saturday evening at 84 after suffering heart and kidney failure following two hospitalizations in as many months.

The Vatican released the pontiff’s official death certificate Sunday, saying he died of septic shock and an irreversible cardio-circulatory collapse and listing the ailments he suffered from, including the official acknowledgment that the pope had Parkinson’s disease.

Golden pillows

In Clementine Hall, John Paul’s head rested on several golden pillows, and a rosary was placed in his folded hands. His pastoral staff was tucked under his left arm. His feet were clad in soft brown leather shoes, the same kind of shoes he almost always wore even in major ceremonies.

The hall is a large, 17th-century salon covered by frescoes and located near the papal apartment where John Paul died. He often used the hall for audiences with world leaders.

A colossal chandelier with a green patina hangs from the center of the rounded ceiling, which includes images of angels reaching for the Holy Spirit represented as a white dove.

Prelates and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi were among those who stood in line to pay their respects. John Paul’s longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, sat in prayer in a pew and then greeted prelates and dignitaries. At times he was seen wiping tears from his eyes.

The top Vatican officials in attendance included the close papal aide Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, American Cardinal Edmund Szoka, Polish nuns and the pontiff’s personal doctor. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the late pope’s vicar for Rome, prayed on his knees by the pope’s body.

The Vatican Swiss Guards also lined up to pay their respects, removing their plumed helmets before kneeling and praying before the pope’s body.

A brilliant light’

“Our Holy Father looks very much at peace. It was very satisfying for all of us to see him so serene,” Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles said after visiting the room where the pope’s body lay in state.

The pope died very serenely Saturday evening, “like Jesus,” he said.

The Vatican said the ancient ritual of the confirmation of the death and the certification of death was carried out at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

In the past, the ritual had involved tapping the pope’s head three times with a silver hammer, but the last version of the official Vatican document outlining the procedures does not mention the silver hammer, saying only that the camerlengo “must officially ascertain the pope’s death.”


Mass in the Square

Cardinal Sodano's Mass was marked again and again by applause for a pope he called "our beloved John Paul II, who for 27 years guided the universal church as the successor of Peter.”

The written text of Sodano's homily called the pontiff "John Paul the Great," a title usually designated for popes worthy of sainthood, such as Gregory the Great and Leo the Great. But Sodano didn't use the title when he delivered the homily, and there was no explanation. “It's true," Sodano said, "our soul is shocked by a painful event: Our father and pastor, John Paul II, has left us. However ... he has always invited us to look to Christ, the only reason for our hope.”

The Mass began with a solemn parade of the College of Cardinals down the steps of the basilica as a choir sang. Each cardinal, dressed in a flowing white robe with a golden cross on the chest, kissed the altar before taking his seat.

Pilgrims jammed the piazza and the Via della Conciliazione boulevard leading toward it, coming from every direction. Some walked their dogs, others lifted small children up on their shoulders to see better. Still others carried rosaries or the flags of their country. Many were the red and white colors from John Paul's native Poland.

Police said about 80,000 people attended Mass, with about 20,000 more spilling into the surrounding boulevards. Around the Vatican, bike riders in spandex and sleek helmets stopped to peer past the colonnades at the crowd. First aid staff readied stretchers, and sniffer dogs checked trash cans. Guides holding up umbrellas led tourists to the square’s edge.

Emergency health services said late Sunday that they were called to assist the faithful in St. Peter’s Square 115 times during the day. Most of the injuries were cuts and broken bones from people who had fallen or fainted. Three of the cases were life threatening, officials said.

First-aid stations and ambulances lined the avenue in case any of the pilgrims needed help.

Before the Mass started, pilgrims watched four large screens placed about the square to allow the throngs who couldn't see the altar to follow the proceedings. Each time the camera narrowed in on someone holding up an image of the pope, people burst into applause.

Sadness and joy

"It's a historic event," said Ercole Ferri, a 72-year-old Roman who proudly showed off a list of the six popes he has lived through. "It's not something sad for me. I think of all that he has done."




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3305285

[Jolie Rouge]

I know he was a great man... at least, historically speaking for everyone in the world (whether Catholic or not) and I have great respect for the things he's done... but I just don't understand how he can be held up almost on the same pedastal as Jesus... my husband was brought up Catholic and even he can't explain it to me... can someone explain it please? I really do not mean any disrespect here... I am genuinely curious about how it works for ppl who follow the Catholic belief.


He was the closest thing to a saint that most of us have ever had a chance to meet .... okaay Mother Teresa.

I don't think he is being held up "on the same pedastal as Jesus" - but most of us never got to hear Christ speak with our own ears, or shake his hand. Pope John Paul II was an example for us to follow - love your enemy ( the man who tried to assainate him in '81 sent letters praying for John Paul's recovery, China ( which does not recognise the Vatican ) sent telegrams of support. John Paul strove to improve the Human Condition all over the world, not just for the Catholics he represented; but for all mankind whatever their race, faith, or locale.

He truly showed what a difference ONE GOOD MAN can make in the world. One poor Polish boy - survived the Nazi's, fought the Communists; and still taught that the power of love and faith will triumph.




April 2, 2005

Pope John Paul II: 1920-2005
( -- Keith Olbermann )

As Sunday begins in the Eternal City, the Last day of Easter Week, preparations for his passing have long since been solemnly and mournfully enacted. Transportation increased, and secular activities decreased. Cardinals are heading to Rome.

But he who lived through the Nazi work-camps...

And recovered when run down by a truck 62 years ago...

Who outlasted the Communists...

Who survived an assassin's bullets...

Shrugged off a tumor...

A man who did not succumb to Parkinson's disease...

And who, when he could no longer get himself down to kiss the ground, simply had them bring the ground up...

A survivor of all — still survived, even at the end.

We were told he had but hours left.
That was one whole day, and one brilliant St. Peter's sunrise ago.

Serene and ready he may have been.

But he did not — in the words of the poet — go gentle into that good night. The fight is at an end, but its story will be told for centuries.

And there will be another brilliant St. Peter's sunrise.

Pope John Paul II: 1920-2005.

[Jolie Rouge]

The Life of a Pope

In the end, says a NEWSWEEK reporter who covered the pontiff for years, John Paul II will go down in history as one of the greatest popes ever. But he left serious issues to his successor to resolve—issues he wasn’t willing to even discuss.

By Andrew Nagorski


In the summer of 1981 when I was posted in Moscow for NEWSWEEK, Solidarity was riding the crest of a euphoric wave in neighboring Poland. The free trade union had been operating openly for a full year, and the country was flooded with the dissident labor union's banners, pins, stickers and other mementos, including those that celebrated the pride of Poland, Pope John Paul II.

The communist authorities would abruptly change course a few months later, declaring martial law and outlawing Solidarity. But those fair days were still a period when seemingly everything was possible, everything was permissible.

That summer my wife, Christina, who grew up in Poland, was returning from a visit there with our three children. I drove out to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and waited for them to arrive on a flight that was delayed and didn't land until midnight. I could see that our children, especially 1-year-old Adam, were exhausted as Christina maneuvered them and the luggage through the long customs line. To my relief, the customs officer, a young woman, saw what kind of shape they were in and began waving Christina's suitcases through without inspecting them. She allowed me to take the children and put them into the car. When I returned, Christina was all set to go, but at the last minute the customs officer asked her to open her purse. When Christina did so, the woman's face suddenly colored as she plucked out a key chain with a picture of Pope John Paul II and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. "Oh, no, this won't pass," she sputtered. "Bring back everything." For the next three hours as the children slept in the car, she methodically searched every piece of luggage. And she refused to return the key chain.

A year later, I was expelled by the Soviet authorities from Moscow because of their unhappiness over some of my reporting, and I was assigned to Rome, where I began covering the pope, regularly traveling with him on his many foreign trips. But for me, what happened that night at Moscow's airport remains as one of the most revealing incidents that I witnessed, a minor moment that said so much about the power of John Paul II. It demonstrated the fear that the Polish pope inspired in the Soviet Union, even at a time when the old guard still appeared firmly in command—and almost no one could envisage the collapse of communism that would begin in Poland by the end of the decade and quickly bring the entire system crashing down with it.

But looking at events from their perspective, the Soviet authorities were absolutely right to fear that key chain featuring John Paul and Lech Walesa. Any assessment of this pope's place in the history of the church and of the last century will note that he helped trigger the incredible sequence of events that would bring about the implosion of the Soviet empire and its totalitarian system. With John Paul now gone, the summing up of his pontificate is already underway, his accomplishments and shortcomings are being hotly debated. Let me be blunt about my own preliminary judgment. I'm convinced John Paul II will go down in history as one of the greatest popes ever, one whose intense spirituality, intellectual brilliance and sheer physical stamina are beyond dispute. I'm also convinced that he has left some extremely difficult issues to his successor—issues he never confronted and wasn't willing to open up for serious discussion.



