Print Page - Pope John Paul II

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/2203/report_a_miracle_confirmed_for_john_paul_iis_canonization_process.aspx#.UXfl4r4o7IU

Report: A miracle confirmed for John Paul II’s canonization process
April 22, 2013 09:08 EST

Leading Vaticanista Andrea Tornielli reports today that the Vatican’s medical experts have approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, a major step forward for his cause for canonization.

Tornielli reports for La Stampa’s Vatican Insider:

It all happened in great secrecy, with maximum confidentiality. In January, the postulator of the cause, Mgr. Slawomir Oder, submitted a presumed miraculous healing to the Vatican Congregation for the Saints for a preliminary opinion. As it is known, after the approval of a miracle for the proclamation of a blessed, the canonical procedures include the recognition of a second miracle that must have occurred after the beatification ceremony.

Two doctors of the Vatican council had previously examined this new case, and both gave a favourable opinion. The dossier with the medical records and the testimonies was then officially presented to the Congregation, which immediately included the examination in its agenda. In the past few days it was discussed by a committee of seven doctors, the council (presided over by Dr. Patrick Polisca, Pope John Paul II's cardiologist), Pope Benedict XVI's personal physicians and now Pope Francis's. The medical council also gave a favourable opinion, the first official go-ahead by the Vatican, by defining as inexplicable the healing attributed to the intercession of the blessed Karol Wojtyla.
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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/wojtyla-wojtyla-wojtyla-24259/

04/22/2013
The Vatican doctors approve the miracle to make Wojtyla a saint

The medical council has recognized one healing as inexplicable If the theologians' OK were to arrive, John Paul would become a Saint only eight years after his death
Andrea Tornielli
Vatican City

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This is the overcoming of the first fundamental hurdle, given that the alleged miracle must now be approved by theologians and then by the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation, before being subjected to the Pope for the definitive "yes". In any case, the approval of the council is considered the most important step; in fact, neither the theologians nor the cardinals are involved in the clinical evaluations concerning the case.

From the steps taken, the desire of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to work quickly is evident, as it had already happened for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, celebrated by his successor Benedict XVI the 1st of May, 2011. This fast lane that continues to be open for Wojtyla indicates that even Pope Francis is in favour of the canonisation of the Polish Pope.

It is still premature to talk about dates for the canonization, but the rapidity with which the examination of the miracle process is happening still leaves open the possibility of celebrating it on Sunday October 20th, very close to the liturgical holiday assigned to the blessed Wojtyla, which is on October 22nd.

http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=50637

Pope John Paul II could be recognized as a saint in record time
4/23/2013

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - It's been officially recognized: the Vatican's medical experts have approved a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, a major step forward for his cause for canonization. Confirmed in high secrecy with the utmost confidentiality, a French nun's remarkable recovery from Parkinson's disease has been accepted by doctors as the first miracle attributable to the late pope.

According to information that has now been made public, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, 48, said that in 2005, just following the passing of Pope John Paul II, she asked her sisters to pray on her behalf. She said she wrote the pope's name on a piece of paper and when she awoke the next morning, she was cured.

The vetting process was secret, but what we now know is that in January, Mgr. Slawomir Oder submitted a second case of miraculous healing to the Vatican. The Congregation of the Saints investigated.

Doctors from the Vatican gave a favorable first opinion and follow-up work revealed the healing to show every sign of being miraculous. There was no medical explanation and no medical intervention that could have caused the healing. the woman who received the healing hasn't yet been named.
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For our Texas "guests" and monkeys...

http://amarillo.com/lifestyle/faith/2013-04-26/mike-haynes-exhibit-about-pope-john-paul-ii-worth-trip-lubbock

Mike Haynes: Exhibit about Pope John Paul II worth trip to Lubbock
Posted: April 26, 2013 - 10:38pm

No, we didn’t drive to Lubbock to see it. Kathy and I were in the Hub City for a rock concert and a leisurely weekend.

With time to kill on a Saturday afternoon, we ventured west from the Texas Tech campus, down Fourth Street to the Catholic Renewal Center.

We had been to the Buddy Holly Center and the Texas Tech Museum before, so an exhibit that had been open just a day sounded appealing.

My wife and I aren’t Catholic, but you don’t have to be one to appreciate this traveling display about the life of Pope John Paul II, who lived from 1920 to 2005 and was pope from 1978 to his death. All it takes is an interest in Christianity, history or current events. Or maybe, like me, you’d just like to see one of those tall, ornamented “pope hats” up close.

The exhibit is called “I Have Come To You Again,” and it’s in our neighboring city through May 31.
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Paul has been credited with strong political influence, including contributions to the end of the Soviet Union, and the tour includes photographs and documentation of the 1980s era in which he, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher pushed for freedom in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

Former President George W. Bush loaned a piece of the Berlin Wall for the exhibit, and I was surprised to learn that Reagan’s famous declaration to the Russians to “tear down this wall” had been suggested to the president by John Paul II.

Amid many photographic and artistic portraits of the pope is a section devoted to the 1981 incident when a Turkish gunman shot him four times in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Diagrams reminiscent of the Kennedy “magic bullet” theory show how a projectile made a dramatic turn away from John Paul’s heart.

When the pope later visited his attacker in prison to forgive him, the man asked, “Why aren’t you dead?” John Paul replied that the shooter’s hand had shot the bullet but that “it was a mother’s hand that guided the bullet’s path,” giving credit to the Virgin Mary.

We remember the kindly face of Pope John Paul II and the constant trips he made to 129 countries. The closest he came to the Texas Panhandle were his visits to San Antonio in 1987 and Denver in 1993, but he was familiar to most of us, Protestant, Catholic or otherwise.

His faith still can inspire.

http://www.gastongazette.com/news/local/today-in-history-pope-john-paul-ii-shot-1.142095

Today in history - Pope John Paul II shot
By The Associated Press
Published: Monday, May 13, 2013 at 06:49 AM.

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In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca (MEH'-met AH'-lee AH'-juh).
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http://www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/cathnews/fatima/popesecr.html

Pope Reveals Third Fatima Secret - MAY. 13, 2000

FATIMA, Portugal (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II has made public the famous "third secret" of Fatima.

The secret involves a vision of an assassination attempt on a Pope-- a vision that matches the attempted killing of Pope John Paul II himself on May 13,1981.
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-pope-john-paul-ii-close-to-being-declared-a-saint-8665688.html

Former pope, John Paul II, close to being declared a saint
Milan Wednesday 19 June 2013

The inexplicable recovery of a Costa Rican woman who had severe brain damage could be the second miracle that will ensure that the former pope, John Paul II, is declared a saint. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints announced that it had verified a second miracle by the late Polish pontiff that “would cause amazement”.

Il Giornale newspaper quoted Vatican sources as saying the event in question is the woman’s recovery. Further details of the alleged second miracle have not been released. It was claimed however, that the event represented a “double miracle” because in addition to the woman being cured, the wavering faith of the family was restored.

