34th Anniversary of the Installation Mass of
Pope John Paul II
22.10.1978 - 22.10.2012
TOTUS TUUS
The Blessed Pope John Paul II 'The Great'
The Road to Sanctity
Frank Zammit
Frank Zammit
His Election to the Petrine Ministry
Is
there anyone who does not remember his message in his first homily: “Do not be
afraid. Open, I say open wide the doors for Christ. On 22nd October
1978, the late Pope John Paul II began his pontificate with these words.
This call to a deeper relationship with Jesus
Christ is as urgent and necessary today as it was over thirty four years ago,
and the occasion of his beatification on Sunday, May 1, 2011 offered us an
opportunity to remind ourselves, and others about the witness of John Paul II's
life and message.
One needs to start with the outcome of his election: after
centuries of Italian Popes, the first non-Italian. And to the enthusiastic
acclaim of the faithful in Rome and around the world. A new Pope from Poland, a
young Pope full of life, enormously capable and very well prepared. This
certainly was an extraordinary event.
The Church lost her second shepherd in just 45 days
It
all took place in the year of the three popes. At dawn on the 29th
of September 1978 the Roman
Catholic Apostolic
Church
The Cardinals entering the Sistine for the October conclave
Once
more, in mid-October, the Cardinals were summoned to Rome to ponder under the
gaze of the Almighty in Michaelangelo's Last Judgment whom they would choose to
step into the Shoes of the Fisherman, Prince of Apostles.
Cardinal
Woytyla was elected Pope on the 16th of October 1978 at precisely 17.17 on the
feast of St Edwiga, a Queen of Cracow in the early middleages who had died in
labour.
Once
again Proto-Deacon Cardinal Pericle Felici announced the election of a pope……. His
hesitation over the name perplexed the crowd gathered in St Peter's Square Africa .
"When
his name was announced I was at the Polish College. I was with a number of students
watching television when all at once Cardinal Felici came on screen to announce
that a pope had been elected. I noticed immediately that something unusual had
happened…… I had known Cardinal Felici for several years He was the Prefect of
the Aposolic Segnatura where I used to work. He was usually goodhumoured and
smiling but (on television) he appeared to be very serious indeed. He seemed to
be concerned about this extraordinary election. He was a Roman, he wrote poems
in Latin….His second appearance on the balcony in two months! Yes, the first
time he had been all smiles…but the second time he was serious and when he
spoke (the words) 'Annuntio Vobis Gaudium Magnum Habemus Papaem 'Carolum' we
exploded in joy and cried 'Wojtyla' as he continued Sanctae Romana Ecclesiae
Cardinalem Wojtyla..It was an immense joy… all the students….” H.E. Card. Zenon Grocholewski – 26.2.2011
He was elected on the eight ballot
However
even as he emerged onto the central loggia of St Peter's Basilica, Karol
Wojtyla immediately eluded the strict Vatican protocol by going beyond the
customary urbi et orbi blessing and addressing the crowd gathered in the square
in Italian. He won over the Italians immediately when he encouraged them to
correct his Italian if he made any mistakes.
"The Italians welcomed him heartily…heartily”!
- H.E. Card.
Zenon Grocholewski – 26.2.2011
The Iron Curtain
"When he was elected to the throne of St Peter, he
was well aware of the drama unfolding in the countries of the East (Eastern
Europe), of the massive Iron Curtain raised after the Second World War and
therefore felt a personal commitment to strive for freedom of worship. 'States
do not own their citizens…but exist to serve their citizens' Freedom of worship
is as essential as all other freedoms". H.E. Card. Angelo
Sodano – 25.2.2011
Through
this decision the College of Cardinals had shown its intention to change the
Church's course…. It was a brave decision and intended to bear much fruit.
The Pontificate of the New
Evangelization
Pope John Paul II - 22.10.1978
"Do not
be afraid!
Open your doors to Christ!
To His saving power.
Open state borders,
economic systems as well as political ones,
the vast fields of culture,
civilisation, development.
Do not be afraid!"
Pope John Paul II
22.10.1978
Frank Zammit interviewing His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano
This great pope evangelized the world through his
writings, through the encyclicals he wrote during his pontificate, through the
messages given during audiences he held, through visits to over a hundred
countries as well as through his example.
His evangelization was Christo-centric, based
exclusively on Christ and the Gospels.
His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano
"Above
all else, it was for me the Pontificate of the New Evangelization. He had
realised that in Europe, in America and other Western countries, the Gospel of
Christ had to be proposed anew….Hence the New Evangelization….Announcing Christ
to the world today.” H.E. Card. Angelo Sodano 25.2.2011
This was evident in his inaugural speech on the 22
of October 1978 when he had invited us 'To open, indeed to open wide our doors
to Christ and not to be afraid of His power. To open also the doors of our
states, to open also the doors of the economic, political, cultural and
development systems of the world to Jesus Christ.' He had ended his speech
recalling that only Christ knows human hearts and minds. Only He has the words
of life, indeed of eternal life!
Pope John Paul II signing "Centesimus Annus"
In all his encyclicals his commitment to
Christological humanism radiates unmistakeably, a love for Jesus Christ and a
profound respect for human dignity. His passion to plumb the depths of human
profundity allowed him to encounter and engage directly with modernity. Among
the 14 encyclicals which are his legacy to us one cannot fail to mention four which
articulate this omnipresent theme to a higher degree: ‘Redemptoris Hominis’,
‘Veritatis Splendor’, ‘Evangelium Vitae’, as well as ‘Centesimus Annus’ which
expresses his social doctrine.
Wojtyla’s
Marian Devotion
Our Lady of Lourdes
'I used to see in him the profound thought of the
theologian and at the same time the simple spontaneity of child. At the same
time he was the person who prayed to Mary and trusted in her, familiar as he was with all of Mariological
theology, confident in her love and care as a son in his mother. It was
beautiful, splendid.' - H.E. Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
John
Paul II had a great devotion to Mary of Nazareth. He founded his Pontificate on
devotion to Mary.
Karol
Wojtyla stated it in this way: "From the first days following my election
to the papacy, I felt that I ought to imitate the Apostle Peter who in his time
liked to visit everybidy to confirm and consolidate life in the Church through
faith in the World.
To
respond to this call John Paul II made 246 journeys outside the Vatican, 144 of
them in various Italian dioceses as well as over 100 journeys outside Italy. During
many of these journeys he included visits to Marian shrines where he would halt
to pray to the Holy Virgin of Nazareth and seek her aid in dealing with the
challenges he faced.
Frank Zammit interviewing His Eminence Cardinal Camillo Ruini
"In fact in a poetic composition
from his youth entitled Magnificat, Mary's prayer, which Karol Wojtyla had
written when he was 18 and later published, he says that God is great in
carving out saints. God had carved a saint out of a tree trunk and that saint
was him. He was the boy who said that he had miraculously preserved his youth.
We can make out at once that John Paul II felt that his devotion wto Mary was a
gift through which he felt his call to sanctity. We can also say that he became
aware of his call to sanctity before his call to the priesthood." H.E. Card. Camillo
Ruini 25.2.2011
The Servant of God Jan Tyranowski
Wojtyla's
Marian devotion stems from his childhood from is parents' example. It developed
further and continued to grow thanks to the help of a lay person, a tailor by
the name of Jan Tyranowski, whom the Pope later described a a man of great
spiritual wealth.
The Black Madonna
Karol
Wojtyla had developed a bond with the Virgin of Nazareth which became an
essential part of his personality. He
began to love the Madonna when he was just a child thanks to his mother, who,
like many Poles, felt a strong devotion to the Mother of God.