It's hard to overstate John Paul's impact, reach and visibility. Consider the fact that his constant travels, which took him to more than 100 countries, meant that he logged the equivalent of three times the distance between the earth and the moon. Those of us who accompanied him, riding in what would be the economy class of the chartered papal plane, often felt as if we were part of an endless marathon, and our biggest challenge was just to keep up. On long stretches in the air, we couldn't tune out completely since we had to be prepared with the right question in case the pope made one of his walkabouts through our section. John Paul, who spoke an amazing array of languages with varying degrees of proficiency, had the daunting habit of answering questions in whatever language the questioner used.

There were also the slightly surrealistic moments, particularly when local carriers were used as the papal plane instead of Alitalia, which usually provided this service. Richard Roth of CBS recalls a ride on an Air Gabon charter where the pilot announced: "Your Holiness, Eminences, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, the duty-free shop is now open."


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3760688/site/newsweek/

(( This article is several pages - with pictures - I may C&P the rest tommorow. It is very good and may explain the depth of the devotion many felt for this particular Pope. ))

[justme23]

I know all the good he did... that wasn't the question I asked...

My question was based on the 'I'm sure he got many ppl in to heaven' comment... as if he has a direct phone line and can negotiate such things... it indeed makes it seem as if he is held on almost the same pedastal as Jesus.

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope Gunman Grief-Stricken Over John Paul's Death

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, who gravely wounded Pope John Paul in a failed assassination attempt in 1981, was grief-stricken over the Pontiff's death, Agca's brother said Sunday.

Agca, now in an Istanbul prison, was mourning the loss of "a great friend," the gunman's brother Adnan Agca told Reuters. "He is extremely saddened, he is in grief. He loved the Pope," said Adnan Agca. "They developed a personal friendship while Mehmet Ali was (imprisoned) in Italy, and they had announced their brotherhood.

"The Pope showed my brother and the rest of our family closeness. He was a great man," Adnan Agca said, adding he and his mother were received by the Pope six times at the Vatican over the years.

The Pope forgave his assailant during a meeting in his Italian prison cell in 1983, two years after Agca shot the Pope in the abdomen during a general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Many have hailed the Pope's reconciliation with Agca as an example of the Christian principle of forgiveness.


Agca was extradited to Turkey in 2000 to serve a sentence for other crimes after spending 19 years in an Italian prison for the shooting.

Over the years, Agca has given conflicting reasons for his attempt on the Pontiff's life, including allegations of a conspiracy with Bulgaria's communist-era secret services and the Soviet KGB, who feared the Polish-born Pope would stir anti-communist revolt in Eastern Europe.



04/03/05 07:57

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0002%2F20050403%2F0757728642.htm&photoid=19990314NYP136&ewp=ewp_news_0405pope_gunman

[Jolie Rouge]

I know all the good he did... that wasn't the question I asked...

My question was based on the 'I'm sure he got many ppl in to heaven' comment... as if he has a direct phone line and can negotiate such things... it indeed makes it seem as if he is held on almost the same pedastal as Jesus.

Ah - theology not history ....

One of the teachings of the Catholic Church - akin to the Medievel tradition of "indulgences" - is that a person ( any person ) can offer up their suffering thru prayer for the benefit of others. It is taught that you can pray for those in Purgortory to ease their torment; you may offer up penances as well.

Anyone may do so, it is a way to feel that you are helping others, it may also allow you to feel that you are helping someone in a situation that you ( or they ) have no control over ( ie: illness )

It is not that Pope John Paul II is set up on a pedestal, he was setting an example - one that any of us can follow.


Does that help ?

It is as if he placed a candle in the window, to lead the lost travelers home ... the Light of Christ ... John Paul just helped people to find Him.

[YNKYH8R]

The only thing that sets John Paul, George Bush, and me apart is title. What is a Pope without followers; nothing? What is a President without supporters; nothing? What is a God without worshipers; nothing? The Pope may have done some good things for humanity; does that make him a good person? How many Cardinals can say that behind closed doors the Pope was a real jerk? None of it matters, we are all self important and made important by others. Princess Diana was great, in some circles, but the world didn’t take notice until she wasn’t there. The same can be said for the Pope, or anyone for that matter. The power is with us, not with who we follow or admire.

Jolie what’s with the title change? Are you going to let us in on the secret?

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope's Mystery Cardinal Could Be Revealed
1 hour, 25 minutes ago
By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer

VATICAN CITY - What happens to the mystery cardinal the late Pope John Paul II selected in 2003 but never publicly identified?

Will the world ever find out who was picked?

Vatican watchers wondered Monday whether there was still a way in accordance with Church law for this unidentified "prince of the Church" to take his place among the cardinals and, if he is young enough, vote for the new pope.

When John Paul created new cardinals in 2003, he announced that he was keeping one name secret, or "in pectore," meaning "in the heart." This is a formula that has been used when the pope wants to name a cardinal in a country where the church is oppressed.

Vatican watchers have speculated that the prelate could be from China, where only a state-sanctioned church is recognized. But Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, 65, John Paul's longtime private secretary who was at his bedside when he died, has also been mentioned as the possible secret cardinal.

The Rev. James Conn, a professor of canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, said that if John Paul identified the man in writing in some authenticated document before he died, the man would be a cardinal. "I think that any means of publishing the name of the cardinal that was previously not revealed, including in some testimonial that was authenticated, would be acceptable," Conn said.

Canon law says only that the pope has to make his name public. But it doesn't say whether that has to be done orally, he said.

Once the name is made public, the cardinal "is bound by the same duties and possesses the same rights" of the other cardinals, including the right to vote for a new pope if he is younger than 80, canon law says.

There are now 117 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave to elect John Paul's successor.

John Paul has named three other "in pectore" cardinals whose names were later revealed, including Marian Jaworski, archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine, for Catholics who follow the Latin rite, and Janis Pujats of Riga, Latvia. Both Ukraine and Latvia formerly belonged to the officially atheist Soviet Union.

The third was Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei, an elderly Chinese bishop who spent 30 years in Chinese prisons for defying attempts by China's communist government to control Roman Catholics through the state-run church. While in prison in 1979, he was named "in pectore" by John Paul in the first group of cardinals named by the pontiff. His name was made public in 1991, nine years before he died in Connecticut at the age of 98.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=2357&e=2&u=/ap/20050404/ap_on_re_eu/pope_mystery_cardinal

[Jolie Rouge]

Jolie what’s with the title change? Are you going to let us in on the secret?

Actually, I just went back to my "old" title; during the campaign I got tired of people telling me to keep quiet ... the title change at that time refected my opinion of *that* :p

[YNKYH8R]

Actually, I just went back to my "old" title; during the campaign I got tired of people telling me to keep quiet ... the title change at that time refected my opinion of *that* :p
What's C & P?

[Jolie Rouge]

What's C & P?

bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa ......

[janelle]

OH Y you are such a cynical young man. LOL I would explain but only age will help some people with what they do not understand.

Any of us can help people get into heaven by our examples and prayers. It can turn their lives around and instead of going down the road to distruction they change and start living productive loving lives.

This is the Pope's main service in life--to lead by being a good example just as Christ did. No Pope would say they are equal to God. They are Christ's representive here on earth, the leader of representatives, We are also to help other by example so we are all the same when you think about it.

[YankeeMary]

OH Y you are such a cynical young man. LOL I would explain but only age will help some people with what they do not understand.

Any of us can help people get into heaven by our examples and prayers. It can turn their lives around and instead of going down the road to distruction they change and start living productive loving lives.

This is the Pope's main service in life--to lead by being a good example just as Christ did. No Pope would say they are equal to God. They are Christ's representive here on earth, the leader of representatives, We are also to help other by example so we are all the same when you think about it.
Adam this is only true to certain religions. I (IMO) do not believe I can pray you into Heaven, for that matter I do not believe in purgetory (SP). I believe Ican pray that one day the you will allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be your savior and I can pray for your family, but only you can get yourself into Heaven by admitting that Jesus died for your sins and you ask him into your heart and forgive you for your sins. I am not saying that my ways are right and that the Catholics are wrong, I am just saying that I believe differently. I am responsible for my sins, no one else!
I do not agree at all with people calling the Pope the Holy Father. Jesus is my Holy Father. Again, I am not saying they are wrong. As far as being a representative on earth, I am one. I represent my Lord and I am not a Pope. The Bible says to live like Jesus, by doing so you are setting an example for others (IE: representative).

[cleaningla]

Adam this is only true to certain religions. I (IMO) do not believe I can pray you into Heaven, for that matter I do not believe in purgetory (SP). I believe Ican pray that one day the you will allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be your savior and I can pray for your family, but only you can get yourself into Heaven by admitting that Jesus died for your sins and you ask him into your heart and forgive you for your sins. I am not saying that my ways are right and that the Catholics are wrong, I am just saying that I believe differently. I am responsible for my sins, no one else!
I do not agree at all with people calling the Pope the Holy Father. Jesus is my Holy Father. Again, I am not saying they are wrong. As far as being a representative on earth, I am one. I represent my Lord and I am not a Pope. The Bible says to live like Jesus, by doing so you are setting an example for others (IE: representative).