The apparent miracle took place on 1 May 2011, the day of John Paul’s beatification – the penultimate step before sainthood, for which another miracle is also required.
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Following the approval of the second miracle by the board of theologians, the next step in John Paul’s canonisation process will be verification by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints’ commission of cardinals and bishops, which is due to meet in the coming weeks. If they verify the miracle, it’s then up to Pope Francis to sign the canonisation decree and establish the date for the ceremony in St Peter’s Square, which is expected to be 20 October. This would fall close to the 35th anniversary of John Paul II’s election as pope.
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http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=18329

Miracle approved, canonization looms for John Paul II
July 02, 2013

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has approved a 2nd miracle attributed to the influence of Blessed John Paul II, according to multiple reports in the Italian news media.

The Congregation also reportedly approved a 2nd miracle attributed to the influence of Blessed John XXIII.

If the reports are accurate, and Pope Francis adds his approval, both former Pontiffs could be canonized before the end of this year.

The prelates who compose the Congregation met on July 2, with a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II reportedly on their agenda. The miracle had already been examined and tentatively approved by two panels of experts: one composed of doctors, the other of theologians. The prelates reportedly voted their final approval for the miracle.

The meeting’s agenda also reportedly included consideration of a miracle attributed to Blessed John XXIII. That miracle, too, was approved, sources said.

The Vatican has not announced the results of the July 2 meeting. The Congregation’s votes are technically secret, and do not officially take effect until the Pope authorizes the release of a decree. Cardinal Angelo Amato, the prefect of the Congregation, will meet with Pope Francis to present the vote for papal approval sometime in the near future.
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http://www.latintimes.com/articles/5895/20130702/pope-john-paul-ii-approved-vatican-sainthood.htm

Pope John Paul II Approved By Vatican For Sainthood; Pope Francis Must Sign Decree
Jul 02, 2013 02:38 PM EDT

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In order to become a saint the candidate must go through a lengthy process before the official decree is placed before the Pope.

First a candidate for sainthood has to have been dead for five years. Pope John Paul II bypassed that rule when Mother Theresa was nominated for sainthood. After the nomination, an investigation into the life of the candidate is launched. Following the Vatican's approval there must be a recognized and recorded miracle that cannot be explained away. This is known as Beatification.

During the process of Beatification catholiceducation.org says "A martyr may be beatified and declared blessed by virtue of martyrdom itself. Otherwise, the candidate must be credited with a miracle. In verifying the miracle the church looks at whether God truly performed a miracle and whether the miracle was in response to the intercession of the candidate saint."

Following Beatification, the candidate saint must be associated with a second miracle before the man or woman can be approved and canonized by the Pope.

In the case of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican recognizes two miracles relating to the healing of two women, one in 2005 the other in 2011.
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::MonkeyHeart::

http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/category/fr-thomas-rosica

What did we learn from World Youth Day?
August 1, 2013 by salt and light

(http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/John-Paul-cropped.jpg)

Thursday afternoon at the Vivo Rio English Welcome Centre, Fr. Thomas Rosica took some time away from managing the amazing live coverage of WYD by Salt + Light TV to say Mass for the Canadians gathered there. Nearing the end, he shared a quick story of his time after World Youth Day Toronto in 2002, where he was a key organizer.

In November of 2002, then-Pope John Paul II invited him and a few others to lunch. The Pope turned to Fr. Rosica at one point and asked him, “What did you learn from WYD?” After uttering an internal “Mama Mia!”, he responded to the man whom he loved and greatly respected:

“Holy Father, I thought before WYD that I was Catholic, but I really wasn’t. I became Catholic through the whole WYD experience. Because Catholic means a universal heart and a universal vision.”

Then, the Pope took Fr. Rosica’s hand and said “Bravo. You learned the most important lesson.”

Fr. Rosica then turned the tables on the Pope, who had created WYD, and asked “Why did you start this whole thing?”

The Pope smiled warmly and said, “I started it because I saw them so much alone. And I wanted them to know that they are not alone.”

“When we come to WYD as Pilgrims, we come from our parishes and our small groups,” Fr. Tom continued, to a rapt audience in Rio. “But then we come here and we see the flags and the millions of people and we can say ‘I am not alone.’”
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Video at the link

http://www.romereports.com/palio/october-22nd-last-celebration-of-john-paul-ii-as-a-blessed-english-11401.html#.Umaymr4o7IU

October 22nd: Last celebration of John Paul II, as a Blessed
2013-10-21 18:47:16

(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/o4kyf5Ya9Ak/hqdefault.jpg)

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At the end of September, Pope Francis announced that John Paul II will be canonized on April 27th. The miracle that gave way to his canonization took place in Costa Rica, the same day he was beatified. Since his beatification, a celebration is held every October 22nd to mark his life and his deeds.

The date coincides with the inaugural Mass at the very start of his pontificate. This October will be the last time John Paul II is celebrated as a Blessed, since by that time next year, he will be a Saint of the Catholic Church.

::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyMad::

Video at the link

http://www.smh.com.au/world/thieves-steal-pope-john-paul-iis-blood-20140128-hva4f.html
Thieves steal Pope John Paul II's blood
Date January 28, 2014 - 6:23AM

(http://images.smh.com.au/2014/01/28/5110559/1390850579093.jpg-620x349.jpg)
The container of Pope John Paul II's blood, stolen from a church in Italy. Photo: AFP

Rome: Thieves broke into a small church in the mountains east of Rome over the weekend and stole a reliquary with the blood of the late Pope John Paul II, a custodian said.

Dozens of police with sniffer dogs scoured the remote area for clues to what the Italian Catholic magazine Famiglia Cristiana called "a sacrilegious theft that was probably commissioned by someone".

Franca Corrieri told Reuters she had discovered a broken window early on Sunday morning and had called the police. When they entered the small stone church they found the gold reliquary and a crucifix missing.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25911872

27 January 2014 Last updated at 07:58 ET
Pope John Paul ll relic stolen from chapel in Italy

Italian police are hunting for a stolen holy relic that contains the blood of Pope John Paul ll.

It appears to have been taken during the burglary of a small chapel that was a place of special significance to the late Pope.

The church of San Pietro della Ienca lies in an isolated spot in the mountains of central Abruzzo region.

Over the weekend, thieves broke some protective iron bars and forced their way in through a window.

They left the collection box, but took a crucifix and the priceless relic, which contains a piece of gauze once soaked in the blood of the late Pope - one of only three such relics in the world.

Quote from: grace-land on January 27, 2014, 07:50:11 PM

I say again, there is nothing sacred anymore . . . so sad!

http://www.christianpost.com/news/catholic-leader-pleads-with-thieves-to-return-pope-john-paul-ii-blood-relic-113568/

Catholic Leader Pleads With Thieves to Return Pope John Paul II Blood Relic
January 29, 2014|12:39 pm

Thieves who stole a reliquary containing blood from Pope John Paul II are being asked by an Italian Roman Catholic Church official to return the item.