In
his book 'Crossing the Treshold of Hope', John Paul II explains that he was
drawn to Marian shrines from his childhood. He would be taken to these holy
places by his mother. He recalls the Madonna of Perpetual Succour at Wadowice,
the sanctuary at Kalwaria and the Jasna Gora shrine of the Black Madonna.
After
the loss of his mother his devotion to Mary continued to intensify. According
to some observers it was then that he prayed the Madonna to grant him the
affection he had just lost through his mother's death.
Speaking
of his youth he points out that his vocation to the priesthood itself had a
strong Marian element.
Marian
devotion was a principal element of Karol Wojtyla's clerical activities. When
we was appointed bishop at the age of 38, he was asked to choose a motto for
his crest. The one he chose was "Totus Tuus" over a cross and the
letter M meaning 'utterly yours' and giving expression to the Marian devotion
inculcated in him by Jan Tyranowski who had told him of the writings of St
Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort and of his motto Totus Tuus. Id-devozzjoni Long
before he was called to be bishop Wojtyla had already made this phrase a common
place in his writings, in correspondence, in his exhorations.
His Eminence Cardinal Camillo Ruini
"This phrase expresses the Pope's
profound soul. The Pope believed that when he gave himself to Mary and accepted
her gift , through whom God had brought about the humanity of Christ, he could
gain a better approach to God. In this way he established a better relationship
with the Son of God, the Son of Mary who is Jesus Christ. In this way he
achieved his preparation for his destination, the Christian vocation." H.E. Card. Camillo Ruini 25.2.2011
Totus Tuus: He inscribed it on the walls of the Vatican
Once
he was elected pope he inscribed it on the walls of the Vatican
He consecrated the World to the Sacred Heart of Mary
It
was 33 months after his election that he consecrated the world to the Sacred
Heart of Mary precisely in Pentacoste, on the 7th of June, 1981.
He
had offered her all that that humanity could offer her:
The
generosity and the enthusiasm of youth;
The
pain of the sick;
The
collective good example of families;
The
weariness of those who labour and the anxiety of the unemployed;
The
solitude of the elderly;
The
sadness of those who seek the true meaning of existence;
The
sincere contrition of sinners;
The
meaning and hope of those who discover the love of the Father;
The
faithfulness and dedication of those who expend their energies in apostleship.
On
this occasion he had written a prayer which he had entitled 'The Act of
Entrustment of the World to Our Lady '. This event was celebrated in the
basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the 1600th anniversary fo the
first Council of Constantinople and of the
1550th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus.
All
his life he prayed to the Madonna:
To
transform humanity into courageous witnesses of Christ;
To
let civil society to experience the progress of solidaity;
So
that civil society strive with a keen sense of justice and that it continues to
grow in brotherhood;
To
help us all to raise our hope horizon to Heaven's eternal reality.;
John
Paul II also entrusted the Church into the care of Our Lady;
For
it to be a worthy witness in proclaiming the Gospel;
To
brighten the face of her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Months
later he had obliged the Secretariat of State to reveal the Third Secret of
Fatima….Wojtyla was also utterly grateful to the Mother of God who saved his
life on the 13th of May 1981 when Mehmet Ali Agca shot at him while
he was meeting the faithful before the Wednesday Audience in St Peter's Square.
He
had donated the bullet which Agca shot at him and which had been surgically
extracted from him to Our Lady of Fatima. It was eventually placed in her
crown.
All
his life he lived the spiritual reality of Our Lady as though it was a physical
reality. For him Our Lady was a physical person and thought of her as though
she were a member of his family. He was not only devoted to her but enamoured
of her personality and he lived this thought most intensely.
Terror in St Peter’s Square – 13th
May 1981
‘Nobody thought an attempt would be made
on the life of an innocent man, a man of peace and above all in St Peter's
Square.
Yes, I remember because I certainly can
never forget it! It has entered my mind, my memory, my head. Above all
Providence! What could Man have done?' H.E. Cardinal Stanislaw Dsiwisz 7.9.2011
Frank Zammit with His Eminence Cardinal Stanislaw Dsiwisz
Thirty
years have gone by since the attempted assasination of John Paul II. It was
precisely on the 13th of May 1981 when Pope Wojtyla emerged onto St Peter's Square
He
shook the hands outstreched towards him. At one point he even lifted a little
blonde girl, embraced an kissed her before giving her back to her mother.
The attack on the Pope: 13th May, 1981
Suddenly
a pistol was seen above the crowd pointed at the Pope and two shots were heard.
The sound of frightened pigeons taking flight occupied the first few seconds of
complete disbelief at what had just happened.
The
first shot broke one of the Pope's fingers and entered his abdomen while a
second shot struck his jaw and ricocheted to wound two bystanders.
It
was nineteen minutes past five of an afternoon to be recorded in the history of
humanity.
The Pope being assisted by his secretary and faithful friend Don Stanislaw
‘It was impressive that he was seriously
wounded. He was going to die. As he started his journey to the hospital I heard
him forgive his assailant. He forgave him! And prayed for him for as long as he
could because on reaching the Gemelli Hospital he lost consciousness.' H.E. Card. Stanislaw
Dsiwisz 7.9.2011
The operation lasted over five hours. The shot had damaged several
of his internal organs.
‘He lost a lot of blood….the plan had
been to kill him. There were very difficult moments during the operation. Hist
doctor came to tell that the situation was very delicate.. his heartbeat was
hardly audible. His blood pressure dropped drastically and he had bled
profusely. Many many problems.’ H.E. Card. Stanislaw
Dsiwisz 7.9.2011
The arrest of Mehmet Ali Agca
Within minutes of the attack, the would-be assassin was caught by
a nun who was assisted by the crowd. He was a Turk, Ali Agca, involved with the
Grey Wolves, an extreme Left terrorist group also involved in drug trafficing.
Agca had already been condemned to death in his absence by a
Turkish court after being found guilty of the murder of the editor of the
Turkish newspaper Milliyet which two years previously had published a letter
from Agca threatening to kill the Pope if he did not cancel a proposed visit to
Turkey.
Two years later two days after Christmas 1983 John Paul II visited
Agca in prison to grant forgiveness to one who had wanted to eliminate him from
this earth. The two men spoke alone for a long time and it remains unknown to
this day what was said.
‘The attempt was intended to kill him.
The bullet went right through his body. He was a man of mysteries…great
mysteries but protected. Guarded by God an Our Lady to whom he was so devoted.
He was saved by God through the
intervention of Our Lady of Fatima as he later said.' H.E. Card. Stanislaw
Dsiwisz 7.9.2011
Agca was subsequently condemned to life imprisonment by the
Italian courts for having attempted to kill a foreign Head of State. In 2000
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi had granted an amnesty to Agca who was
immediately extradited to Turkey
Pope John Paul II visited Mehmet Ali Agca in Rebibbia Prison
On two separate occasions, the first of which five days after the
attempt on his life while he was recovering at the Gemelli Hospital and
reciting the Angelus broadcast to St Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II had
said; "I pray for my brother who attacked me and whom I have sincerely
forgiven".
He repeated these words of forgiveness to Agca when he visited him
in Rebibbia prison in Rome, on the 27th of December 1983.
For
several years investigations were carried out in order to establish who had
been behind the cowardly attempt on the Pope's life. The prime suspects were
the secret services of a number of Eastern European countries.