I've never heard Jesus refered to as the Holy Father. God is the father and Jesus is the son. Sorry, just never heard any refer to him that way.

[YankeeMary]

I've never heard Jesus refered to as the Holy Father. God is the father and Jesus is the son. Sorry, just never heard any refer to him that way.
You are right. God is the Father. Jesus is the son. But through Jesus we speak to the Father. I was trying to set up an example type thingie and apparently I failed miserably..lol..thanks for pointing that out, its truly appreciated.

[Victorious]

Adam this is only true to certain religions. I (IMO) do not believe I can pray you into Heaven, for that matter I do not believe in purgetory (SP). I believe Ican pray that one day the you will allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be your savior and I can pray for your family, but only you can get yourself into Heaven by admitting that Jesus died for your sins and you ask him into your heart and forgive you for your sins. I am not saying that my ways are right and that the Catholics are wrong, I am just saying that I believe differently. I am responsible for my sins, no one else!
I do not agree at all with people calling the Pope the Holy Father. Jesus is my Holy Father. Again, I am not saying they are wrong. As far as being a representative on earth, I am one. I represent my Lord and I am not a Pope. The Bible says to live like Jesus, by doing so you are setting an example for others (IE: representative).


I think you did a great job. It's also what I believe as well. (God is Jesus and Jesus is God so that would make him the Holy Father to me.)

[YankeeMary]

I think you did a great job. It's also what I believe as well. (God is Jesus and Jesus is God so that would make him the Holy Father to me.)
Thank you, but I was trying to show something and I didn't accomplish it...wish I could add a voice message...lol.

[Victorious]

Thank you, but I was trying to show something and I didn't accomplish it...wish I could add a voice message...lol.


I hear that!

I just wanted to let you know as a Christian I understood what you were saying. :) Sometimes it's hard to explain. :)

[Jolie Rouge]

I do not agree at all with people calling the Pope the Holy Father.

As Catholics, we refer to our priests as "Father _ _ _ _" -- Father Mark; Father Liebst; Father O'Reilly ect. The Pope, as the leader of the Church and the boss of all the priests is called the "Holy Father"

[Victorious]

As Catholics, we refer to our priests as "Father _ _ _ _" -- Father Mark; Father Liebst; Father O'Reilly ect. The Pope, as the leader of the Church and the boss of all the priests is called the "Holy Father"

Ahh never thought about that. :) Thanks Jolie

[YNKYH8R]

OH Y you are such a cynical young man. LOL I would explain but only age will help some people with what they do not understand.

Any of us can help people get into heaven by our examples and prayers. It can turn their lives around and instead of going down the road to distruction they change and start living productive loving lives.

This is the Pope's main service in life--to lead by being a good example just as Christ did. No Pope would say they are equal to God. They are Christ's representive here on earth, the leader of representatives, We are also to help other by example so we are all the same when you think about it.
What are you talking about? Are you talking about Jolie's title or something else? I want to say your talking about something else because the following posts by other people are talking to me about being saved and going to heaven, so......I'm kind of lost as to where this conversation is going. LOL!

[Jolie Rouge]

The only thing that sets John Paul, George Bush, and me apart is title.

What is a Pope without followers; nothing?

What is a President without supporters; nothing?

What is a God without worshipers; nothing?

The Pope may have done some good things for humanity; does that make him a good person?

How many Cardinals can say that behind closed doors the Pope was a real jerk?

None of it matters, we are all self important and made important by others. Princess Diana was great, in some circles, but the world didn’t take notice until she wasn’t there. The same can be said for the Pope, or anyone for that matter. The power is with us, not with who we follow or admire.



OH Y you are such a cynical young man. LOL I would explain but only age will help some people with what they do not understand.

Any of us can help people get into heaven by our examples and prayers. It can turn their lives around and instead of going down the road to distruction they change and start living productive loving lives.

This is the Pope's main service in life--to lead by being a good example just as Christ did. No Pope would say they are equal to God. They are Christ's representive here on earth, the leader of representatives, We are also to help other by example so we are all the same when you think about it.

What are you talking about?

Are you talking about Jolie's title or something else? :confused:

I want to say your talking about something else because the following posts by other people are talking to me about being saved and going to heaven, so......I'm kind of lost as to where this conversation is going. LOL!



I agree with Janelle's assesment - considering the contempt that you generally show for Bush, I find the comparison extremely cynical.

[Jolie Rouge]

One man can make a difference
Michael Barone

One man can make a difference: that is the lesson of the life of Pope John Paul II.

If someone had told you, 50 years ago, that the three men who would do the most to advance human freedom in the next half century were the parish priest of St. Florian's Church in Krakow, the military cadet who was the grandson of the last king of Spain and the star of the recent movie "Bedtime for Bonzo," you would not have believed him.

But so it has been.

History takes surprising turns. And it is often individual men and women, for good and for evil, who do the steering.

They can steer in directions not widely anticipated. A half century ago, it seemed the world was moving toward ever more collectivism and centralization, toward ever greater secularism and skepticism: This was modernity, and Marx and Freud were its prophets. Experts at the top of hierarchical pyramids would determine the course of events. Authoritarian
and totalitarian regimes ruled most of the world's people, and in an age of nuclear weapons, no one could hope to change that. The best that could be wished for was a convergence of systems.

Karol Wojtyla thought something different. He was 19 when Nazi Germany overran his native Poland; through World War II he worked in a quarry and acted in clandestine illegal plays. He sheltered Jews and was once arrested by the Gestapo. Then, after the Red Army swept into Poland and installed a Communist government, he attended seminary and became a priest, a bishop and an archbishop. In the pulpit and out he called for religious freedom and freedom of conscience, implicitly rebuked a regime built on lies.

Today, we can read about the millions of people murdered by Hitler and Stalin. Pope John Paul II lived under their rule, but kept his own mind and conscience free.

In 1978, when he was 58, Karol Wojtyla was elected pope; he had lived most of his life under totalitarian governance. This was the same year in which Juan Carlos I, groomed to be King of Spain by the dictator Franco, presided over free elections in Spain -- a transition to democracy that, as Michael Ledeen has written, inspired similar transitions in other parts of southern Europe and Latin America. And it was the same year that Ronald Reagan, past retirement age, was writing radio commentaries and preparing to run for the third time for president of the United States. This time he would win, and would put in place policies that did much to end the Soviet Union and the Communist regimes it supported.

The next year, the Pope returned to his native Poland and appeared before crowds of 1 million in Warsaw and Gniezno and Czestochowa. Thirteen million Poles -- one-third of the nation's population -- saw the Polish Pope in person. He spoke words of hope and faith, and without openly advocating the overthrow of the Communist regime made it clear that it did not hold the people's allegiance. As his biographer George Weigel wrote, "A revolution of the spirit had been unleashed." For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries the Catholic Church had looked askance at democracies and had seen authoritarian regimes as upholders of the faith.

Pope John Paul II heartily embraced representative democracy and enunciated a sophisticated appreciation of free markets and their limits. He engaged in serious moral dialogue and presented a vision of modernity different from that of the disciples of Marx and Freud.


Would the Solidarity movement that undermined the Communist regime in Poland have emerged with the courage and hope it did without Pope John Paul II?

Would the Soviet Union have lost its Eastern European satellites and its very existence without the Pope and Ronald Reagan?

Would Spain have made the transition to demcracy and freedom and set the example it did without King Juan Carlos I?


We cannot be certain of the answers to these counterfactual questions. But it seems as certain as such things can be that different leaders would have produced different, and less happy, results. Juan Carlos lives today the routine life of a constitutional monarch; Ronald Reagan withdrew from public view as Alzheimer's clouded his vision; John Paul II, his body wracked with Parkinson's, struggled to do his duty until the end. This man who lived under Hitler and Stalin, like the American president and the Spanish king, steered history in a surprising and felicitous direction, a direction unforeseen a half century ago.

[janelle]

Duh, I;m completely lost. All I know is it's up to God and only God as to where we or anyone else goes after we die. I think the Pople preached this every chance he got.

Now the president has just arrived in Rome and is at the Vatican. 5,000,000 will be coming into Rome for the funeral. Facinating. Clinton is with them. Who says religion can't bring people together. LOL Better than politics does.

[YNKYH8R]

I agree with Janelle's assesment - considering the contempt that you generally show for Bush, I find the comparison extremely cynical.
Wait a minute…how can what I said be considered cynical? Is there anything I said that was a lie? Janelle said it would take age for me to understand. Understand what? Maybe she and you don’t understand my context. I was commenting on another question about what makes Pope John Paul great. And I answered her: people make him great. How is that cynical?