Archbishop Giuseppe Petrocchi of L'Aquila stated in a letter sent out earlier this week asking whoever was responsible for stealing the gold container with blood to "give it back."

"I appeal to those who carried out this deplorable act…Give it back," said Petrocchi, reported Reuters
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The reliquary containing the deceased Pontiff's blood likely derived from a garment of clothing Pope John Paul II was wearing in 1981 when he narrowly survived an attempted assassination.
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"Italian authorities said they believe the theft was commissioned, as thieves stole only the relic and left many other valuables behind at the church," reported ABC News.

"Only three of John Paul II's relics contain his blood and they are all considered of great religious value."

Italian police and others have speculated that the relic may have been stolen by a group intent on using it for a Satanic ritual.

"It's possible that there could be Satanic sects behind the theft of the reliquary," said Giovanni Panunzio, the national coordinator of Osservatorio Antiplagio, an anti-Occult group. "This period of the year is important in the Satanic calendar and culminates in the Satanic 'new year' on Feb 1. This sort of sacrilege often take place at this time of the year. We hope that the stolen items are recovered as quickly as possible."
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Sad...so senseless...what were they thinking or hope to accomplish? ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-31/case-containing-stolen-pope27s-blood-found/5229416

Case containing stolen blood of Pope John Paul II found, but cloth relic still missing
Posted 38 minutes ago

Police have recovered a stolen gold and glass case that once contained the blood of the late Pope John Paul II, only to find the cloth stained with the blood itself was missing.

Pasquale Corriere, head of the association that looks after the small church in the mountains east of Rome from which the reliquary was stolen, said two men had been detained by police in the regional capital, L'Aquila.

The men took the police to the site where they had dumped the reliquary, but the cloth stained with the blood of the Pope, who died in 2005, was no longer inside, he said.

He said police were interrogating the men, who they believed to be drug addicts, and searching their apartment.

A small crucifix stolen along with the reliquary from the church of San Pietro della Ienca last weekend was also recovered.

The blood-soaked cloth was a fragment of the cassock that John Paul was wearing on May 13, 1981, when he was shot in an assassination attempt.

Relics of saints and other holy figures are often displayed in reliquaries to be venerated by the Catholic faithful.
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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20140130.htm#head8

NEWS BRIEFS Jan-30-2014

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Thieves confess, but relic of Blessed John Paul II still missing

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Less than a week after a relic of Blessed John Paul II disappeared from a country chapel east of Rome, Italian police arrested two men for the theft, but the venerated piece of fabric stained with the late pope's blood was still missing. Italian media reported Jan. 30 that police had found an empty iron reliquary, along with a stolen cross, buried on the grounds of a drug treatment facility in the city of L'Aquila, about 75 miles east of Rome. Two men in their early 20s, who were being questioned in connection with another crime, confessed they had stolen the objects and then revealed their location to police. But the men said they had discarded the relic itself -- reportedly a piece of the clothing Blessed John Paul was wearing when he was shot May 13, 1981 -- by throwing it into some bushes near the facility. Members of Italy's specialized scientific police were searching the grounds. The relic and the cross were first reported missing from the church of San Pietro della Ienca over the weekend of Jan. 25-26. The church, where Blessed John Paul often prayed, is located 13 miles north of L'Aquila, in the mountainous Abruzzo region where the late pope frequently went on brief vacations.
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::MonkeyDance::

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/police-recover-stolen-jpii-relic-bishop-forgives-thieves/

Police recover stolen JPII relic, bishop forgives thieves

Rome, Italy, Jan 31, 2014 / 02:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An Italian bishop has voiced forgiveness for those responsible for stealing a relic of the blood of Blessed Pope John Paul II, soon after police announced the relic’s recovery.

“I think John Paul has forgiven them. I think we have to do the same,” Auxiliary Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole of L’Aquila said a Jan. 31 press conference.

The relic is a small square-shaped piece of cloth of John Paul II’s cassock soaked in the blood from the 1981 assassination attempt on the Pope’s life. There are only three like it.

The relic was discovered missing early on the morning of Jan. 26, when a church custodian found a broken window at the Church of San Pietro della Ienca in the mountainous region of Abruzzo. She called the police, who discovered that the reliquary was missing, along with a small, simple cross.

Three men were arrested in connection with the relic’s theft. According to Reuters, the cloth was found in the garage of two of the men, and was pieced back together. The fabric is still missing a few cloth filaments and a gold thread, the bishop said.
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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/police-find-stolen-john-paul-ii-relic

Police Find Stolen John Paul II Relic
Rome, January 31, 2014

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The piece of cloth, stained with John Paul's blood, was discovered on Friday in a garage belonging to two men, police told reporters this afternoon.

Bishop Giovanni D'Ercole, auxiliary bishop of L'Aquila, told a news conference he had pieced together the reliquary and the cloth after police found them in pieces on successive days.

He said the recovered piece of fabric was missing just a few filaments of cloth and gold thread, and that police were continuing to look for the rest of the relic together with a 'Scientific Task Force'.
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Yesterday morning, they apprehended three drug addicts in their late teens who had a history of petty theft but said they didn't realize the value of what they had stolen. Many were mystified by the robbery as no money was stolen, leading some to speculate possible satanic motives.
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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20140131.htm#head13

NEWS BRIEFS Jan-31-2014
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Italian police recover stolen relic of Blessed John Paul II
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The previous day, the thieves turned over an empty iron reliquary, along with a stolen cross, buried on the grounds of a drug treatment facility in the city of L'Aquila, about 75 miles east of Rome. They said they had removed and discarded the relic itself because they considered it worthless. "These three lads have the forgiveness of Pope John Paul II and our own," Bishop D'Ercole told reporters.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/against-his-will-pope-john-paul-iis-notes-in-print/

January 22, 2014, 9:32 PM
Against his will, Pope John Paul II's notes in print

WARSAW, Poland -- Pope John Paul II's secretary "did not have the courage" to burn all of the pontiff's notes after his death, and is now having some of them published, he said Wednesday.

The book, "Very Much in God's Hands. Personal Notes 1962-2003," comes out Feb. 5 in Poland, where the pope is still a much-loved authority. It contains religious meditations that Karol Wojtyla recorded between July 1962, when he was a bishop in Poland, and March 2003, when he was pope.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz told a news conference that in preserving some of the notes he was motivated by the "despair of historians" when the letters of Pope Pius XII were burned after his death, as he had wished.

In his last will, John Paul commissioned Dziwisz, his personal secretary and closest aide of almost 40 years, to burn his personal notes. Instead, Dziwisz kept them and is having them published before John Paul is declared a saint April 27 in Rome. They were made available to the Vatican in the pope's fast-track beatification and sainthood processes.
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And another article...

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400357.htm
Jan-27-2014
Cardinal defends publication of Blessed John Paul's private notebooks

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/introduction-to-new-book-of-interviews-on-blessed-john-paul-ii

Introduction to New Book of Interviews on Blessed John Paul II
"[In this Book] you will discover many unpublished stories and anecdotes; you will have the possibility to know the great heart with which Karol Wojtyla loved God and humanity."
Rome, March 07, 2014

Below is the Introduction to the book “Beside John Paul II – His Friends and Collaborators Speak”.
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With this book I seek to have Karol Wojtyla known, the man and the Pontiff, recounted in twenty interviews by persons who served him, who were at his side, who helped him to write the history of the Church and of the world.