Wojtyla : Christ's Wanderer
Liverpool
Throughout his pontificate John Paul II served a pilgrim's
vocation, he was the Catholic Church's globetrotter. All it takes is a few
statistics to realise the extent of this part of his earthly mission:
In 104 journeys outside Italy, leaving aside the 144 voyages
within Italy, Pope Wojtyla visited 129 countries in just over 26 of his
Pontificate, a distance equivalent to three times for the Earth to the Moon or
30 times around the earth.
According to precise Vatican statistics, John Paul II
travelled for 1,247,613 Km
Frank Zammit interviewing His Eminence Cardinal Ennio Antonelli
"Certainly his
Apostolic journeys at once so numerous and stimulating drawing the Christianity
towards the Pope pass into history, don't they? He is the shepherd of the whole
Church but it became a stirring experience,,,,, I once heard at a dinner at
Orvieto that his plan was, as Bishop of Rome to visit all the parishes in his
diocese, s Primate of Italy to visit al Italian Dioceses and then all the nations of the world. ….And he hoped
to complete this in a further three of four years. He did not quite
succeed….only nearly. So this has great importance for unity in the Church and
for the missionary momentum which he managed to transmit in local Churches”. H.E. Card. Ennio Antonelli
25.2.2011
A stamp commemorating the visit of John Paul II visit to the Domenican Republic
His first journey coming just 3 months from the commencement
of his Petrine Service on 25th January 1979 was to the Dominican Republic , Mexico
and the Bahamas
His final voyage, a little over a year before his death, took
him to Lourdes
Between these two voyages John Paul II had made close
acquaintance with much of the world. From Pakistan
to S.Africa, from Papua New Guinea
to the Solomon Islands , to Alaska , Bangladesh ,
Armenia , the Seychelles several times revisiting Latin
America, Europe and the United
States
His last journey in Berne, Switzerland 2004
Some destinations remained off limits to the globetrotter
Pope who on returning to Muaritius once said that he travelled so much in
response to the challenge to the Church made by the Holy Spirit in Vatican
Council II. His journeys had two contrasting sides to them. He was glad to
respond to the crowds who flocked to meet him but then found the occasion for
profound solitary prayer as at the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem or at
Lourdes when he asked those who journeyed with him to allow him a time of
silent prayer in the cave of the apparitions to be alone before the Mother of
God.
However John Paul II never managed to visit Russia
John Paul II will be remembered particularly for his personal
style. He always expressed himself by seeking direct contact with people. He
visited every country that invited him including thise where Christians are in
a minority such as Thailand
He did so because he wished to share with the world's people
his vital conviction, his faith in Jesus Christ.
Pope John Paul II during a flight
He wanted to stay in touch with local Churches in order to
urge them to respond to the call to sanctity. He wanted to spread the Good News
particularly in the continents which had not yet heard it especially in Asia
and Africa . While it is true that Christianity
has a historical tradition in the West thus should not be taken to mean that
His following is still numerous.
The world's population has reached the 6 billion mark. So far
2 billion have heard the Good News, another 4 billion await it still.
Pope John Paul II and Social
Communication
The preaching of Jesus to his apostles
Just as Jesus Christ
had urged his Apostles to use the means available to them to comunicate his
message, pastoral service today requires the Lord's servants to make use of
available technologies and instruments to reach all humanity.
Pope John Paul II made it clear from the first
days of his pontificate that he had understood that the proclamation of the
Gospels demanded effective and respectable forms and strategies of
communication which could stir hearts and lead human consciousness just as the
Risen Christ when accompanying the apostles towards Emmaus had made them
realise the joy in their hearts through the gentleness of his words and
ultimately who He was.
The Polish Pope therefore decided that the
proclamation of the Gospels should be done in new ways even if they did not
please everybody.
In fact one of the major revolutions John Paul II
brought about in the early years of his pontificate, was his own and the
Church's opening up to the international media. He chose and was assisted in
this task for more than 22 years by a Spanish surgeon.
What did Pope John Paul II do?
He had made his choice. He had cast his eye of
the special correspondent for the Eastern Mediterranean
of the Spanish newspaper ABC. He want his assistance inimproving the
communication of the Church. How did he contact him.
Frank Zammit interviewing H.E.Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls
“One day I
had a telephone call, I was at work at my office. The message was clear: I was
to dine with the Pope between midday and half past one. I asked my secretary to
check it up because I suspected that someone may be playing a trick on me. I
was wrong. It was true.
We dined
together. He asked me to make some suggestions, to give him some ideas on how he
could improve the system, the communication mechanism I of the Holy See in the
media in order to allow him to communicate better the universality of human and
Christian values for which the Pope felt responsible.
That's how
it all started. Some time later I was informed that the Pope had nominated me
Director of Information to the Holy See. I hesitated to accept because I was
aware of the heavy responsibility which was knocking on my door. But in the end
I accepted it. I thought that I would work for two or three years but instead
it lasted 22 years. But that's how it all started”. H.E. Prof. Joaquin
Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
Pope John Paul II with Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls
During his pontificate Pope John Paul II became a
global figure also due to the fact that he knew how to maximise his use of the
media whether television, radio or internet.
In Poland, Malta or other countries, wherever the
Pope set foot, media activity would be altered. The combination of technology
and theology made him the Pope closest to the media community in the history of
the papacy.
Instead of antagonizing the media as some public
personalities do, this Pole used the media to transmit his message.
Undoubtedly previous popes used various means of
communication but John Paul II was the first pope to understand completely that
the Church had a great opportunity to reach everybody through the media.
In 1987 about one billion people in 16 countries
II by means of 23 satellites followed John Paul in what was entitled 'A Prayer
for World Peace.'
Later that year he stole the show when from a
theatre in Hollywood he held a conversation with thousdands of young people
from 4 cities thanks to satellite communication.
Navarro-Valls: Assisting the Pope during a flight
What was Professor Navarro-Valls's strategy?
‘In
communication you are either proactive or you are restricted to a purely
informative reaction policy… this is a losing strategy.
Public
opinion is a highly complex subject and at the same time simply a large empty
container. What is important is who first places ideas in it since afterwards
others will follow. So the big issue was Do we have something to say? And this
pontificate had plenty to say. So let us say it proactively!' The result was
the fascination public opinion had for John Paul II anf for the values of this
pontificate which accompanied him to the end, right up to his funeral’! H.E. Prof. Joaquin
Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
A collaborated that lasted twenty three years
During
his pontificate he published several books which were bestsellers. The Vatican
Among
his many achievements Pope John Paul II will be remembered as the media
friendly pope thus setting new standards for his successors.
The Blessed Pope John Paul II and Ecumenism
Quoting
from the Vatican Council II decree ‘Unitatis Redintegratio’ Pope John Paul II
decalres in his encyclical ‘Ut Unum Sint’ “the change of heart, the sanctity of
life as well as public and private prayer for the unity of Christians should be
considered the soul of the whole ecumenical movement and may also be called
spiritual ecumenism. He also says that love builds unity between individuals
and communities. If we love one another, we continue to deepen our union and to
perfect it. There can be no worthwhile ecumenism without a change of heart said
the Pope.
Pope John Paul II's encyclical: Ut Unum Sint
In
the same ‘Ut Unum Sint’ encyclical published in 1995 speaking of the Church of
Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople he writes that the
process he referred to could not have commenced without the valuable work of
his predecessors John XXIII and Paul VI on one hand and of the ecumenical
Patriarch Athenagoras I and his successors on the other.
On
the 31 of October 1999 the Catholic Church led by John Paul II also signed an
important declaration with the Lutheran Church after long years of ecumenical
meetings and theological discussions about the declaration of justification.