[janelle]

What is a God without worshipers; nothing?

Now this is pure cynicism and if you are really thinking laughable. Sorry. If no one believed in God we wouldn't exist. He does not need you one iota and it would be just fine. He is the alpha and the omega not us.

[YNKYH8R]

What is a God without worshipers; nothing?

Now this is pure cynicism and if you are really thinking laughable. Sorry. If no one believed in God we wouldn't exist. He does not need you one iota and it would be just fine. He is the alpha and the omega not us.
Think of how many religons are not worshiped around anymore...why? Because no one worships those God(s). Did we suffer any consiquences? No. The same can be said for any God. If no one worshiped Islam what would happen? Nothing the religon would die. Quid pro Quo.

[janelle]

God never dies. You and I die but He never does. DUH. Believe don't believe doesn't matter. We are like a nat talking about an elephant and sayiing if we don't think about the elephant he wouldn't exist,. LOL

[YankeeMary]

God never dies. You and I die but He never does. DUH. Believe don't believe doesn't matter. We are like a nat talking about an elephant and sayiing if we don't think about the elephant he wouldn't exist,. LOL
Janelle it DOES matter if he believes or if he (or anyone else) doesn't believe for that matter. It makes God hurt. He loves us all and wants us all to love and worship him. It matters to me if Adam, or anyone else believes. It truly breaks my heart knowing that there are people that don't believe. By being kind and caring it shows people the love of Jesus.
He simply wanted to know what makes the Pope so wonderful? He is saying he is the same as me, you, him. So why the Pope? What makes him more "special" so to speak then any other person. I don't feel he was trying to be mean or whatever, just asking a question. One which I also would like to know the answer to. If you aren't catholic then the Pope is just another person. I understand he goes places and does good things, I could do that if I had free travel and such. Why or should I say how do they decide which one gets to become the Pope and why is he placed "above" all others? Do you understand? Not being mean just curious.

[Jolie Rouge]

[b]Links available http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/breaking.jsp?feature=pope

Latest on Pope John Paul II :


Life in Pictures : Some call him the "man of the century." See photos from John Paul's incredible life.

Dying Hours Uplifted Church's Image : The courage Pope John Paul II showed in his final days sparked a sustained outpouring of reverence.

Pope Championed Communism's Collapse : Karol Wojtyla became a priest in 1946, just as the Iron Curtain descended across Europe.

The Pope Was Also a Sportsman : Pope John Paul II was an avid sportsman, and perhaps the most athletic pontiff in history.

Cardinals Differ on Who Will Succeed Pope : Pope John Paul II has named nearly every cardinal who will elect his successor.

Karol Joseph Wojtyla Timeline : Learn about Joseph Wojtyla's life before he became Pope John Paul II.

TIME 100: Pope John Paul II : "He reminded humankind of the worth of individuals in the modern world."

Themes of John Paul II's Papacy : From international issues to relations with other faiths, a look at John Paul's contributions.

[janelle]

Well Mary I guess you will have to ask the whole 5,000,000 people who are streaming into Rome to give their last condolences and see the pope's funeral. He must have meant something special to them. Will we have that many people at our funeral? A girl from Poland on the news said today that she wanted to see the pope because he was her Papa, her father and she loved him. Then she cried. To Poland he is a hero for what he did for them. If you don't know history maybe you can read up on it.

And I was telling Y it doesn't matter if he believes in God or doesn' believe in God, God still exists and won't stop existing just because someone doesn't believe in Him. I think Y would be wise to believe but I'm not in control of what he believes. Yes, it's sad when people say they don't believe but that is their choice. I think Y has said he believes in God though. Maybe I'm mistaken but he can tell us himself if he wants.

[YNKYH8R]

God never dies. You and I die but He never does. DUH. Believe don't believe doesn't matter. We are like a nat talking about an elephant and sayiing if we don't think about the elephant he wouldn't exist,. LOL
You know I bet those Roman who worshiped the classicals, like Zeus, Apollo, and Hera felt the same way. Your right, you can't kill a religon by just one person saying he doesn't believe (Which I didn't say for myself otherwise). I was just simply pointing out that the power a God has on people comes from the people who worship him or her. The Aztecs, Incas, Myas, Romans, Germanic tribes, the Huns; all these groups of people (whole nations) who worshiped one form of diety or another.....these religons don't exist anymore. Some were even incorporated into other religons. When these 'Gods' died along with their religon did we as a planet suffer? No. No one noticed. Who is to say the same couldn't be said for Judiasm, Islam, or Christianity? A religon can't survive with out people to practice it.
I was just advocating the devil.
My original post.(25) was in respose to post (18) Good deeds do not happen with out people. If a person (no matter who) does a good deed for him/herself then he/she is selfish. If you do a good deed for people, group of people, person, animals, or the planet then you've done a positive thing. If it weren't for those people or animals there would be no good deed. Pope John Paul was great person because of the people he helped. If there were no people to help he would have been nothing. Now go back and reread #25. :)

[janelle]

But there are always people to help.

I don't get this trying to think why someone is great. Does it bother you that people attain a certain status? Do you always question people's greatness? Do you question why all the celebs become famous or is it just the pope?

You don't need to answer just something to think about.

[YNKYH8R]

But there are always people to help.

I don't get this trying to think why someone is great. Does it bother you that people attain a certain status? Do you always question people's greatness? Do you question why all the celebs become famous or is it just the pope?

You don't need to answer just something to think about.
Celebrities, sure you can lump them in there too. If you don't see their movies or listen to there music, watch their shows...they go away....in some sense of the word. It dosn't bother me that people attain certain status I think we as pedestrians in life seem to forget that we are the ones who make people great. It is kind of like a business whose slogan says 'the customer is why we are here.' I question anyones greatness. Why certain people are idolized, followed, or worshipped. We as a society place other people ahead of us. We anoint people to higher levels of power. But we are all the same...human flesh and blood. Our minds and way of thinking seperate us.

PS. I never said the Pope wasn't great. There are a lot of great people on this planet. Infact there are 5 billion of them. ;)

[YankeeMary]

Well Mary I guess you will have to ask the whole 5,000,000 people who are streaming into Rome to give their last condolences and see the pope's funeral. He must have meant something special to them. Will we have that many people at our funeral? A girl from Poland on the news said today that she wanted to see the pope because he was her Papa, her father and she loved him. Then she cried. To Poland he is a hero for what he did for them. If you don't know history maybe you can read up on it.

And I was telling Y it doesn't matter if he believes in God or doesn' believe in God, God still exists and won't stop existing just because someone doesn't believe in Him. I think Y would be wise to believe but I'm not in control of what he believes. Yes, it's sad when people say they don't believe but that is their choice. I think Y has said he believes in God though. Maybe I'm mistaken but he can tell us himself if he wants.
I wasn't asking them Janelle, I was asking you. I never said he wasn't special to anyone, except those that aren't catholic. Mainly because we (meaning I) do not quite understand how he fits into it all as a whole. I just simply wanted it explained since you seem to know a bit about the catholic religion. But obviously you aren't up to explaining why he is what he is and thats just fine by me. I have read about great things he does and I guess thats all there is to it.

[llbriteyes]

I thought ALL humans had the stain of original sin (not that I believe in that sort of thing).

Linda


And the truth would be? It's a FICTIONAL novel---the author said so.

If the Pope had any stain of sin on his soul he would go to Purgatory but from my guess Pope John Paul was such a holy man if he did go to Purgatory it was for a walk through. He suffered for so long and offered up his suffering to save the poor souls in Purgatory that he got many into heaven, I'm sure. I don't think anyone has to worry about the soul of this dear man of God.

[llbriteyes]

Yeah, but Jimmy Carter stayed home.

btw... Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last blast of the shofar (trumpet), the Tikiah Gadolah; for the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory" -- 1 Corinthians 15: 51-54

How do you interpret that?

Linda



Duh, I;m completely lost. All I know is it's up to God and only God as to where we or anyone else goes after we die. I think the Pople preached this every chance he got.

Now the president has just arrived in Rome and is at the Vatican. 5,000,000 will be coming into Rome for the funeral. Facinating. Clinton is with them. Who says religion can't bring people together. LOL Better than politics does.

[janelle]

LOL, Sorry guys I'm not a religious scholar so don't expect that of me. :eek:

We believe are all born with original sin but baptism washes us clean of it. I can tell you the main beliefs of the Catholic church as I understand them but I can't tell you all the why and wherefores of it all. If you are truly interested go to www.ewtn.com or to www.thevatican.com


I do take exception to what you say Mary. I think and I know by what I have seen that the pope is special to more than just Catholics. Have you not been watching TV, the internet and the papers? Many in other religions find him special.

[llbriteyes]

Janelle, if you don't know WHY you believe something, why do you profess it so ardently? Doesn't it make sense to go to the source when you espouse something so vehemently?