In twenty-seven years John Paul II made 146 apostolic journeys in Italy and 104 abroad, visiting 129 countries: 822 days travelling; in the 147 ceremonies of Beatification he proclaimed Blessed 1338 Servants of God and in the 51 ceremonies of Canonization he proclaimed 482 Saints. He wrote 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters, to which are added the annual Messages for the World Day of Peace, the World Day of the Sick, the World Youth Day, and the World Day of Social Communications.

In twenty-seven years the Polish Pope changed the world: he did so not thanks to sophisticated political strategies but, above all, because he succeeded in touching and changing people’s heart. True and lasting changes are not possible if they are not born in persons’ hearts.

In the book you are about to read the persons I interviewed talk about their meeting with Pope Wojtyla, in joy and in suffering, in doubt and in certainty, in health and in sickness. You will discover many unpublished stories and anecdotes; you will have the possibility to know the great heart with which Karol Wojtyla loved God and humanity.

Wlodzimierz Redzioch”

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/unburned-letters-of-jpii-reveal-richness-of-trinity/

Unburned letters of John Paul II reveal richness of Trinity

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2014 / 06:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The personal notes of JPII published by former secretary Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, which the pontiff asked to be burned, reveal the depth of the Blessed's keen knowledge of the mystery of the Trinity.

Entitled “I am so much in God’s hands: Personal records 1962-2003,” the book was published by Krakow-based publisher Znak on Feb. 12, and contains 639 pages of meditations and some photos and scans of the pages from two of the late Pope's notebooks, one beginning in 1962 and the other in 1985, which were both published in Italy by the Archdiocese of Milan.

Coming from one of the notebooks, the pontiff writes on the identity of the Trinity in three separate meditations, one focusing on God the Father, one on the Son, and another on the Holy Spirit.
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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/personal-notes-underscore-john-paul-iis-marian-devotion/

Personal notes underscore John Paul II's Marian devotion

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2014 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In private letters of Bl. John Paul II which have been published by his former secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pontiff reflects on the three theological virtues, emphasizing that Mary is the highest example of each.

“Nothing can be dangerous for us; neither Satan nor the world, nor sin – if there is in us the power of Christ in the Marian way,” Bl. John Paul II wrote in one of his personal notes.

Entitled “I am so much in God’s hands: Personal records 1962-2003,” the book containing the Pope’s letters was published by Krakow-based publisher Znak on Feb. 12, and contains 639 pages of meditations and some photos and scans of the pages from two of his notebooks, one beginning in 1962 and the other in 1985, which were both published in Italy by the Archdiocese of Milan.

Reflecting on the virtues of faith, hope and love, the blessed expressed his thoughts regarding their nature, observing how each is brought to full fruition in the life and example of the Mother of God.
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http://www.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/165390,Krakow-to-host-world-premiere-of-John-Paul-II-musical

Krakow to host world premiere of John Paul II musical
17.03.2014 09:50

Pope John Paul II. Photo: wikipedia Karol Wojtyla: The True Story begins with a depiction of the assassination attempt on the pope on St. Peter's Square on 13 May 1981.

However, the two-hour production will mainly deal with the future pontiff's rise to prominence in his native Poland.

“This is the story of the young Karol, his feelings, the war, his mother Emilia, his soldier father and his brother Edmund who he had to part with when he became a doctor,” revealed director Duccio Forzano.

“It's about everything that shaped Wojtyla up until the point when he realised the path he wanted to take.”

The score has been written by Noa, an Israeli pop star who knew the late pontiff. Noa sang a rendition of Ave Maria for the pope in 1994.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/europe/pope-gun-hometown-museum/

Gun used in attempt to kill Pope John Paul II to go on display in hometown
March 17, 2014 -- Updated 1801 GMT

(CNN) -- The gun used in an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II is to be displayed in the late pontiff's childhood home in Poland, ahead of his expected canonization next month.

Italy's Justice Ministry has loaned the weapon, a Browning 9mm, to the John Paul II Museum in his hometown, Wadowice, for three years.

"It is a dark, dark object," the museum's director, Reverend Darius Ras, told CNN. "But it is important for the historical memory of events in the life of John Paul II."

Would-be assassin Mehmet Ali Agca used the firearm to shoot the then-Pope in the abdomen, arm and hand, as he was driven through St Peter's Square, Rome on May 13, 1981.
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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20140319.htm#head2

NEWS BRIEFS Mar-19-2014
National shrine 'fitting tribute' to late pope, says USCCB president

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops' March 19 designation of a center in Washington as the St. John Paul II National Shrine reflects U.S. Catholics' love for the late pope, said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky. As president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he signed the decree declaring the designation for the site of the former John Paul II Cultural Center. It takes effect April 27, the day Pope Francis will canonize Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII. Liturgical celebrations, a reception and a gathering of young people will mark the occasion. "This national shrine is truly America's fitting tribute and remembrance of his legacy," Archbishop Kurtz said in a statement. The center, which first opened in 2001 as a cultural center, named for the pope, with a research component, museum and gallery, sits on 12 acres in Washington's northeast quadrant just steps from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and The Catholic University of America. ::snipping3::

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/631913-floribeth-mora-says-her-life-was-saved-by-pope-john-paul-ii/ (http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/631913-floribeth-mora-says-her-life-was-saved-by-pope-john-paul-ii/)

Floribeth Mora Says Her Life Was Saved by Pope John Paul II
By Associated Press | April 20, 2014
Last Updated: April 20, 2014 4:37 pm

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TRES RIOS, Costa Rica—On a warm spring day, Floribeth Mora was in her bed waiting to die from a seemingly inoperable brain aneurysm when her gaze fell upon a photograph of Pope John Paul II in a newspaper.

“Stand up,” Mora recalls the image of the pope saying to her. “Don’t be afraid.”

Mora, her doctors and the Catholic Church say her aneurysm disappeared that day in a miracle that cleared the way for the late pope to be declared a saint on April 27 in a ceremony at the Vatican where Mora will be a guest of honor.

For Mora, the church-certified miracle was only the start of her metamorphosis from an ill and desperate woman into an adored symbol of faith for thousands of Costa Ricans and Catholics around the world.
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http://www.nbcnews.com/news/europe/celebs-priests-flock-pope-john-paul-ii-musical-rome-n82106 (http://www.nbcnews.com/news/europe/celebs-priests-flock-pope-john-paul-ii-musical-rome-n82106)

Celebs, Priests Flock to Pope John Paul II Musical in Rome
First published April 16th 2014, 11:59 am

ROME – Priests rubbed shoulders with celebs in designer clothes Tuesday night at the premiere of a musical based on the life of soon-to-be saint Pope John Paul II.