St Cyril and St Methodius
I cannot fail to mention here two ecumenical
events in which John Paul II was a protagonist: the Jubilee of 1984 celebrating
the eleventh centenary from the evangelization of St Cyril and St Methodius co
patrons of Europe and the proclamation of St Benedict as patron of Europe
together with the other two saints. The pope was undoubtedly instrumental in in
the continuation of dialogue between the Churches of East and West.
The
second event was the most telling gesture by Pope John Paul II for ecumenism
during his pontificate. It was addressed to non-Catholic Christians in the year
of the Great Jubilee when he had opened the door of the Basilica of St Paul
Fuori le Mura which door had been assigned the symbolic role of ecumenic door
of the Great Jubilee. Anglikan Primate John Carey and Metropolitan Athanasios
of the Ecumenic Patriarchate of Constantinople had helped the Pope open the
door in a novel liturgy which had never benn followed in any prior Roman Holy
Year. Twenty-two Churches and Confessional Denominations and Christian
Organizations from all over the world were represented on this occasion.
Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
During
the celebration Pope John Paul II had repeatedly asked for union among these
Churches. He said that he had heard the call several times during his
pontificate such as at Bucharest when he had been convinced that union
betweenChristian, Catholic, Orthodox, protestant and evangelical Churches was
possible….That day Wojtyla three times invoked the phrase 'unitate, unitate'
with great conviction that such a union need not remain on the far horizon.
John
Paul II's fervent search for Christian unity cannot be described without mention
of the jouneys he made to countries where the Christian Orthodox faith drew him
in an effort to re-open or consolidate the exchange with the sister Churches of
Catholicism.
Ecumenism
was in integral part of Wojtyla's Petrin Ministry. He spoke of ecumenism in his
Wednesday General Audiences, in his recitals of the Angelus on Sundays, in
meetings with bishops making their ad limina visits, in letters of
accreditation he would write to new ambassadors meeting him for the first time
as well as with members of other Churches he met in private audience.
Pope
John Paul II was the pilgrim of ecumenism. For him ecumenism was a permanent
vocation of the Catholic Church. Making personl meetings with orther Chuerches
and their religious leadership was always on the Pope's agenda when he made his
pastoral visits around the world.
The Blessed Pope John Paul II and
Inter-Religious Dialogue
Assisi 1986
In
April of the following year he had met in private audience with the members and
counsellors of the Secretariat for non-christian Denominations. He had later
renamed this this Secretariat The Pontificial Council for Inter-religious
dialogue.
‘I also include the dialogues, the
inter-religious dialogues, especially the inter-religious meeting at Assis. It
was a new activity, it was not a meeting to pray together but a time together
for prayer. Turning to God according to our various traditions..He saw in this
the possibilitiy of a collaborative dialogue, an imperfect union but respectful
of the diversity of the vaious traditions. Clearly thr Church proposed the
Gospels as it proposes to all the conversion to Our Lord Jesus Christ but in
all religions, in all men of goodwill the Lord is already at work.' - H.E. Card. Ennio
Antonelli 25.02.2011
That
day, he said: "Pope Paul VI who had established this Secretariat thereby
demonstrating his love for non-Christians, was no longer visibly amongst us. I
am convinced that there among you who wonder whether the new pope is inclined
to devote a similar level of attention to the world on n-n-Christian
religions." He answered this question emphatically in his first encyclical
redemptor Hominis which he published a month later in April 1979.
In
this encyclical he note that Vatican Council II had given is view of the world
as a map of various religions. He also spoke of the respect shown by Vatican
Council II towards other religions and there underscored his own thoughts on
the subject; that the non-Christian world is constantly before the Church and
before the pope. "We want to serve it (the non-Christian world) well.
In
various islamic countries and others of a different faith which he visited he
always showed the love he had for them when:
In
Turkey
In
1985 at the Casablanca Stadium he had addressed 80,000 muslim youth: "I
believe that we, Christians and Muslims should acknowledge joyfully the common
religious values we share and thank God for them.
In
January a year later, he had visited the monument to Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.
For a long time we was seen kneeling in prayer before the monument and when he
stood up he described Gandhi as the Apostle of Peace.
On
April 13th 1986 he made a historic visit to the Jewish Synagogue in Rome where
he was welcomed by the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community in Rome, Elio Toaf.
On
the 27th October that year, Pope John Paul II had had hosted in Assisi several
religious leaders, of whom some from non-Christian religions, to pray for
peace.. These religious leaders had gathered around the pope in great friendship,
fasted together and at the end of the gathering shared a meal together. The
Pope had again met with these religious leaders in Assisi
In
Sudan, in Benin, in Uganda in 1993. In Sudan John Paul II had said:" It is
necessary to talk about the problems concerning our relations with the
followers of a religion as numerous great as Islam." He had approached
them with an open mind seeking possible solutions.
In
2001 when visiting the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria : ‘ As members of a
unique human family and because we believe that we have an obligation to the
common good, to justice and solidarity, inter-religious dialogue can lead us
towards several instances of cooperation principally in helping the poor and
the suffering."
In al this, this son of Poland always sought
ways of building bridges towards union with everyone.
‘Another bridge he built regarding
inter-religious dialogue was the dialogue he loved to have with all humans of
goodwill…… I count this among the most important brindges he managed to build.’
H.E. Card. Ennio Antonelli 25.2.2011
Pope John Paul II and the Youth
Tor Vergata, Rome, 19th August2000: the
Pope prays with 2 million young people from all over the world at times he
appeared to be moved greatly during that Roman summer evening. As it drew to a
close Karol Wojtyla sand and danced with them despite the onset of Parkinsons
disease. The Pope was clearly ill but still full of a youthful enthousiasm.
This was one of the most powerful
images of the Polish Pope who always kept a special place in his heart for
young people whom he described as 'humanity's anchor of salvation.
"Why was
he the Pope of young people? Because throughout his earthly life he understood
young people. He loved them very much and trusted them. And young people
understood this. He became more a point of reference for them and not only a
focus of their sympathy and enthousiasm. One recalls tha World Youth Days….but
not only the World Youth Days… even now six years after his passing away I
believe that Pope John Paul II can be a great help to young people today…
primarily helping them to meet Christ and by meeting Christ to look forward
with hope and not fall prey to nostalgia.” - H.E. Card. Camillo
Ruini 25.2.2011
How can anyone forget, for example, the
thousands of young people who flocked to St Peter's Square on 2nd
April 2005 to sing and pray when John Paul II was travelling to his Father's
house?
John
Paul II and the Fall of Communism
Frank Zammit with Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski
"In
Poland they say that the Pope used to talk of communism but didn't understand
it. He had never understood how communism worked. But now a Pope from a
communist country had been chosen who knew how communism worked. From a
theoretical as well as a day-today perspective. he had lived it. There was a
time when they had denied him a passport, at the time the political authorities
were very much concerned. In truth this was only the beginning of a rebellion
against communism and it was practically the only workers' revolution carried
out not through negative words but through the Mass, through Our Lady, with the
Pope….I believe that Polish workers gave a splendid example. ".
"it
was the most important journey. Because a direct confrontation with communist
doctrine had taken place. The communists used to say that religion was
alienation oppressing the individual. They used to try to separate the
individual from religion to free him. Nevertheless, in Warsaw, the Pope
decalred that man withut Christ understood nothing…only Christ freed us…Christ
allowed us to perceive our individual personality.
Afterwards
at Gniezno, a historic and primary city of Poland, the first metropolis and
once more direct confrontation with all history." H.E.