I think its INCREDIBLY important to know WHY we believe the way we do. Otherwise, we're just believing other people's rhetoric. You don't have to be a scholar to read and interpret the bible. You have to have common sense.

btw... I DO believe the Pope was an important man. He was a great leader for his people, and he never waivered in what he believed. He LIVED what he believed.

Linda




LOL, Sorry guys I'm not a religious scholar so don't expect that of me. :eek:

We believe are all born with original sin but baptism washes us clean of it. I can tell you the main beliefs of the Catholic church as I understand them but I can't tell you all the why and wherefores of it all. If you are truly interested go to www.ewtn.com or to www.thevatican.com


I do take exception to what you say Mary. I think and I know by what I have seen that the pope is special to more than just Catholics. Have you not been watching TV, the internet and the papers? Many in other religions find him special.

[janelle]

I know why I believe. And I always go to the source----Jesus Christ.

[Jolie Rouge]

Millions Gather in Rome for Papal Funeral
By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer

VATICAN CITY - Royalty, political power brokers and multitudes of the faithful will pay their last respects to Pope John Paul II on Friday at a funeral promising to be one of the largest Western religious gatherings of modern times.

Throngs of pilgrims — an estimated 2 million since the pope's body went on public view Monday — had filed past the pope's bier in St. Peter's Basilica before its towering bronze doors were closed late Thursday. Some 4 million people have flooded into the Italian capital to be nearer the pope before his funeral and burial in the Vatican grotto Friday.

Pilgrims staked out positions with sleeping bags and blankets just outside St. Peter's Square, getting as close they could to the scene of the funeral — even though they will see little more than the same images on giant television screens as could be seen elsewhere in the city.


Rome groaned under the weight of visitors. Side streets were clogged in a permanent pedestrian rush hour, mostly by kids with backpacks. Tent camps sprang up to take the spillover from hotels. Hawkers jacked up prices of everything from bottled water to papal trinkets. "You really have to love the pope to be willing to do this," said Nathanael Valdenaire, a young Frenchman who slept on the pavement in a sleeping bag alongside his sisters.

As dignitaries poured into the city, Rome's security agencies — bolstered by NATO surveillance aircraft high overhead — cranked up their defenses against everything from terrorism to unruly crowds.

Rome authorities planned to lock down the city. Starting Thursday night, vehicle traffic was banned from the city center. Air space was closed, and anti-aircraft batteries outside town were on alert. Naval ships patrolled both the Mediterranean coast and the Tiber River near Vatican City, the tiny sovereign city-state encompassed by the Italian capital.

President Bush, along with former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, knelt and prayed at the side of the pope's bier Wednesday night, then paid a courtesy call Thursday on Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. They planned dinner with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The U.S. delegation was to be joined Friday by Prince Charles, who postponed his own wedding by one day to honor the pope; by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan; and by representatives of more than 80 countries. Jewish and Muslim religious leaders will be there, along with Israel's foreign minister and the head of the Arab League.



John Paul, weighed down by illness and age, reflected on his possible resignation as he turned 80, according to his last will and testament published Thursday. The pope also wrote of tormented times for himself and the church and left instructions for his notes to be burned.

The document, written in several entries over 22 years before he died Saturday at age 84, provides extraordinary insight into the pope's thinking in the twilight of his life as he reflected on death and his legacy, and as he prayed for the "necessary strength" to continue his mission.

"The times in which we live are unutterably difficult and disturbed," he wrote in 1980, according to the official Vatican translation from Polish. "The path of the church has also become difficult and tense ... both for the faithful and for pastors."


In a March 1979 entry, John Paul said he left no material property and asked that his longtime private secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, burn all his personal notes.

The pope made a landmark trip to Poland in June 1979 — his first trip to his homeland since becoming pontiff — inspiring the Solidarity trade union movement and its resistance to the atheistic communist government of the day.

The testament mentioned only two living people: Dziwisz and the retired chief rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff, who welcomed him to the city's synagogue in 1986 in a historic gesture of reconciliation between Roman Catholics and Jews.

The pope made several entries in his testament, starting the year after his election in 1978. The final entry was in 2000, when he was in pain and suffering from Parkinson's disease. Each entry was written in Polish during Lent, the period of reflection before Easter.


In the final entry, he appeared to consider stepping aside. "Now, in the year during which my age reaches 80 years, it is necessary to ask if it is not the time to repeat the words of the biblical Simeon, "Nunc dimittis." The reference is to the passage, "Now Master you may let your servant go."

He reflected that he had been saved from death in a 1981 assassination attempt "in a miraculous way," and said his fate was even more in the hands of God. "From this moment it belongs to Him all the more. I hope He will help me to recognize up to what point I must continue this service," said the testament.


The pope wrote the lengthy addition to his testament three days before he left for a historic trip to the Holy Land, one of the most emotional of his many trips as head of the Catholic Church. At the time, his health was noticeably in decline: His speech had begun to slur, and his walk was unsteady because of a hip operation. He had fallen the year before, requiring stitches in his left temple.

In an early entry, he scratched in the margins that he wanted to be buried "in the bare earth, not a tomb." Accordingly, John Paul will be placed in the grottoes under St. Peter's Basilica.


In 1982, the pope considered the possibility of a funeral in his native Poland. Three years later, however, he left the site of his burial in the hands of the cardinals. The same entry worried about the safety of the church and of his own country in the days before the fall of the communist regime. "In some countries ... the church is undergoing a period of such persecution as to be in no way lesser than that of early centuries; indeed, it surpasses them in its degree of cruelty and hatred," he wrote. "And apart from this, many people disappear innocently, even in this country in which we are living."


At the end of the March 2000 entry, John Paul remembered his family, his childhood and his early priesthood in Poland. "As the end of my life approaches I return with my memory to the beginning, to my parents, to my brother, to the sister (I never knew because she died before my birth), to the parish in Wadowice where I was baptized, to that city I love, to my peers, friends from elementary school, high school and the university, up to the time of the occupation when I was a worker, and then in the parish of Niegowic, then St. Florian's in Krakow, to the pastoral ministry of academics, ... to Krakow and to Rome. ... to the people who were entrusted to me in a special way by the Lord.

"To all I want to say just one thing: "May God reward you.'"


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20050408/ap_on_re_eu/pope_16

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope Set Precedent With World Religions
April 7, 2005
By LOUIS MEIXLER, Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey - He was the first pope to visit a mosque and pray at Judaism's holiest site, and he returned the relics of revered Orthodox Christian saints.

In death, John Paul II continues to set precedents: His funeral is attracting religious and political leaders whose faiths were never represented at such a high level at papal burials.


John Paul II ushered in "the globalization of religion," said John Esposito, founding director of the Georgetown University Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in Washington. "He increased exponentially the dialogue with ... people of all faiths."


Friday will mark the first time the leaders of Orthodox Christianity and the Armenian Apostolic Church have attended a pope's funeral. Iran and Syria are sending their presidents, and Israel is dispatching its foreign minister — top levels of representation never before seen at papal funerals.


The funeral is making its mark even in places where the pope has virtually no following. In Turkey, a country with a small number of Roman Catholics, the national police have canceled celebrations of the force's 160th anniversary. Turkey's flag, which features the crescent, a symbol of Islam, will fly at half mast Friday to honor the pope. "Not only was he the leader of the Catholic world, he was also the leader for peace and dialogue between religions," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday before flying to Rome for the funeral. "Even toward the end, at the height of his ill health, he relentlessly worked toward that goal."


Ali Bardakoglu, Turkey's top Islamic cleric, said he shared "the grief of Catholics worldwide."


The pope's ability to bridge the divide between religions was aided by his common touch and keen understanding of the power of symbolism, which inspired even those who sharply disagreed with him on issues of faith. Many people seemed to warm to the pope and regard him as genuinely holy even if they did not share his religious beliefs.


The note he slipped into a crack in the Western Wall apologizing for the suffering of Jews over the centuries has been preserved in Israel's national Holocaust museum.


The gesture marked a crucial change from Pope Paul VI's visit to Israel in 1964, when the Jewish state and the Vatican were so distant the pope traveled only to Christian holy sites and never mentioned Israel by name.


The pontiff's contribution to religious tolerance "will be with us for many years," Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said at the start of a Cabinet meeting last week.


For many Muslims, a key symbolic moment was when the pope stood in the ancient Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, in 2001 and appealed to Christians and Muslims to seek common ground rather than confrontation.


For the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, the pope's landmark apology for Roman Catholic wrongs against the Orthodox and his return of the relics of two Orthodox saints were no doubt key to the decision of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I — leader of the world's Orthodox Christians — to attend the funeral. "Pope John Paul II envisioned the restoration of the unity of the Christians and he worked for its realization," said Bartholomew. "His death is a loss not only to his church, but to all of Christianity as well, and to the international community in general, who desires peace and justice."