Italian VIPs barely managed to cut through the excited crowd as paparazzi flashbulbs fired. Inside the theater, people thronged the souvenir shop for coffee mugs bearing the iconic image of the late pontiff.

With Pope John Paul II set to be canonized as a saint on April 27, Pope-mania is in full swing in Rome – “Karol Wojtyla, the Opera Musical,” is just one of three musicals dedicated to the Catholic leader.

“We gave him the opportunity to get back on a theater stage,” Patrizia Barsotti, one of the show’s writers, told NBC News.

The Polish-born Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II in 1978 and led the Roman Catholic Church until his death in 2005 – the second-longest papacy in history. But in his youth he was an accomplished actor, playwright, poet and even contemplated a career in the theater.
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/22/blessed_john_paul_iis_polish_roots_:_courage_and_moral_strength_/en1-779146 (http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/22/blessed_john_paul_iis_polish_roots_:_courage_and_moral_strength_/en1-779146)

2014-04-22 12:45:34
Blessed John Paul II's Polish roots : courage and moral strength

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(Vatican Radio ) I'm sure you remember John Paul II's invitation to us not to be afraid . Certainly he himself was not afraid to stand up to the trials of life in defense of others, neither as Pope nor as priest back in Poland.

As you'll discover in a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick no one ever doubted the courage of Pope John Paul, certainly not his closest advisors. Among them Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze who specifies how .."Pope John Paul II put the Church on the map of the world and in the corridors of those who make policies as perhaps no other pope in our time...you know where he stands on major problems touching church and society...he is not afraid."

And certainly not some of those who personally knew him before he was elected Pope back in Poland. Among them a fellow school chum, a student of the future pope's at University, a personal friend and a Polish countess. All of whom recall the courage and moral strength of Karol Wojtyla both as a private and public figure. In a special way when he stood up to the repressive communist regime offering solidarity to those around him.

An impression of courage and moral strength reinforced by the Pope's own words which you can hear in this programme, such as when he denounced the injustice of poverty: "...the poor people ..poor in different ways, not only lacking food but also deprived of freedom and other human rights.. ", condemning those: " ...who take these goods away from them amassing to themselves the imperialistic monopoly of economic and political supremacy at the expense of others ..".Or again when he spoke of the importance of solidarity: .." for the disciple of Christ solidarity is a moral duty stemming from the spiritual union of all human beings who share a common origin, a common dignity and a common destiny ..".
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Video at the link

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/10790852/Huge-crowds-gather-in-Rome-for-canonisation-of-two-popes.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/10790852/Huge-crowds-gather-in-Rome-for-canonisation-of-two-popes.html)

Huge crowds gather in Rome for canonisation of two popes
Crowd of a million people or more expected to witness Pope Francis make saints of two of his predecessors, in an event unprecedented in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church
6:58AM BST 27 Apr 2014

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Video at the link

http://www.euronews.com/2014/04/26/from-young-priest-to-saint-poland-remembers-pope-john-paul-ii/ (http://www.euronews.com/2014/04/26/from-young-priest-to-saint-poland-remembers-pope-john-paul-ii/)

From young priest to saint: Poland remembers Pope John Paul II
26/04 16:03 CET

Sunday’s canonisation of Pope John Paul II will carry a particular resonance in his native Poland – and especially in his hometown of Wadowice.

This is where Karol Wojtyla was baptised, where he went to school, where he played in school plays and where he served for a mass as an altar boy every day.

The Wojtyla family lived modestly, with their main source of income being the salary of the father, an officer in the military.

His mother, who took odd jobs as a tailor, died when he, the future pope, was 9 years old, and his elder brother followed 3 years later.

The home in Wadowice where the future pope grew up is now a museum visited by thousands of pilgrims. Refurbished in time for the canonisation, its re-opening earlier this month was attended by dignitaries including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Many Polish people associate John Paul with inspiring the end of Moscow-imposed Communist rule.

“The pope … was a spiritual leader, but also a political leader. There’s no doubt that we ejected the Communists from power thanks to the fact that he mobilised us,” said Leokadia Tylek, visiting Wadowice.

Fifty kilometres to the northeast, Krakow is where John Paul served as priest and then archbishop before becoming pope.

Once installed in the Vatican, he always made sure to come back to the city during visits to Poland.
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Audio at the link

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/13/saint__john_paul_ii_and__our_lady_of_fatima_/en1-788975 (http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/13/saint__john_paul_ii_and__our_lady_of_fatima_/en1-788975)

2014-05-13 14:34:25
Saint John Paul II and Our Lady of Fatima

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(Vatican Radio) In 1917 while the rest of the world was at war in a tiny hamlet of the Portuguese countryside three young children had a vision of Our Lady. That apparition on the 13th May sparked off the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, an inspiration for millions to work and pray for peace.
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Among them Saint John Paul II who as we know believed it was through her intercession that his life was spared when he was shot at in Saint Peter's Square.

The last time he went to Fatima on pilgrimage was on the 13th May 2000 during the Jubilee Year when he entrusted the third millennium to her Immaculate heart.

Veronica Scarisbrick witnessed this event which was attended by the last of the shepherd children Lucia, who has since passed away. In this programme you can listen to a recording of her little voice as well as to one of a rather frail voice of John Paul II as he beatifies the other two children Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

On this occasion the Polish Pontiff asked his Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano to reveal the so called third secret of Fatima.

Listen to this programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick : RealAudioMP3

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/the-unknown-relic-of-st-john-paul-ii

The Unknown Relic of St. John Paul II
Rome, October 21, 2014

On May 13, 1981, Anna Stanghellini, a nurse at the “Agostino Gemelli” Hospital, was working, as she did every day, in the surgery department. She didn’t know that at 5:19 pm that day Mehmet Ali Agca attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II. She learned what happened in Saint Peter’s Square when the ambulance arrived at the hospital with the gravely wounded Pope on board.

The operating room was ready and, at 5:55 pm, doctors under the guidance of Professor Francesco Crucitti, were able to begin the operation. However, first it was necessary undress the Pope and, in order to not lose precious time, his cotton vest was cut and thrown on the floor along with the gauze soaked with blood. Seeing the vest, the nurse did not feel she should throw it away. First she wrapped it in a clean gauze, then in a white hand towel and put it in her locker, without saying anything to anyone. She kept it at home until the year 2000, when she decided to give this priceless gift to the Provincial House of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent of Paul.
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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/st-john-paul-ii-brought-us-hope-and-communism-collapsed

St. John Paul II Brought Us Hope and Communism Collapsed
Rome, November 10, 2014

Twenty-five years after this historic event, ZENIT spoke with Piotr Nowina Kokopka, Poland’s ambassador to the Holy See. The ambassador talked about how he lived this event, and how St. John Paul II was a key figure in giving back hope to the Polish people.

ZENIT: How did you receive and live the news of the collapse of the Berlin Wall?