Card. Zenon Grocholewski 25.02.2011
Just months after his election to the Papacy, in
1979 john Paul II had returned to his homeland in pilgrimage, to Poland where
he was given a memorable welcome by millions of Poles.
June 1979: His first journey to Poland
That day, although he had tried to avoid
confrontation with the Polish authorities, political observers noticed that
from his first step towards his native land he had begun to overcome the
censorship policy maintained by the Polish authorities.
He had ubderscored the need for cooperation between
the Church and State and that the State had to begin to respect individual dignity.
Frank Zammit with Cardinal Jose' Saraiva Martins, C.M.F.
"One
thing which used to impress me in John Paul II was his closeness to people. People
were to him the path of the Church. In his first encyclical 'Redemptor Hominis'
hes says that Man is the path of the Church….in fact John Paul II throughout
his pontificate was always close to people, next to people, to defend their
dignity, to defend their fundamental rights…inalienable and non-negotiable
rights.” H.E. Card. Jose’ Saraiva Martins’ C.M.F.
In that first 9-day voyage to Poland, he ws often
heard to invite the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth!
During the 80s the Pope kept a close watch on what
was going on in the countries of E.Europe under communist rule, while giving
his unfailing support to the trde union Solidarnosc let by Lech Walesa which
acted as the opposition to the communist government of Poland.
Pope John Paul II with Lech Walesa
"We
had been saying that we did not demand much, we wanted to be free, to work
hard, we wanted to feel that were were at home.” H.E. Lech Walesa
President Emeritus of Poland
It was a time of great political drama! Who would
have guess what the future held for the Soviet Union .
The seed of all this drama had been planted when the
Cardinal of Cracow, 58 –years-old, relatively unknown compared to other
cardinals who had entered the conclave as potential candidates, was elected
Pope.
Meanwhile towards the second half of the 80s, under
the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachov, there appeared the first signs of what the
Pope had told the Umbria
"In my
first meeting with him, a more private one, when I was making my first ad
limina visit to him as bishop of Gubbio, in 1985, I believe, Iwas very
impressed by an answer he gave to one of us, one of the Umbria Bishops(there
were seven or eight of us)..The Bishop of Perugia asked him what he thought of
Russia, the Soviet Union and with a serious face and great conviction told him
something like this:" the economic crisis will constrain Russia to change
its path so quickly and so profoundly that you cannot imagine". This was
in 1985 and several years before the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall." H.E. Card. Ennio
Antonelli 25.2.2011
"The next day I received a telephone call. They
told me what had happened. I told them: 'You have made the right choice because
how can you shoot a German who is crossing a frontier to meet Germans on the
other side?" H.E. Mikhail Gorbachov President
Emeritus of Soviet Union
“I remember
Gorbachov’s personal intervention....he ordered the Red Army
Stationed in
East Germany not to intervene. I remember that the Head of the
KGB station in
East Berlin was a certain Vladimir Putin. There was no
intervention by
the Soviets so the fall of the Berlin Wall took place normally.”
H.E.
Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
There began to show the first cracks in the Russian
leadership. Also thanks to the wisdom of President Gorbachov the antagonism
between Russia
One cannot forget when on the 20th of
February 1988, a red Army Choir had sung the Ave Maria in the Vatican before a
Polish Pope.
In 1988 Mikhail Gorbachov had permitted and promoted
the celebration in remembrance of the 1000 years of Christianity in Russia and
the Ukraine.
Although he was an atheist, Mikhail Gorbachev had
decided to legitimate the right to private worship in the Soviet Union.
Pope John Paul II with President Mikhail Gorbachov
Meanwhile Pope John Paul II began to show an
interest in meeting the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachov. It is said that first
contacts made to bring this meeting about were done by the former secretary of
State of the Holy See cardinal Agostino casaroli and the Principal Spokesperson
to the Holy See Professor Joaquin Navarro Valls.
'I was sent to Moscow a yesr before in 1988, with
Cardinal Casaroli to deliver a personal letter from the Pope to Mikhail
Gorbachov. Gorbachov received us in the kremlin when he was 'Absolute Power',
President of the Soviet Union, President of the Politburo and secretary General
of the Communist Party. I remember reading the Pope's message to Gorbachov, a a
long message covering several themes. He had promised to reply to the Pope…
Months later he had sent his reply, a long letter of seven pages to the Pope in
which he mentioned the possibility of him travelling to Rome to visit him. They
had a long meeting of two and a half hours which they began alone speaking in
Russian but then called in interpreters to help them. They both looked happy
and relaxed after this meeting.' - H.E. Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
Gorbachov says that at this meeting there had been
an emotional exchange. The Pope's first words were that he was very critical of
communism. The Soviet leader tells that the Pope alsi tried to discuss the Fall
of the Berlin
The Pope also asked Gorbachov to tell him what he
thought of the possibility of European unification and of the possibility of
the end of the Cold War.
John Paul II: "Europe needed to breathe from both its lungs"
Gorbachov says that he cannot forget what the Pope
told him about Europe;
The Pope told him that Europe needed to breathe from
both its lungs and could not continue to breathe from just one lung as it had
done until then.
'That evening I was dining with the Pope and I asked
him: 'Holy Father what impression did u make of Gorbachov? He told
me:'Gorbachov seems to be a man of principle. Naturally I asked
again:"What is a man of principle?" and he replied: "A man of
principle is a man who believes in a number of principles which he respects
such that he bears all their consequences even when these consequences are not
to his liking.
That is how the Pope saw Gorbachov. Naturally we
all know that it was thanks to this that the world changed, a historic change
which changed the lives of millions of people and above all what was miraculous
was that this change came about without bloodshed!' H.E.
Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
At that meeting the Pope had expressed concern and
criticised capitalism.
John Paul II ended his message to the Soviet Leader
by saying that he served no political party but God and that his aim was to
achieve the objectives he wanted to attain through his perestroika.
Gorbachov, at the end of his exchange with the Pope
said that he too had a criticism to make.
When the Pope and Gorbachov had come to the end of
their meeting, John Paul II told Gorbachov that he was praying hard for him.
the day after the meeting Mikhail Gorbachev had
flown to Malta to meet US President George H.W. Bush in the summit at which the
US and Russia had declared that they no longer considered one another as
antagonists and thus ended the Cold War.
The Berlin Wall
Regarding the fall of the Berlin wall I also have
the testimony of Cardinal Angelo Sodano who served John Paul II as his Secretary
of State.
Cardinal Sodano once told me that President
Gorbachov had told him that among the causes of the fall of the Berlin wall was
the work of Pope John Pual II in defence of human rights.
"The
fall of the Berlin wall, the fall of communism were thanks to him. I was always
impressed by the statement of the former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachov who
had told me that among the causes of the fall of the communism were the efforts
of Pope John Paul II mostly regarding human rights." H.E. Card. Angelo Sodano 25.2.2011
‘I remember....I remember indeed I was rather surprised that his
reaction was that he was not surprised by what had taken place!' H.E. Prof Joaquin
Navarro-Valls 29.9.2011
When he heard of the Pope's death, former Soviet
President Gorbachov, in sorrow at his great loss, had recalled how brave this
Pole had been in their first meeting. He also said that all that had taken place
had occurred through the will of God. Gorbachov had ended by saying that
Wojtyla had set a great example to everyone.
Pope John Paul II and the Feast of
Divine Mercy
Among
the thousands of personalities from every social level whose sainthood the Roman
Catholic Apostolic Church has recognised, during the pontificate of Pope John
Paul II, we find that of Sr Faustina Kowalska a Polish nun from Cracow.