John Paul's global reach is due in part to the fact that he was history's most-traveled pope — logging 723,723 miles, or three times the distance to the moon. His message was reinforced by a modern media that beamed his smiling image to millions of homes. "Pope John Paul in many ways became a leader and symbol to a degree that no pope in the past could achieve," Esposito said. "It is a product of the man ... but also the fact that with globalization of travel and communications he could play that role."


Besides Bartholomew, key religious leaders at the funeral will include the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Catholicos Karekin II, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Lebanon's Maronite Christian Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni of Indonesia and Shear-Yishuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of the Israeli city of Haifa. Teoctist, the 90-year-old patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church was planning to attend but will not because he has the flu.


There are some who will not be joining in the mourning. "How can the death of a non-Muslim be a loss to the Muslim world?" asked Gamal Sultan, an Egyptian Islamic activist and editor of Al-Manar, a journal that serves as a mouthpiece of Islamic fundamentalists.

Although Israel is sending its foreign minister, the country's two chief rabbis are not attending. And Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, has not announced it will send anyone.

Left open by the death of the pope is whether his legacy of promoting interfaith dialogue will continue. "A lot depends on the next pope," Esposito said. "There is a momentum there and part of that momentum cannot be reversed."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=2357&e=21&u=/ap/20050407/ap_on_re_eu/pope_religious_unifier_1

[Jolie Rouge]

Homily by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Full text of the sermon from the funeral of Pope John Paul II

MSNBC
April 8, 2005

VATICAN CITY - "Follow me. " The Risen Lord says these words to Peter. They are his last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd his flock. "Follow me" – this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our late beloved Pope John Paul II. Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality – our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude.

These are the sentiments that inspire us, brothers and sisters in Christ, present here in Saint Peter’s Square, in neighbouring streets and in various other locations within the city of Rome, where an immense crowd, silently praying, has gathered over the last few days. I greet all of you from my heart. In the name of the College of Cardinals, I also wish to express my respects to heads of state, heads of government and the delegations from various countries. I greet the Authorities and official representatives of other Churches and Christian Communities, and likewise those of different religions. Next I greet the Archbishops, Bishops, priests, religious men and women and the faithful who have come here from every Continent; especially the young, whom John Paul II liked to call the future and the hope of the Church. My greeting is extended, moreover, to all those throughout the world who are united with us through radio and television in this solemn celebration of our beloved Holy Father’s funeral.

Follow me — As a young student Karol Wojtyła was thrilled by literature, the theatre, and poetry. Working in a chemical plant, surrounded and threatened by the Nazi terror, he heard the voice of the Lord: Follow me! In this extraordinary setting he began to read books of philosophy and theology, and then entered the clandestine seminary established by Cardinal Sapieha. After the war he was able to complete his studies in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University of Kraków. How often, in his letters to priests and in his autobiographical books has he spoken to us about his priesthood, to which he was ordained on November 1, 1946. In these texts he interprets his priesthood with particular reference to three sayings of the Lord.
First: "You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last" (John 15:16). The second saying is: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). And then: "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love" (John 15:9). In these three sayings we see the heart and soul of our Holy Father. He really went everywhere, untiringly, in order to bear fruit, fruit that lasts. "Rise, Let us be on our Way!" is the title of his next-to-last book. "Rise, let us be on our way!" — With these words he roused us from a lethargic faith, from the sleep of the disciples of both yesterday and today. "Rise, let us be on our way!" he continues to say to us even today.

The Holy Father was a priest to the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the entire human family, in a daily self-oblation for the service of the Church, especially amid the sufferings of his final months. And in this way he became one with Christ, the Good Shepherd who loves his sheep. Finally, "abide in my love:" the Pope who tried to meet everyone, who had an ability to forgive and to open his heart to all, tells us once again today, with these words of the Lord, that by abiding in the love of Christ we learn, at the school of Christ, the art of true love.

Follow me! In July 1958 the young priest Karol Wojtyła began a new stage in his journey with the Lord and in the footsteps of the Lord. Karol had gone to the Masuri lakes for his usual vacation, along with a group of young people who loved canoeing. But he brought with him a letter inviting him to call on the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Wyszyński. He could guess the purpose of the meeting: He was to be appointed as the auxiliary Bishop of Kraków. Leaving the academic world, leaving this challenging engagement with young people, leaving the great intellectual endeavour of striving to understand and interpret the mystery of that creature which is man and of communicating to today’s world the Christian interpretation of our being – all this must have seemed to him like losing his very self, losing what had become the very human identity of this young priest. Follow me – Karol Wojtyła accepted the appointment, for he heard in the Church’s call the voice of Christ. And then he realized how true are the Lord’s words: "Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it" (Luke 17:33).

Our Pope – and we all know this – never wanted to make his own life secure, to keep it for himself; he wanted to give of himself unreservedly, to the very last moment, for Christ and thus also for us. And thus he came to experience how everything which he had given over into the Lord’s hands came back to him in a new way. His love of words, of poetry, of literature, became an essential part of his pastoral mission and gave new vitality, new urgency, new attractiveness to the preaching of the Gospel, even when it is a sign of contradiction.

Follow me! In October 1978 Cardinal Wojtyła once again heard the voice of the Lord. Once more there took place that dialogue with Peter reported in the Gospel of this Mass: "Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep!" To the Lord’s question, "Karol, do you love me?," the Archbishop of Krakow answered from the depths of his heart: "Lord you know everything; you know that I love you." The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our beloved Holy Father. Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard him preach, knows that. Thanks to his being profoundly rooted in Christ, he was able to bear a burden which transcends merely human abilities: that of being the shepherd of Christ’s flock, his universal Church.

This is not the time to speak of the specific content of this rich pontificate. I would like only to read two passages of today’s liturgy which reflect central elements of his message. In the first reading, Saint Peter says – and with Saint Peter, the Pope himself – "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all" (Acts 10:34-36). And in the second reading, Saint Paul – and with Saint Paul, our late Pope – exhorts us, crying out: "My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved" (Philippians 4:1).

Follow me! Together with the command to feed his flock, Christ proclaimed to Peter that he would die a martyr’s death. With those words, which conclude and sum up the dialogue on love and on the mandate of the universal shepherd, the Lord recalls another dialogue, which took place during the Last Supper. There Jesus had said: "Where I am going, you cannot come." Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied: "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow me afterward." (John 13:33,36). Jesus from the Supper went towards the cross, went towards his resurrection – he entered into the paschal mystery; and Peter could not yet follow him. Now – after the resurrection – comes the time, comes this "afterward." By shepherding the flock of Christ, Peter enters into the paschal mystery, he goes towards the cross and the resurrection. The Lord says this in these words: "... when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go" (John 21:18). In the first years of his pontificate, still young and full of energy, the Holy Father went to the very ends of the earth, guided by Christ. But afterwards, he increasingly entered into the communion of Christ’s sufferings; increasingly he understood the truth of the words: "Someone else will fasten a belt around you." And in this very communion with the suffering Lord, tirelessly and with renewed intensity, he proclaimed the Gospel, the mystery of that love which goes to the end (cf. John 13:1).

He interpreted for us the paschal mystery as a mystery of divine mercy. In his last book, he wrote: The limit imposed upon evil "is ultimately Divine Mercy" (Memory and Identity, Page 60-61). And reflecting on the assassination attempt, he said: "In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order: the order of love ... It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good" (Page 189-190). Impelled by this vision, the Pope suffered and loved in communion with Christ, and that is why the message of his suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful.

((continues ...))

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7427983/

[Jolie Rouge]

Divine Mercy: The Holy Father found the purest reflection of God’s mercy in the Mother of God. He, who at an early age had lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more. He heard the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him: "Behold your Mother." And so he did as the beloved disciple did: He took her into his own home" (John 19:27) – Totus tuus. And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ.

None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved Pope is standing today at the window of the Father’s house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Jolie Rouge]

Pope John Paul the Great
Larry Elder

It was a perfect political storm.

Have we forgotten about the peril of worldwide communism?

Have we forgotten about the brutality and inhumanity of it?

Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, after his expulsion from the Soviet Union in 1974, gave a speech here in America called "A Warning to the West." He said: "It is precisely because I am the friend of the United States, precisely because my speech is prompted by friendship, that I have come to tell you: 'My friends, I'm not going to tell you sweet words. The situation in the world is not just dangerous, it isn't just threatening, it is catastrophic.'"

Enter Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, a Pole who, in 1978, became the first non-Italian pope in nearly 500 years. By the age of 25, the man who would be pope had lost a sister, a brother, and both mother and father. He also watched as the Nazis and then the Russians occupied his beloved country. He knew just a little something about human suffering. The pope traveled to Poland several times, the first in 1979. In 1980, Polish tradesmen began agitating for workers' rights, and, in September of that year, formed a fledgling union called Solidarity. They chose, as their leader, an electrician named Lech Walesa. The pope received Walesa at the Vatican in 1981. Two years later, the pope returned to Poland for a second visit. Walesa, who remarkably later became president of Poland, said that Pope John Paul II deserves "the greater credit" for the end of communism in his country. "At the moment when the pope was elected," said Walesa, "I think I had, at the most, 20 people that were around me and supported me -- and there were 40 million Polish people in the country. However . . . a year after [the pope's] visit to Poland, I had 10 million supporters and suddenly we had so many people willing to join the movement. . . . I compare this to the miracle of the multiplication of bread in the desert."