Ambassador Nowina: This happened in the first weeks of the non-Communist government of Poland, which only began on September 12, 1989. At that time, I was a Minister of State and the first visit to Poland from a world leader, Chancellor Helmut Kohl [from Germany] was taking place.
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http://www.catholicregister.org/item/19400-april-2-to-be-pope-john-paul-ii-day-in-canada

April 2 to be Pope John Paul II Day in Canada
By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
December 18, 2014

OTTAWA - The bill to establish Pope John Paul II Day passed the Senate Dec. 16 and has received royal assent.

Conservative MP Wladyslaw Lizon introduced private member’s Bill C-266, an Act to establish Pope John Paul II Day, in 2011. The bill designates April 2 as Pope John Paul II Day, though does not make it a legal holiday or non-juridical day.

In a statement, Lizon described the passage of the bill as a “proud but very emotional moment.”

Lizon’s bill passed the House of Commons in the spring of 2013 with support from members of all three major political parties. But it faced some snags in the Senate due to concerns the bill was honouring a religious figure.

Lizon had argued Pope John Paul II’s legacy was far more than religious.

“Pope John Paul II’s work transcended so many boundaries,” said Lizon. “He promoted the values of peace and tolerance along with his strong stand against human rights violations. These are values that resonate deeply in our country and with Canadians. This was the motivation of this legislation.”
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-28/pope-john-paul-would-be-assassin-visits-his-vatican-tomb/5990056

Pope gunman Mehmet Ali Agca visits John Paul II's tomb in the Vatican
Posted about 4 hours ago Sat 27 Dec 2014, 2:59pm

(http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/5990068-3x2-340x227.jpg)
Photo: Pope John Paul II gunman Mehmet Ali Agca carries white roses as he approaches the late pontiff's tomb in the Vatican (AFP: Adnkronos)

The Turkish man who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II has laid flowers at the late pontiff's tomb in the Vatican.

Mehmet Ali Agca arrived back in Rome unexpectedly and presented himself to police to declare his intention to lay the flowers.

"I felt the need to make this gesture," he told police, according to Italian media who had been tipped off in advance about his visit.

Agca's visit came exactly 31 years after John Paul visited him in prison in Rome to forgive him for the 1981 shooting that nearly killed the leader of the world's Catholics.
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http://www.news.va/en/news/10-years-later-remembering-pope-john-paul-ii

10 years later – remembering Pope John Paul II
2015-04-02 Vatican Radio

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(Vatican Radio) April 2nd is the 10th anniversary of the death of Pope Saint John Paul II, that unforgettable day in 2005 when the eyes of the world were fixed on the Vatican as the Polish Pope lived out his last hours on this earth. So, a decade later, how alive is the memory of Pope John Paul and what were his greatest achievements? Those were the questions that Susy Hodges put to two interviewees. The first was George Weigel, a Catholic scholar and author who wrote a best-selling two volume biography about Pope John Paul II and who was given unprecedented access to the Polish Pope and those who knew him whilst researching his work. The second was Father Leszek Gesiak, the head of Vatican Radio’s Polish Section, who examines the lasting impact of one of the greatest figures in Poland’s history.
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http://time.com/3761743/pope-john-paul-ii-history/

How John Paul II Became One of the Longest-Tenured Popes Ever
10:30 AM ET

April 2, 2005: Pope John Paul II dies at age 84

Pope John Paul II’s death on this day, April 2, ten years ago, brought an end to the second-longest Papal term (26 years and change) since Peter’s reign. But it could have been much shorter if a trio of unrelated assassination plots had been successful.

The first nearly was: In May 1981, less than three years after John Paul was elected, he was shot by a Turkish terrorist while riding in an open Popemobile, greeting visitors in St. Peter’s Square. According to TIME’s account, “The Pope had apparently been hit by two bullets, fired from only a few yards away. One shattered the two joints of the ring finger of his left hand, ricocheted and grazed his right arm. The other blasted into his abdomen, passing completely through his body and ripping up the Pope’s intestines but narrowly missing his pancreas, abdominal aorta and spine.”
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Remembering that day... ::MonkeyTears::

https://cnsblog.wordpress.com/

St. John Paul II: His unforgettable legacy in pictures and words
Posted on April 1, 2015 by Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY — Tens of thousands of faithful had come to St. Peter’s Square as Pope John Paul II lay dying, some staying all night in quiet and emotional vigils.

After an evening prayer service April 2, then-Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, who was a top official of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, announced to the crowd that the pope had died at 9:37 p.m and “returned to the house of the Father.”

Catholic News Service’s Rome bureau covered those events with dozens of in-depth and colorful accounts of how the Eternal City and the world came together to honor the end of a truly historic papacy.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of St. John Paul’s death, we’ve compiled a slideshow that hits the highlights of his prophetic and memorable life. Further below are links to a sample of standout CNS stories that offer an insightful recap of the impact this pope made on the church and the world.
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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/canada-celebrates-civil-holiday-honoring-john-paul-ii

Canada Celebrates Civil Holiday Honoring John Paul II
Toronto, April 03, 2015

April 2, the day of the death of Saint John Paul II, is now civilly recognized in Canada as "Pope John Paul II Day." This year, the 10th anniversary of the saint's death, marked the first time for the celebration.

The Parliament of Canada last year passed Bill C-266 which received Royal Assent on December 16, 2014, recognizing Saint John Paul II as a champion of human dignity and freedom. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) joins all Canadians in honouring the memory of Pope John Paul II and celebrating this exceptional human being.

To mark the day, the Diocese of Hamilton prepared a special web page designed to promote and celebrate this commemorative day.
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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2015/04/relic-of-saint-john-paul-ii-makes-pilgrimage-to-cuba/

Relic of Saint John Paul II makes pilgrimage to Cuba
April 15, 2015 by CNA Daily News

Havana, Cuba, Apr 15, 2015 / 12:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Seventeen years after the historic visit of Saint John Paul II to Cuba, the Polish pope is returning to the country, thanks to a relic brought by the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary after having journeyed on pilgrimage in various cities in the United States and Guatemala.

As reported on the website of the Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops, the relic consists of a small vial that contains a few drops of blood of the saint, gathered during his last stay in the hospital, a short while before his death on April 2, 2005 in Rome.

The relic was first venerated April 7-9 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, located in the city of Santiago de Cuba. It was then brought to Camaguey from April 10-12.
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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/st-john-paul-ii-accompanies-us-from-heaven

'St. John Paul II Accompanies Us From Heaven'
Vatican City, April 27, 2015

In the ways of faith, hope and charity, Saint John Paul II continues to accompany us. This was the statement made Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz this morning at the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the one-year anniversary of the canonization of Pope John Paul II, reported Vatican Radio.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano presided over the Mass, which was attended by a large delegation of faithful from Krakow, Wojtyla's native diocese. Concelebrants included Cardinals Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Angelo Comastri, Leonardo Sandri, and Giovanni Battista Re.

In his homily, Cardinal Dziwisz, the saint's former secretary and confidant, spoke on JP II's lasting impact.

"Holiness is not a privilege reserved for only a few," but rather "the universal vocation of the People of God," the Polish cardinal stressed, pointing out how the Polish Pope was very aware of this, and lived his life accordingly.