The Feast of the Divine Mercy
‘St Faustina Kowalska was one of the
most extraordinary figures, the most significant, the most fascinating of
contemporary Christian hagiography. Sr Faustina was defined in various ways,
such as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, as the prophet of our times, as a mystic
and teacher of spirituality.
The writing of Sr Faustina for the depth
of her union with God and also for the mystery of Divine Mercy for mankind.' - H.E. Card. Jose’
Saraiva Martins, C.M.F.
St Faustina Kowalska
”After almost two thousand years
almighty God chose to remind the world of His Mercy. I believe that through
this devotion which today is worldwide, The Pope, today the Blessed John Paul
II wanted to remind us of hope. Not only of hope on this Earth but also of hope
in the next world. Tha God forgives all our sins; that God through His Son
prepared a place for us in Heaven. To receive this place we must be saints in
this world. Close to God we are baptised.” H.E.
Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski 29.9.2011
Karol
Wojtyla first heard the name of this nun from a seminarist colleague of his at
the clandestine seminary they attend years before he was ordained priest. He
had been told about Sr Faustina, the Polish mystic who received messages
directly from Jesus Christ about his mercy.
This
young seminarist would later be known as Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur, who was
a close frined of Pope Wojtyla and one of his closest collaborators during his
pontificate.
Deskur
who passed away in September2011 , and
who lived at the Vatican was a primary source of information about Sr Faustina
and was instrumental in her cause for sainthood.
In
evidence given many years ago by the Superior General of the Congregation of
the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Sr Pauline Slomka had revealed that when he
was a priest and also when he was Bishop of Cracow, Karol Wojtyla would often
visit the convent where Sr Faustina had died and was buried.
A very young Wojtyla and Deskur
‘The relationship between Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Deskur was
one of close friendship, of profound mutual respect.' H.E. Card. Jose’
Saraiva Martins, C.M.F. 29.9.2011
‘Because we know that Sr Faustina was
not a theologian but had been given the grace to be a mystic, to talk to Jesus
Christ and Pope John Paul II who had such a devotion for Sr Faustina proclaimed
he Blessed and sainted her. All this saint had said in simple words, the Pope
wrote with thieological profundity in the document 'Salvifici Doloris'. It is
the first document in history dealing with this sense of suffering.' - H.E. Archbishop
Zygmunt Zimowski 29.9.2011
But
what was John Paul II's relationship to Divine Mercy?
In
Rome a few hundred metres from St Peter's Square one finds a sanctuary properly
dedicated to Divine Mercy, a temple dedicated to the Holy Spirit in Sassia. The reliquary of Sr Faustina Kowalska
is preserved there, that of the propagator of Jesus of Mercy who was of Polish
nationality and was the first saint canonized in the third millennium.
John Paul II's encyclical "Dives in Misericordia"
John
Paul II wrote the encyclical Dives in Misercordia, the second of his
pontificate which is wholly intended to spread the message of this Polish nun.
He proclaimed he a saint on the 30th of April 2000.
He
tells us that when preparing this encyclical Pope John Paul II had meditated
for long and was close to this nun he so wished to canonise.
On
the 10th of April 1991 before the Church had recognised the
beatification of Sr Faustina, Pope John Paul II had spoken about this nun. He
had shown the great respect he had for her, again referred to the encyclical
Dives in Misericordia and emphasised the role to promote the message of God's
mercy for the world.
The
words of the encyclical Dives in Misericordia are particularly close to us. The
remind us of the figure of this servant of God, Sr Faustina Kowalska. This
simple religious woman had delivered the message of Easter, of Christ's mercy
closer to Poland and to the rest of the world.
“And
to day asks the Pope?”, the Pope asks, is it not necessary to translate the
words of the gospel to the language of today's generation? "Happy are
those who are merciful for they shall shall be granted mercy!”
It
was on the Feast of Divine Mercy on Saturday 18th April 1993 that Sr faustina
Kowalska was beatified by Pope John paul II in St peter's Square. He had
started the homily with a quotation from her diary:
“I
certainly feel that my mission does not end with my death, but begins with
it", "And so it was" said the Pope: "Her mission continues
and bears innumerable fruits. It is a marvel how her devotion to the Divine
Mercy is spreading through the contemporary world and is winning so many huma
hearts."
Sr Faustina Kowalska was canonised by John Paul II on 30th April 2003
In
one of his homilies, Pope John Paul II had repeated for three times that Sr
Faustina Kowalska was a gift from God for our times. Through this message Sr
Faustina had built a bridge for the third millennium of Christianity.
He
exhorted everyone to raise their voice as one for Our lady, the Divine Mercy
and with Sr Faustina who had made her life a hymn of mercy.
When
the beatification of John Paul II took place on this feast day it had a great
significance as Fr Joseph Barth, rector of this sanctuary explains while
emphasising the intense bond of John Paul II to Divine Mercy.
The diary of St Faustina Kowalska
“John Paul II, because he was linked
from his youth to Sr Maria Faustina Kowalska made of this message a key, the
image of his pontificate as he had said himself. So when he had come here after
he was elected Pope we can say and we must say that he brought in his heart the
wish that here, within a few metres of him, the devotion to the Divine Mercy
should continue to grow.” Fr Joseph
Barth
The Great Jubilee and the call for forgiveness
asked by Wojtyla
The opening of the "Porta Santa" Basilica San Paolo fuori le Mura
Even
giants ask for forgiveness also because they are aware that at some point history will judge them. The
Pope who had come from afar was prepared to ask forgiveness for various
mistakes the Church had committed in the course of history. The first open
wound which John Paul II wanted to see healed bore the name Galileo Galilei. He
announced that he wanted the issue revisited during an event at the Pontificial
Academy of Science commemorating Albert Einstein in 1979.
John
Paul II did not mince his words: "The greatness of Galileo is known to
everybody but he was made to suffer because of many spersonalities and
structures within the Church. As was was done by Vatican Council II I invite
theologians, scientists and historians to re-examine Galileo's case with regard
to the affront he had suffered hundreds of years ago."
Galileo Galilei
Let
us see what Cardinal Poupard and Gianfranco Ravasi had to say on this issue.
"This case became a weapon against
the Church, a Pope John Paul II said so well, it was important to learn from
this bitter experience the source of all the mea culpas. That is what was
done." H.E.
Card Paul Poupard
"On the other hand since the
Galileo case there can now be made a constant appeal for productive dialogue
between science and the faith". H.E. Card. Gianfranco Ravasi
Pope John Paul II
The
Year of the Great Jubilee arrived and John Paul II did not stop there.
He
asked for forgiveness to all who had suffered from all so called
"Holy" wars, he condemned the crusades.
He
asked for forgiveness to all who had suffered at the hands of the inquisition.
When
visiting Cameroon
Addressing
the European Parliament in Strasbourg, John Paul II formally condemned medieval
integralism which many popes of that era had endorsed.
These
requests for forgiveness by John Paul II in the name of the Catholic Church
reached their highest level during the Great Jubilee of 2000.
That
celebration on the Day dedicated to Forgiveness had taken place at the Pope's
behest as a powerful sign in the Year of the Great Jubilee having the nature of
a moment of conversion.
John
Paul II had said:: As the Successor of Peter, in this year dedicated to mercy,
I pray that the Church strengthened by the holiness it received from God kneels
before God and asks His forgiveness for the sins of his children committed in
the past and in the present. Everybody errs and nobody may feel justified
before Him."
John Paul II – The Sufferer in Suffering
Through his words and his deeds he taught us and gave us great
things but he lesson he gave us from his Chair of Suffering and Silence was no
less.