Enter in 1980 President Ronald Reagan, who also had a difficult life. Reagan's father was an alcoholic and an unsuccessful salesman. His father could not hold down a job, causing the family to move numerous times. His mother was a loyal housewife and became Reagan's role model. She taught him about compassion for other people's shortcomings, including those of his own father.

During Reagan's acting career, which included a stint as president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan began giving speeches in which he called communism a menace and a threat to worldwide stability. In 1975, he wrote that communism "is neither an economic nor a political system, but a form of insanity, an aberration . . . [and he wonders] how much more misery it will cause before it disappears. "

The pope and Reagan first met in 1982 in the Vatican. They agreed, according to Time magazine, "to undertake a clandestine campaign to hasten the dissolution of the communist empire. . . . The operation was focused on Poland. . . Both the Pope and the President were convinced that Poland could be broken out of the Soviet orbit if the Vatican and the U.S. committed their resources to destabilizing the Polish government and keeping the outlawed Solidarity movement alive after the declaration of martial law in 1981."


How much, politically, did the pope and Reagan collaborate? Apparently, they left few smoking guns lying around. UPI, however, writes, "Thus began a series of unofficial, intermittent contacts that some writers and historians have elevated to the status of holy alliance, while others have denied almost their very existence."

Consider this: In a telegram to Nancy Reagan following her husband's death, the pope said, "I recall with deep gratitude the late President's unwavering commitment to the service of the nation and to the cause of freedom as well as his abiding faith in the human and spiritual values which ensure a future of solidarity, justice and peace in our world."

Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, credited both the pope and Reagan with the fall of communism. Gorbachev said of the pope, "[Communism's collapse] would not have been possible without the presence of this Pope." Gorbachev called Reagan a "great president . . instrumental in bringing about the end of the Cold War."

A perfect political storm.

[Jolie Rouge]

THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE
Sat Apr 9, 2005
By David M. Shribman


John Paul II understood the media. The words he used to support the press echo in an editor's conscience


I have in my hands the famous cover of Time magazine with a picture of the pope and the headline, in red: John Paul, Superstar. It is a quarter-century old now, and in its zeal to capture the rock-star appeal of the new pontiff, it seems almost trivial and faintly disrespectful. Perhaps that is because we now know what we could not have known then -- that before he would die this spring, John Paul would be credited with ending the scourge of communism and carrying an uplifting and irresistible message of hope, peace and love to people beyond his flock and to nations that once were beyond the reach of Catholicism.

But if John Paul were swiftly identifiable as a media star, then he also should be recognized as an astute student, and a ferocious defender, of the media.


This is of no trivial importance, particularly in an age of mass communications and nave-to-nave coverage. It is not only because the pontiff understood the uses of the media -- the way it could be shaped, harnessed and directed. It is also because the pontiff understood the responsibility of the media -- the way they should comport themselves, the way they should use their power, the way they should exert their moral authority.


Now, with the echoes of the pope's funeral fresh in our ears, and with comprehensive news coverage of the succession rites already reaching the saturation point, it may be appropriate to pause for a moment of reflection on the words and images John Paul used to counsel those who work with words and images themselves. They are deeply inspirational, and they are deeply sobering.


As a very young man -- I had lived fewer years than John Paul would serve as pope -- I was given the greatest reporting assignment of my life: the chance to accompany the pope on his six-day trip to the United States. I mention this not to share an editor's sentimental memories, but to say that the words he said to those of us who accompanied him have been seared in my memory. I know them almost by heart. They are words to live by, and I can only say that I have tried.



You are indeed servants of truth; you are its tireless transmitters, diffusers, defenders. You are dedicated communicators, promoting unity among all nations by sharing truth among all peoples.

There is a lot of pompous talk in our business about the truth, and I always cringe when I hear it and, worse yet, when I talk that way myself. We have no more idea what the truth is than anyone else; we're not equipped with special powers, either legal or corporeal, and we have the same flaws as our critics, except, almost always, in greater doses. All we can do is to offer a fair representation of what we believe the truth is.


The key word here is fair, a word not unfamiliar to John Paul himself, for if you distill down most of what he said, beautiful though the rhetoric was, what he represented, along with faith, was fairness. It is a gentle word, far gentler than the ones used to assail the media or to defend it, but -- again, along with faith -- it may be the most powerful word on Earth.



Be faithful to the truth and to its transmission, for truth endures; truth will not go away. Truth will not pass or change.

Now here's the pope talking again about truth, but I believe that what he means here, along with its spiritual sense, is that truth ought to be applied to the work of being fair. We ought to be truthful -- to ourselves, to our readers, to the people we cover -- about our motives, truthful about our methods, truthful about our limits.


That is because truth is a goal perhaps unattainable. I have read more newspaper stories than almost anyone within eye's length of this column. I have never read one that was fully the truth. There are stories in which every statement was true, to be sure. But truth is a question not only of what is included in a piece but also of what is omitted. There is no story long enough, broad enough or smart enough that it does not tempt human frailty by being incomplete, or poorly focused.



And I say to you -- take it as my parting word to you -- that in the service of truth, the service of humanity through the medium of the truth is something worthy of your best years, your finest talents, your most dedicated efforts.

That is the best we can do. We can serve truth. We cannot achieve it. We can enlist fairness in the service of truth. Sometimes that angers our readers; sometimes it angers the people and institutions we cover. But that's our job. That's our calling.


In these days between popes, we in our small corner of the culture can emulate the last pope in searching for truth, but we probably ought to emulate him in another way as well. We should remember what is perhaps the greatest irony of perhaps the greatest figure of our age: the sheer humility of the man. He never underestimated the size of his mission, but he never made himself greater than that mission.


That's where we in the media have failed. We think we know the truth when we do not. We have been so sure of the truths that we think we know that we have sometimes forgotten to be fair. We are often not humble.


A lot of this was easier to remember when -- and it is part of my memory if not of yours -- we were but scribblers on a page that soon would turn to dust. The technological revolution has changed all that. But it hasn't changed the potency of the pope's words from 1979, the text of which was recorded by a typewriter. Being servants of the truth is worthy of our best years, our finest talents, our most dedicated efforts.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1316&ncid=742&e=13&u=/ucds/20050409/cm_ucds/thefairnessdoctrine

[Jolie Rouge]

John Paul a saint? U.S. Catholics in favor
Poll also finds 8 in 10 felt his conservative views helped church
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:28 a.m. ET April 14, 2005

WASHINGTON - Most American Catholics think Pope John Paul II’s support of traditional church positions was a good thing and that the late pontiff should be made a saint, a poll found.

While they want to see some changes from the next pope, they aren’t looking for change on some of the most sensitive issues, according to the Quinnipiac poll. “On right-to-life questions like abortion and the death penalty, they are thoroughly traditional and right in step with John Paul,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute. “But on some other issues like married priests and women priests, they are more liberal.”


Eight in 10 Catholics said the pope’s traditional stance on many issues was good for the church, and two-thirds say he should be made a saint.

A slight majority of Catholics expect change from the next pope on issues like letting priests marry and having women priests, about the same findings for Catholics as in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll taken the weekend the pope died.


A majority, 55 percent, said they think the church should relax its ban on contraception, the Quinnipiac poll found. But they generally opposed abortion and the death penalty. Two-thirds said they oppose abortion in most or all cases. Six in 10 said they oppose the death penalty in most or all cases.

The poll of 500 American Catholics was taken April 8-12 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.


www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7497786


LIVE VOTE
[i]Do you believe John Paul II should be made a saint?
40567 responses

Yes -- 59%

No -- 28%

Not sure -- 8%

I don't care -- 6%

[YNKYH8R]

Making him a saint is not a bad idea. But the title only has meanig to those who believe in the saints. So it is a non issue.

[Jolie Rouge]

Secretary Didn't Burn John Paul's Papers
By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA, Associated Press Writer


WARSAW, Poland - Pope John Paul II's longtime private secretary said Saturday he did not burn the late pontiff's notes as his will demanded, arguing that the papers contain "great riches" and should instead be preserved.

Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who worked with the pope from 1966 until his death earlier this year, told Polish state radio there are "quite a lot of manuscripts on various issues," but he offered no details. "Nothing has been burned," Dziwisz said. "Nothing is fit for burning, everything should be preserved and kept for history, for the future generations — every single sentence."

"These are great riches that should gradually be made available to the public."

Dziwisz did not say when or how that might happen.