John Paul II was "a man of prayer, contemplation and action" and of service, he stressed.

His love for Christ, the current Archbishop of Krakow underscored, "took the form of a tireless service to the Church and to the world."
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/07/28/a_blessing_to_one_another_john_paul_ii_and_the_jews/1161399

A blessing to one another: John Paul II and the Jewish People
28/07/2015 14:35

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Pope John Paul II embraces Rome's chief Rabbi Elio Toaff at the end of a joint ceremony at a Synagogue in Rome
(VIS) “A blessing to one another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People” is the title of an exhibition opening on Tuesday in the Vatican (Charlemagne Wing, 29 July to 17 September), previously displayed in a number of state capitals in the U.S.A., where it received more than a million visitors.

The exhibition, presented as a gift to John Paul II for his 85th birthday, was inaugurated at the Xavier University of Cincinnati, Ohio, on 18 May 2005, just a month after the Pope's death. It then arrived in Rome, and while in Europe its organisers wanted it to visit Krakow, the Polish city where Karol Wojtyla was archbishop.

“A blessing to one another” describes the steps the Pontiff took to improve the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, and reflects the continuing relevance of the conciliar declaration “Nostra Aetate”, issued fifty years ago, in which the Catholic Church expresses her appreciation for other religions and reaffirms the principals of universal fraternity, love and non-discrimination.
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http://www.news.va/en/news/shedding-light-on-centesimus-annus

Shedding light on 'Centesimus Annus'
2016-04-15 Vatican Radio
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(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is holding a symposium this week to mark twenty five years since the publication of Saint John Paul II's social encyclical “ Centesimus Annus".

In an effort to find out more about this social encyclical Veronica Scarisbrick speaks to a Professor of Social Teaching at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas here in Rome. He's Dominican Alejandro Crosthwaite:

It was 1987 when Pope John Paul II promulgated his social encyclical "Sollicitudo Rei Socialis". In this document he highlighted changing circumstances, both within the debtor nations and in the international financial market:"...At a time when the instrument chosen to make a contribution to development had turned into a counterproductive mechanism. This because debtor nations, in order to service their debt, found themselves obliged to export the capital needed for improving or at least maintaining their standard of living. And also because, for the same reason, they were unable to obtain new and equally essential financing.

Through this mechanism, the means intended for the development of peoples had turned into a brake upon development instead, and indeed in some cases even aggravated underdevelopment..."

So when John Paul II published his second social encyclical "Centesimus Annus "in 1991, as the title indicates a century after Leo XIII's "Rerum Novarum", he picked up on this same theme. Highlighting once again how the positive efforts which have been made along those lines are being affected by the still largely unsolved problem of the foreign debt of the poorer countries:".. ::snipping3::

http://www.france24.com/en/20160430-john-paul-ii-superstar-poland-plans-papal-musical

30 April 2016 - 05H45
John Paul II Superstar: Poland plans papal musical

WARSAW (AFP) -
It's a tale of saints and singers: a new Polish musical is bringing some pizzazz to the story of its beloved native son, the late pope John Paul II.

"We're trying to create something big," says the show's writer Michal Kaczmarczyk.

"We will tell his whole life story, from his infancy until his death."

Like many in Poland, 35-year-old Kaczmarczyk adored the pontiff, who was canonised a saint two years ago in April. He queued for 15 hours in Rome after John Paul's death in 2005 just for a chance to bow at his coffin.

Kaczmarczyk has penned the script and lyrics for "Karol", teaming up with hit-maker Filip Siejka to revisit Karol Wojtyla's life in musical form, from his boyhood to his rise to the top of the Roman Catholic Church.

Not only was John Paul the first non-Italian pontiff in four centuries but as a strong advocate for human rights, he was a source of strength for many behind the Iron Curtain and seen as a catalyst in the collapse of communism.

Due to premiere in February 2017 at the large Tauron Arena in Poland's second city Krakow, "Karol" could well prove a hit in a country where 90 percent of the residents are Roman Catholic. Promoters said 500 tickets have already been sold.
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https://twitter.com/FatherRosica
Thomas Rosica ‏@FatherRosica · 10h 10 hours ago

That day of infamy 35 years ago today in St. Peter's Square when Alia Agca tried to kill a saint & failed
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http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/st.-peters-square-may-13-1981
St. Peter's Square, May 13, 1981
Remembering the assassination attempt on Pope St. John Paul II 35 years on.

On a calm and sunny May afternoon 35 years ago this Friday, on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope St. John Paul II was driven into St. Peter’s Square to deliver his weekly catechesis.

He was going to talk about the role of work and workers to mark the 90th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum, and announce the creation of what would become the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (the full text of what he was going to say on that fateful day was published by Aleteia for the first time in English last week).

But at 5.19 p.m., Turkish gunman Ali Agca emerged from the adoring and excited crowd of pilgrims and opened fire on John Paul, shooting him four times. Agca threw his Browning 9mm pistol under a truck and tried to flee the scene but was swiftly grabbed by Vatican security chief Camillo Cibin, a nun and several pilgrims who prevented him from getting away.
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http://www.cnsnews.com/blog/mark-judge/liberating-continent-documentary-john-paul-ii-and-communism-airing-pbs-stations

'Liberating a Continent' - Documentary on John Paul II and Communism Airing on PBS Stations
By Mark Judge | June 17, 2016 | 11:43 AM EDT

"Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism," a new documentary film that depicts the role played by Pope John Paul II in the fall of Communism and the liberation of central and Eastern Europe, will be airing on local PBS stations throughout the summer.

Upcoming dates are June 19 on KRBC in San Francisco and July 3 on WFYI in Indianapolis. "Additional markets throughout the United States will be announced on a rolling basis and it will continue to air throughout the coming year," Vanessa Santilli, the film's publicist, told CNSNews.
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http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/4850/how_saint_john_paul_ii_conquered_communism.aspx
How Saint John Paul II Conquered Communism
June 16, 2016
The documentary "Liberating a Continent" is a subtly provocative refutation of what our secularized elites believe about what truly drives history and how Christianity impacts the world.
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(Image: https://jp2film.com)

Video at the link

http://www.romereports.com/2016/07/16/shrine-dedicated-to-john-paul-ii-in-poland-finished-just-in-time-for-world-youth-day

Shrine dedicated to John Paul II in Poland finished just in time for World Youth Day
2016-07-16

After eight years of construction, the shrine dedicated to Pope John Paul II in Krakow is finished in time for the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who will venture to Poland later this July.

A statue of the late pope stands in the center, outside the church, welcoming all those to the Holy Door of Mercy with his famous words above the main door, "Have no fear! Open wide the door to Christ!”

Inside, the sanctuary is beautifully adorned with paintings and gold-trimmed mosaics representing the life of John Paul II and Gospel parables.

The idea for the center was proposed by Cardinal Stanisaw Dziwisz, the private secretary of John Paul II. He wanted to have a space built to remember the life of the Polish Pope in his home country, in the place where a young Karol Wojtya worked during World War II as a factory worker.