Here we recall the image of John Paul II embracing the crucifix in
his last Via Crucis in 2005, a picture of frailty, just a few days before he
started on his final journey.
"Totus Tuus" in the highest level
‘The Pope
asked Monsignor Stanislaw Dsiwisz to hand him the crucifix…for a few seconds.
The Pope took the crucifix in his hands, kissed it and embraced. He placed it
very close to his heart. Nobody noticed these few seconds.' Dr Arturo Mari
Official Papal Photographer
“Just as we truly acknowledged the
holiness of this man burdened by suffering, crushed by suffering, still what
always struck me in his spirituality was his consacration to Jesus Christ
through Mary and that he took up those two words of his consacration to Mary
from St Louis Marie grignon de Montfort, Totus Tuus, All Yours, and not only in
words (because you can say many things in words as we know) but through his
life, through the way he greeted people, through the way he gave his life to
everyone to the end, he told us 'I belong not only to Jesus'. He said that
Totus tuus not only to Jesus but to all humanity. Which meant that Pope
Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, could tell everyone that I am all yours, all for
you' That is what really struck me about him.” H.E.
Msgr Charles J. Scicluna Auxiliary Bishop of Malta 25.2.2011
This
journey now will take us to his bedroom in his last day on Earth.
“On the last day, in the last hours, the
last day, he was conscious. He knew of the last morning of his last Saturday.
That Saturday we said Mass. I had presided over the celebration…….over all the
praying he did every morning …. his meditiation.
After Greeting Cardinal Ratzinger who
was the Dean of the College of Cardinals and some other co-workers….in the
paternoon he wanted to prepare himself…to prepare himself because he was aware
that he neared the end of his life!
He asked us to read the Holy Scripture
which he was used for reading. He used to pray through Holy Scripture. A
priest, a professor read him nine chapters of the Gospel of St John. He
prepared himself in this way.
And so we too thought of saying Mass
dedicated to Divine Mercy…on Saturday evening. And we have him a few drops of
Christ's blood on his tongue. After Mass we gave him Extreme Unction and thus
slowly, he died!” H.E. Card. Stanislaw Dsiwisz 7.9.2011
John Paul II was proclaimed dead on Saturday 2, April 2005 at 9.37pm
“My dearest bretheren, at thirty-seven
minutes past nine, our dearly beloved Pope John Paul II returned to his
Father's house.” H.E. Archbishop Leonardo Sandri
2.4.2005
John Paul II's last lesson to humanity was through his example to
show us that suffering has a meaning.
‘We relived the Passion of Our Lord Jesus
Christ through the Passion of the Vicar of Christ…" H.E. Card. Sergio
Sebastiani
He left us the interpretation of his suffering which was no
theological or philosophical theory but a personal experience pf suffering
which grew with him through his pontificate, always aided by the great faith he
had in the Christ crucified on Golgotha.
“At that moment I relived and saw the
greatness of John Paul II… he was conscious to the end and never took his gaze
from the picture of the crucifix…the room was full of light and there was no
sense of time and space. To the end one could hear, through the window, the
sound of singing and praying of young people in the square. It was a moment I
will never forget.” Dr Rita Megliorin – Nursing Officer
– Gemelli Hospital
“But I say that he gave great dignity to
death. He used to say that death was just a passage to eternal life. He was so
aware of those passing from one life to the next. The Pope was assisted by the
young people and the crowd which prayed for him filling St Peter's Square.” H.E. Card. Stanislaw Dsiwisz 7.9.2011
Once more, almost twenty-seven years of pontificate, fourteen
encyclicals, hundreds of apostolic exhorations, more than a hundred journeys
around the world, thousands of speeches on the Pope suffering and embracing the
cross, Totus Tuus at the highest level. The highest experience to which a
christian may aspire.
In
this simple phrase lies the reason why John Paul II must remain in the heart of
mankind.
“Everybody
felt that an extraordinary personality had passed away…extraordinary…on a world
level and not for some three months….for twenty-seven years….almosy
twenty-seven years. It was a long period of coherence and in almost every mind
the thought was strengthened that this Pope was a saint.” H.E. Card. Zenon Grocholewski
26.2.2011
The
Beatification Process
H.E. Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B. with Frank Zammit
"The
miracle as you know, was extraordinary because this nun was, this French nun
was ill, the doctors had said so and not just her own doctor but also some
specialists. She had Parkinson's disease for the last five years and was being
treated according to diagnosis with medicines which did not eliminate the pain
but only relieved it and which did not cure the disease but only controlled it
to slow down its course. This nun was a nurse and therefore was competent in
this reality, this kid of illness. On the 2nd of June 2005 this nun
could bear it no longer. She could not keep on working. Marie Pierre could no
longer serve in her profession as a nurse and told her superior that she could
no longer work. Her Superior told her to keep on working and to pray for the
intercession of the Pope who had just died in 2005. "Let us pray….Let us
pray to him who also used to suffer from Parkinson's and hope that he will rid
her of this disease." He had died just two months before…. They prayed and
the next day Sr. Marie Pierre woke up frre of pain, without restrictions, there
was no sign left…she felt freed…so what did she do?....She went to specialists,
to her own doctor et etc.. who all confirmed a diagnosis of complete cure.
That's all." H.E. Card. Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
The
beatification of Karol Wojtyla better know and Pope John Paul II 'The Great'
was a sign of the depth of his faith and an invitation to the faithful to live
a totally Christian life.
Cardinal Jose' Saraiva Martins describes how the beatification
process evolved in its first two years
H.E. Cardinal Jose' Saraiva Martins, C.M.F.
"Yes…
very gladly, I also had the privilege to be the one to start this process of
beatification immediately after the Pope had dispensed with the five year
requirement after death in order to initiate a process of beatification. The
Pope made his dispensation on the 3rd of May 2005 and after, on the
9th of May, I as the Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of
Saints, signed the official decree to immediately initiate the local diocesan
phase of the process of beatification that is to say in Rome and in Cracow My
decree was the forst official announcement, so much so that that on the 13th
of May the Pope had announced to the Roman clergy in a meeting with them about
the beatification of John Paul II. How had he announced it? He read my decree..
The Pope was with Cardinal Ruini but Pope Benedict XVI announced it by reading
my decree.. where I had said that the cause should stat at once….So this was
wonderful news…Afterwards, under my guidance the whole local diocesan phase was
developed over about two years. Between 2005 and 2007.. It ended when I was still
prefect and therefore I had signed another decree…I had approved all the
research done in those two years.. So for me it certainly was a grace, a privilege, from the official beginning of the process accompanying
also in the fundamental diocesan process." H.E. Card. Jose’ Saraiva
Martins, C.M.F.
"Saints
are those people who are most human. Humanity above all…saintliness is the
fulfilment of humanity. Saints are those who live their humanity profoundly…We
say for example that Jesus was the perfect human…a saint….why? Because he was
saintliness itself…So these gifts were clearly in evidence in John Paul II who
had an extraordinary humanity arising from his sanctity which brought him very
close to mankind..I never tire of saying that sanctity is the fulfilment of
humanity." H.E. Card. Jose’ Saraiva Martins,
C.M.F.
H.E. The Auxiliary Bishop of Malta Msgr Dr Charles J. Scicluna
‘I was greatly impressed both by the
world's reaction to the death of Pope John Paul II, there was a unanimous
chorus from every culture and every sort of religion of every background and
every call of life who said the same thing "this was a special man" .