In a March 1979 entry to his testament, John Paul said he left no material property and asked that Dziwisz burn all his personal notes.

In Saturday's radio interview, Dziwisz suggested that some of the notes could prove useful in the late pontiff's beatification process. Dziwisz said he took his own daily notes throughout John Paul's papacy, which he said also could prove useful to that process but contain no opinions about individuals.

Last month, Pope Benedict XVI announced he was lifting a five-year waiting period to start the process to beatify John Paul, the last formal step before the late pontiff could be made a saint.

On Friday, Benedict — who was close to the late pope — appointed Dziwisz archbishop of Krakow in southern Poland. John Paul, then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, held the same post before his election to the papacy in 1978.

Dziwisz said there is a general feeling Benedict will not travel as extensively as his predecessor, but that he would like to visit Krakow and the Polish capital, Warsaw. No dates have yet been set.

So far, Benedict has only one foreign trip planned — to the World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, in August.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/poland_john_paul_s_papers;_ylt=AmZ9ZUxx5Yfb8TLBq.x vbNwDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[janelle]

Making him a saint is not a bad idea. But the title only has meanig to those who believe in the saints. So it is a non issue.

LOL Y, it's not a non-issue to the one billion catholics around the world who believe in the communion of saints. :eek:

[YNKYH8R]

LOL Y, it's not a non-issue to the one billion catholics around the world who believe in the communion of saints. :eek:
What I meant was that nothing with change in our everyday life if he is made a saint or not. So what's the point. If it's to honor his memory then fine. Then just do it.

[janelle]

Y, Have you ever read a book about saints and the role models they are for us? I know you do not believe, but we believe if we pray to saints they can help us. Pray to St. Jude when you lose something and it is found. At least my sister says she has done this many times and it works for her.

Just because you do not believe in such things does not mean many other do not. To become a saint one needs to have two miracles happen because of a person praying to the saint. No miracle no saint. Like a medical cure when none is expected or could happen. Things like that.

Read a book about saints. It can be interesting especially the martyrs who died for their faith.

But if you do not believe I don't understand why you read about this in the RC or anywhere else. To me it would be boring to read about things I don't accept. Like reading a Scientology book would put me to sleep. I have no interest in it. ???????????

[YNKYH8R]

I like the debate. I am also interested in the psychology of religon. Why people believe; what it does to societies; what compels man to look for higher powers and meanings of life. I find it fascinating.
I mean...look at it from my point of view. Generations of people looking to explain the unexplainable through the belief stucture of an all powerfull being (some claim to know know personally) based on a book written over a thousand years ago and centralized around one man. That's amazing. Only Elvis caused this much frenzy.
There are so many problems in America today; I believe a lot of them can be traced back to religon; not Christianity per say, but with the Catholic church it ends up being one of the largest affiliations and there fore stands out the most.
It floors me that when making decisions in life instead of right or wrong the thought process ends up being..."What would Jesus do?" One day I saw a bumper sticker that says something to the effect of "Where God cares about you" refering to a place of business you can go. This is integeral in so many people's lives it touches everyone and effects everyone. It takes my breathe away.

[janelle]

It should take your breath away but not for all the negative reasons you stated.

If it wasn't for religion, America would look much different. The religious brought education here from Europe and even there they are responsible for educating the people. They started schools and took them to the most isolated peoples. In order to read the bible people needed to be able to read first. Nuns and priests taught people to read and write. And while they were there they taught them how to build more sophisticated and more efficient buildings and everything they could to modernize how they lived.

When I went to New Mexico and Santa Fe I learned the people lived in holes in the ground for protection like a town of prairie dogs. Good for protection with what they had but the nuns brought lumbar and building materials with them for schools and houses. No dirt floors anymore.

Read about missionaries and how they helped settle this country. Those who say religion has nothing to do with them are naive. Religion settled this country. Missionaries go to places then and still do to teach the gospel but they stay and help the people build a better life system. More modern ways. Yes, living in the ground works but I'm glad the religious brought another way to live. They also taught the people about Jesus and how to live a more loving way. The old west was pretty rough you know. No towns until the people came and the first thing they built was a church. Then their houses and settled the area.

[YNKYH8R]

As interesting as you make it the ability to communicate and read transcends even the Bible, for example the Egyptians. And while religious worship helps to build a nation, as you’ve stated, the basic fundamental need to search for a higher power or life beyond death or answers to some of the most basic questions in life (“Why are we here?” “Why do bad things happen to good people?”) is in itself interesting…in my book.

Now, I’m not looking down my nose on religious belief. I just wonder whether or not putting all of mankind’s hopes and dreams into one basket really makes sense.

I live day in and day out with out any type of religious affiliation. Yet there are thousands that couldn’t imagine living a life without one. And I find it amazing. Just as others would probably find it odd that I still continue as I do with my mind set.

What drives the religious mind? Curiosity, fear, guilt, or is it something else? How is it that this simple state of mind that most people have is allowed to control every aspect of their lives? What they say, do, eat, where they sleep, what they watch, even what they say. The way some people fear offending a higher power, boarders on the paranoid; and yet it is completely socially acceptable.

We live in a society where the answer is right in front of us all the time. And yet people still turn to ancient pages looking for answers; possibly because they can’t possibly comprehend what their eyes show them?

[janelle]

It's not ancient pages to one who has a personal relationship with the Lord. And no it cannot be explained to you until you experience it yourself. Sorry.

So for the ones who have and are experiencing it I do not make flip starements that make them seem to be delusional. If so many great minds who ever lived believed and based their lives on a higher power---God, then who am I or anyone else to say it's just a fantasy?


"What drives the religious mind? Curiosity, fear, guilt, or is it something else?"

I have the answer. It's LOVE.

[Jolie Rouge]

Nun a mystery in John Paul sainthood
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 29 minutes ago



ROME - It's one of the Roman Catholic Church's closely guarded secrets: the identity of the French nun whose testimony of an inexplicable cure from Parkinson's disease is likely to be accepted as the miracle the Vatican needs to beatify Pope John Paul II.

The nun, who says she was cured of Parkinson's after she and her community of nuns prayed to John Paul, is coming to Rome for ceremonies Monday marking the second anniversary of the pontiff's death and the closure of a church investigation into his life. The probe was ordered after chants of "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood Now!" erupted during John Paul's 2005 funeral.

While a few details about the nun's whereabouts are expected to be released during that visit, it remains to be seen whether she will ever come forward publicly, leaving the faithful with only an anonymous written description of her cure from a disease John Paul himself lived with for years.

The Vatican's saint-making process requires that John Paul's life and writings be studied for its virtues — an investigation that will end with ceremonies Monday. In addition, the Vatican requires that a miracle attributed to his intercession be confirmed before he can be beatified, the last formal step before possible sainthood.

Pope Benedict XVI announced in May 2005 that he was waiving the traditional five-year waiting period and allowing the beatification process to begin. While many people had hoped John Paul would have been declared a saint by now, there is still no word on when any beatification or canonization might occur.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Polish prelate spearheading John Paul's beatification cause, announced last year that the case of the French nun was the most compelling he had found and would be forwarded onto the Vatican for confirmation.

But the woman's identity has remained a mystery.

At a news conference Tuesday, Oder joked that there would be "thousands of nuns" in the St. John Lateran basilica attending the ceremony — including the sister in question.

"I leave it to your investigations and diligence to figure out which one is the nun," he quipped.

When warned that the lives of many nuns would be disrupted by journalists eager to find her, Oder said he would speak to the woman's superiors. But, he joked, "The problem is this: that knowing the nun, it might ruin her life!"

Oder said the woman's diocese and community would be announced on Sunday by her bishop.

Only one document about the woman's experience has been made public: an article she wrote for "Totus Tuus," the official magazine of John Paul's beatification case.

In it, she wrote of being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in June 2001, that she had a strong spiritual affinity for John Paul because he too suffered from the disease and that her symptoms had worsened in the weeks after the pontiff's death on April 2, 2005.

"I was wasting away, day by day," she wrote, saying she could no longer write legibly or drive long distances because her muscles would go rigid — a typical symptom of Parkinson's disease.

The nuns of her community prayed for her, and exactly two months after John Paul's death, she awoke in the middle of the night cured, she wrote.

Oder said he was "amazed" by one piece of evidence to support her story: a paper on which the nun had written "John Paul II" the night before her recovery. "It was practically illegible," he said.

The day after she was cured, she wrote about what had happened and her handwriting was the same as it was before she was diagnosed, he said.

On Monday, the French bishop in whose diocese the alleged miracle occurred will forward the documentation he has gathered to the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which will then convene a panel of medical and theological experts to study it. The congregation will also study Oder's investigation into John Paul's virtues to determine whether he can be beatified.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070327/ap_on_re/john_paul_sainthood;_ylt=At2eIFMFH1DZZkS0lDTd2uBH2 ocA

___

On the Net:

http://www.vicariatusurbis.org/Beatificazione