John Paul II
Karol Józef Wojtyła , known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometres from
Cracow, on May 18, 1920. He was the second of two sons born to Karol
Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska. His mother died in 1929. His eldest brother
Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 and his father, a non-commissioned army officer died in 1941.
He made his First Holy Communion at age 9 and was confirmed at 18. Upon graduation from Marcin Wadowita high school in Wadowice, he enrolled in
Cracow’s Jagiellonian University in 1938 and in a school for drama.
The Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939 and young Karol had to work in a quarry (1940-1944) and then in the Solvay chemical factory to earn his living and to avoid being deported to Germany.
In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Cracow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, archbishop of Cracow. At the same time, Karol Wojtyła was one of the pioneers of the „Rhapsodic Theatre,” also clandestine.
After the Second World War, he continued his studies in the major seminary of Cracow, once it had re-opened, and in the faculty of theology of the
Jagiellonian University, until his priestly ordination in Cracow on November 1, 1946.
Soon after, Cardinal Sapieha sent him to Rome where he worked under the guidance of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange. He finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross. At that time, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants of France,
Belgium and Holland.
In 1948 he returned to Poland and was vicar of various parishes in Cracow as well as chaplain for the university students until 1951, when he took up again his studies on philosophy and theology. In 1953 he defended a thesis on „evaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of Max Scheler” at Lublin Catholic University. Later he became professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Cracow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin.
On July 4, 1958, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cracow by Pope Pius
XII, and was consecrated September 28, 1958, in Wawel Cathedral, Cracow, by
Archbishop Baziak.
On January 13, 1964, he was nominated Archbishop of Cracow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal June 26, 1967.
Besides taking part in Vatican Council II with an important contribution to the elaboration of the Constitution Gaudium et spes, Cardinal Wojtyła participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops.
Since the start of his Pontificate on October 16, 1978, Pope John Paul II
has completed 104 pastoral visits outside of Italy and 146 within Italy .
As Bishop of Rome he has visited 317 of the 333 parishes .
His principal documents include 14 encyclicals , 15 apostolic exhortations
, 11 apostolic constitutions and 45 apostolic letters. The Pope has also published five books : „Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (October 1994);
„Gift and Mystery: On the 50th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination”
(November 1996); „Roman Triptych – Meditations”, a book of poems (March
2003); „Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way” (May 2004) and „Memory and Identity”
(pubblication spring 2005).
John Paul II has presided at 147 beatification ceremonies ( 1,338 Blesseds proclaimed ) and 51 canonization ceremonies ( 482 Saints ) during his pontificate. He has held 9 consistories in which he created 231 (+ 1 in pectore) cardinals . He has also convened six plenary meetings of the
College of Cardinals .
From 1978 to today the Holy Father has presided at 15 Synods of Bishops :
six ordinary (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, 2001), one extraordinary (1985)
and eight special (1980, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998[2] and 1999).
No other Pope has encountered so many individuals like John Paul II: to date, more than 17,600,000 pilgrims have participated in the General
Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1,160). Such figure is without counting all other special audiences and religious ceremonies held [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone]
and the millions of faithful met during pastoral visits made in Italy and throughout the world. It must also be remembered the numerous government personalities encountered during 38 official visits and in the 738
audiences and meetings held with Heads of State , and even the 246
audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers .
The media outlets are beginning to report that the pope has died at the age of 85. His death (presuming that the reports are true) comes, of course, at the end of a very long illness that had him in and out of hospital (mostly in) for many months.
As of 1:45 PM EST, CNN is reporting that the pope’s brain has ceased functioning but his heart is still beating. Drudgereport was reporting that he died, but has no backtracked to say that reports indicate he may have died.
Now I wonder…is Terri Schiavo’s death going to be forgotten now that the pope has also died, or will her death overshadow the pope’s, at least in the United States? I can’t help but draw a comparison to when Mother
Teresa’s death went almost unnoticed among all the fury and media attention surrounding the death of Princess Diana.
James White writes, „Now a Vatican representative is saying that Mary has opened wide the door to heaven to John Paul, who dedicated himself to Mary (a reference to the Papal motto, Totus tuus, „totally yours,” addressed not to Jesus, but to Mary).
If you are likewise watching, do not hold your breath waiting to hear about repentance from sin, the perfection of the work of Christ, the imputed righteousness of Christ. But you will hear much of Mary, far more than of Jesus. The true faith of Rome is on display in this situation. American Roman Catholic apologists seek to diminish the centrality of Mary in Roman theology, but here you see how foundational
Mary is to the piety of the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome itself.”
3:15 PM – White, once again, says what I am too timid to say. „We are hearing a great deal about the Pope dying in peace. And for what reason?
Because he has suffered. You will be able to see, and hear, just how badly understood the gospel is amongst evangelicals and others as you listen to the commentary on the Pope. The specifics of the gospel will be buried under the emotionalism of death.
The Pope’s salvation will be guaranteed not because his faith is fixed solely upon the finished work of Christ (which, in light of the devotion to Mary, belief in the Mass, purgatory, etc., it clearly is not), but because of his suffering, his „goodness,” a goodness not determined by reference to God’s holiness, of course, but by reference to other men.
I wonder…how many evangelical leaders will honor God rather than men and say what needs to be said?
„Unless the Pope believed the gospel, he, like any other person on the planet, died under the wrath of God, outside of the only way of salvation God has provided in Jesus Christ!” And how many will cave in to the fear of the face of men and do what society demands by compromising the gospel, showing a greater love of the acclaim of men rather than the approval of God? Remember, friends: Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
I agree that this is a time when we will see what evangelical leaders are made of!
To special groups
I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience. I greet particularly the members of the
Servite Secular Institute and the groups from Scotland, Finland, Australia and the United States of America. Wishing you a pleasant and fruitful stay in Rome, I cordially invoke upon you the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
I wish you all a happy New Year!
I address a special thought to the Patriarch of Cilicia for Armenians, His
Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, and to the Bishops accompanying him, the members of the Lions Clubs of Puglia and the representatives of the
„Circolo Didattico di Somma Vesuviana”, gathered here with the Archbishop of Nola.
I also greet the priests, seminarians and lay people of the Neocatechumenal
Way. Dear friends, I thank you for your generous commitment to the new evangelization. I hope that the reflections of these days will help you to deepen communion in heartfelt compliance, both with the Pastors of the local Churches and the competent Institutions of the Holy See. Thus, you will be able to make a more and more effective contribution to the cause of the Gospel.
Lastly my thoughts go to the young people, to the sick and to the newly-
weds. I entrust you all to the motherly protection of the Virgin Mary.