In the faith we call them heros of the faith, saints, but why? It was as though
the world acknowledged in John Paul II the true image of the Good Shepherd, who
when he needed to speak to us less than softly, was strong, he was not afraid
to tell us…" H.E. Msgr Charles J. Scicluna Auxiliary
Bishop of Malta 25.2.2011
H.E. Cardinal Camillo Ruini: A jojful memory, a joy for two reasons
"A
joyful memory, of joy for two reasons..It was the first meeting between Pope
Benedict XVI and the Roman clergy but it was also the day I learnt that the new
pope was going to announce a dispensation from the five year interval between
the death the beginning of a process of beatification and canonization. And so
that call which everybody remembers was: "Santo subito" (A saint at
once) was answered. It had been made by the crowd on the night when the Pope
had died, when Karol Wojtyla died. It was answered and channelled in to the
Church procedures which should properly be strict in ascertaining the candidate
who must pass through the process of beatification and canonization. H.E. Card. Camillo
Ruini
This
is what Monsignor Alfred Xuereb had to say…..
“First of all I am struck (by the fact)
that when I visit Malta, there are people who tell me to pray for a special
grace in their nam when I visit the Pope's grave, They would love to have at
least a day in Rome just to visit his grave and pray over it for this grace.
Several people have told me afterwards that they did receive the grace. I
remember two couples whose marriages I had celebrated and which both had
difficulties in having children. One of the women had been to the doctor with
her husband and had been told that she had a 1% chance of having a child. Her
sister had lost a child just a few weeks into the pregnancy and I think that
was for a second time. They both spoke to me of their great difficulties because
I had celebrated both their weddings. I had encouraged them to come to Rome
where I said Mass for them near his grave and then we went and prayed over his
grave… In fact, a few weeks later both were expecting a child. The one with one
per cent chance delivered a healthy boy with no difficulty and the other one
also took her pregnancy to term and had a baby boy. They now have a son each. A
wonderful experience which I have been able to tell the present Pope who has a
great love for John Paull II.
Cardinal
Angelo Amato explains where the process had reached when he was nominated to
the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
"At that point the process was well
advanced, the position was being prepared. Perhaps I had better explain what
the position is. The position is the collation of three volumes which together
describe the life and evidence of heroism of virtue of the person in question,
in this case the Pope, Servant of God John Paul II. So, it is a sort of summary
of the Pope's virtues. So we had come to that point…..I must explain that in
this case there were two facilitations. The first facilitation was a derogation
granted by Pope Benedict XVI from the five year waiting interval such that this
process could and did start immediately. This was the first facilitiation. The
second, following from the first, was that this process was granted the fast
lane. There was practically nothing in front of it and nothing behind. It did
not have to wait… it was properly fasttracked….so every time one phase ended
the next one began immediately. the phases were as follows: on the 19th
of December 2005 the decree on heroism of virtue was made then the miracle was
examined by doctors and theologians for well over a year and as you well know,
at the beginning of this yeat precisely on the 14th of January 2011
a decree was made about the miracle which permitted progress to beatification
on 1st May 2011. So these were the phases. I repeat that the speed
of the phases was thanks to the two facilitations abovementioned. It also
depended on the Postulants filing the evidence in good time. However it was of
paramount importance that this process was not granted any discount, that is we
did not act superficially but with a high level of professionality also because
we were dealing with such a great figure and with procedural correctness since
were were dealing with such a great figure and we did not want to miss out any
required step. H.E. Card. Angelo Amato, S.D.B
It
ends with the final comments of the Postulator Monsignor Slawomir Oder about the
book on Pope John Paul II he published entitled ‘Why He is a Saint?'
Frank Zammit with the Postulator the Rev. Monsignor Slawomir Oder
"For me this book was like sharing
a spiritual adventure, yes it was a notebook of a spiritual journey which
served me well and therefore I did not wish to keep to myself the spiritual
wealth which was made up of a particular perspective of the vision of the
figure and the postulant. What one can certainly read in the book are simply
three aspects of his life: the man, the Pope, the Mystic. I think that each of
these three distinct aspects of the life og John Paul II provide a number of
little known elements about the figure of John Paul II. It was a pleasure for
me to describe his spiritual depth, the mystic aspect of his life, because he
was a man in love with Christ and all his life was nothing more than being
taken up by Christ to be given to his brethren." The
Rev. Msgr Dr Slawomir Oder
The Blessed Pope John Paul II: He still
lives amongst us!
John Paul II Centre "Do not be afraid!" in Krakow-Lagewnieki
Having
served the third longest pontificate in the history of the papcy, John Paul II
died in April 2005. He was beatified some months ago. Nevertheless, he will
live on with us in this life thanks to a project made by his Private Secretary
Cardinal Dsiwisz.
His Eminence Cardinal Stanislaw Dsiwisz - Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow
The
John Paul II Centre ' Do Not Be Afraid!' is a project which was formally inaugurate on
the 2nd of January 2006 by Cardinal Stanislaw Dsiwisz, Metropolitan of Cracow. On that day Karol Wojtyla's faithful servant
signed the decree establishing this centre and a public an ecclesial
organization to be governed by the Archdiocese of Cracow.
The
idea behind the centre was to create a living memorial to the life of this
personality and to the achievement of this Slav pope.
Frank Zammit at John Paul II Centre "Do not be Afraid!" in Krakow-Lagewnieki
It
is a living project in the teaching of the Nazarene which reminds us of when He
gave us the beatitutdes!
This
enormous project includes:
The John Paul II Home
A Centre for Science and Research
A Home for Youth Meetings
The International Home of the Pilgrim
A Centre for Volonteer
Services
A Centre for
Inter-religious Dialogue
A Retreat Home
And other Social
Service Centres
This
Pope's legacy is an inspiration for everyone regardless of one's religion. On
this aspect Cardinal Stanislaw Dsiwisz declared that the aim of this project is
to conserve the character of the Pope as he was, in his teaching, in his
poetry, in his sensitivity to beauty, but above all in his love for us all.
The
Centre will also be the final resting place of Polish Cardinal Andrzej Maria
Deskur whose remains were brought from Rome
The
name of the centre recalls a phrase uttered by the Pope in the beginning of his
pontificate on Sunday 22nd of October 1978: DO NOT BE AFRAID!
The Blessed John Paul II "The Great"
I leave you with
this beautiful prayer:
O Blessed Trinity, we thank You for having
graced the Church with Blessed John Paul
II and for allowing the tenderness of Your
Fatherly care, the glory of the Cross of
Christ, and the splender of the Spirit of love,
to shine through him. Trusting fully in
Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession
of Mary, he has given us a living
image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has
shown us that holiness is the necessary
measure of ordinary Christian life and is
the way of achieving eternal communion
with You. Grant us, by his intercession, and
according to Your will, the graces we implore,
hoping that he will soon be numbered
among Your saints. Amen.
With ecclesiastical approval
AGOSTINO CARD. VALLINI
Vicar General of His Holiness
for the Diocese of Rome
graced the Church with Blessed John Paul
II and for allowing the tenderness of Your
Fatherly care, the glory of the Cross of
Christ, and the splender of the Spirit of love,
to shine through him. Trusting fully in
Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession
of Mary, he has given us a living
image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has
shown us that holiness is the necessary
measure of ordinary Christian life and is
the way of achieving eternal communion
with You. Grant us, by his intercession, and
according to Your will, the graces we implore,
hoping that he will soon be numbered
among Your saints. Amen.
With ecclesiastical approval
AGOSTINO CARD. VALLINI
Vicar General of His Holiness
for the Diocese of Rome
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