As a result, there are various relics and memorablia from the late saint, including an ampulla with his blood and one of his papal cassocks.

The John Paul II Shrine is not only limited to the Shrine, but includes the John Paul II Institute, outdoor Stations of the Cross, a volunteer center, a hotel and a pilgrim house, a retreat center, an amphitheatre, a rehabilitation centre, and a meditation and recreational park.
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Photos and video at the link

http://www.krakow-info.com/JPII-sanctuary.htm

John Paul II Sanctuary in Krakow

Krakow’s John Paul II Sanctuary

Have No Fear! John Paul II Center in Krakow is destined to be the main shrine to the saintly Pope who led the Catholic Church into its third millenium and made an indelible mark on the world. The vast complex has been designed to accommodate a number of Catholic institutions, such as a Volunteerism Center and the Institute of John Paul II, as well as churches and chapels. The center is conveniently situated in close proximity to the famous Sanctuary of Divine Mercy.
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/10/13/the_saint_and_the_troubadour_john_paul_ii_and_dylan/1265021

The Saint and the Troubadour: John Paul II and Dylan
13/10/2016 17:51
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(Vatican Radio) US-born singer-songwriter Bob Dylan on Thursday was named the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Grammy award winning artist was recognized by the Nobel committee for having created "new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

One of the more significant events of Dylan’s career was when he played for Pope St. John Paul II at the 23rd Italian National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna in 1997.

During the event, Dylan played the songs Blowin’ in the Wind, Knockin' on Heaven's Door and A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall; with Forever Young as an encore.

And this musical set was the basis of the remarks by St. John Paul II.

“A representative of yours has just said on your behalf that the answer to the questions of your life ‘is blowing in the wind’. It is true!” – said the Pope. – “But not in the wind which blows everything away in empty whirls, but the wind which is the breath and voice of the Spirit, a voice that calls and says: ‘come!’

The then answered one of Dylan’s other most famous questions.

“You asked me: How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? I answer you: one! There is only one road for man and it is Christ, who said: ‘I am the way’ (Jn 14:6). He is the road of truth, the way of life,” the Pope continued.
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http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/5144/How_St_John_Paul_II_changed_the_Church_and_the_world.aspx

How St. John Paul II changed the Church and the world
October 22, 2016
(http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Content/Site140/Articles/10_01_2016/514420140323nw1_00000004892.jpg)
Pope John Paul II prays at the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania, in 1993. Tens of thousands of crosses had been placed there by Lithuanians to mark the sufferings caused by deportation, imprisonment, and persecution. (CNS photo/Arturo Mari, L'Osserv atore Romano)

Today, we celebrate the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II, whose pontificate was the third-longest ever and who was canonized just nine years after his death, making his the shortest canonization cause in modern Church history. John Paul II was a pope who broke many other records. If we try to imagine what the world and the Church would be like today if on October 16, 1978, the College of Cardinals had elected someone else to lead the Barque of Peter, we would have a dramatically different reality. Here are just a few of the most important ways in which St. John Paul II changed the Church and the world forever.

He played a pivotal role in ending communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. John Paul II did not single-handedly defeat the Soviet empire. The Soviets’ internal economic decay, the bold leadership of Ronald Reagan, and the fact that the Soviets did not invade Poland in 1980 as they did Hungary in 1956 all were crucial factors that led to the reunification of Europe and the end of the Cold War. However, why did the end of European communism begin in Poland with the rise of Solidarity? It is a widely accepted historical fact that Pope John Paul II’s 1979 nine-day visit to his native Poland gave hope to his nation and inspired his countrymen to assertively fight for their rights. The documentary Nine Days That Changed the World does a beautiful job of showing the political impact of this visit. British historian Timothy Garton Ash, who covered the rise of Solidarity for the English-language press (and who himself regards himself as an “agnostic liberal”) has written: “I would argue the historical case in three steps: without the Polish Pope, no Solidarity revolution in Poland in 1980; without Solidarity, no dramatic change in Soviet policy towards Eastern Europe under Gorbachev; without that change, no velvet revolutions in 1989.”
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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/saint-john-paul-ii-documentary-takes-two-emmys-61236/

Saint John Paul II documentary takes two Emmys

Chicago, Ill., Dec 15, 2016 / 07:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Two Emmy Awards have gone to a documentary that shows St. John Paul II’s central role in the end of communism.

Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism resulted an Emmy for outstanding achievement for documentary programs in the historical category. The award went to the documentary executive producer and Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson, along with producers Justyna Czyszek, Szymon Czyszek, David Naglieri, and Michele Nuzzo-Naglieri.
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The Emmy Awards, announced Dec. 3, came from the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, one of the academy’s largest chapters.

The 90-minute film, narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, uses rare archival footage and interviews with several heads of state. Other interviewees include papal biographer George Weigel; Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, emeritus Archbishop of Krakow, who served as St. John Paul II’s longtime assistant; and Richard Allen, former national security adviser to Ronald Reagan.

The documentary has been airing on public television across the U.S. in partnership with WTTW Chicago and the National Educational Telecommunications Association.

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/6928/0/our-lady-of-fatima-centenary-the-special-relationship-between-st-john-paul-ii-and-our-lady

Our Lady of Fatima centenary: The special relationship between St John Paul II and Our Lady
30 March 2017 | by Catholic News Service
(http://www.thetablet.co.uk/UserFiles/images/news/300x300/johnpaul2_closeup_560.png)
The recently canonised pope always maintained that Our Lady of Fatima saved his life during an assassination attempt

Ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Fatima, in Portugal, in May to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions when three shepherd children reported seeing the Virgin Mary, Junno Arocho Esteves examines the special relationship between Our Lady of Fatima and St John Paul II

Recent popes have had a special affection for Our Lady of Fatima, but no pope's connection can match that of St. John Paul II. "We cannot forget that he was saved by Our Lady of Fatima from the assassination attempt here in St. Peter's. This is fundamental and central. It is never forgotten," Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, former prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, told Catholic News Service yesterday.

Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turk, shot Pope John Paul at close range as the pope was greeting a crowd in St Peter's Square on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima - 13 May 1981. Two bullets pierced the pope's abdomen, but no major organs were struck; a bullet had missed his heart and aorta by a few inches.

St John Paul would later say: "It was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path."
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http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/300821,12th-anniversary-of-death-of-Polish-Pope-marked-at-the-Vatican

12th anniversary of death of Polish Pope marked at the Vatican
02.04.2017 14:58
(http://external.polskieradio.pl/files/5c14eb93-89be-41fe-9bf9-3f69e8d29e4b.file)
Pope John Paul II. Photo: Todd Ehlers/Flickr.com

Polish religious devotees and Polish Church delegates to Rome and the Vatican took place in the religious service, which was held at the late Pope's grave.

Among the congregation was also Polish Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, who served John Paul II as papal master of ceremonies and Papal Almoner. He also served Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

Today marks the 12th death anniversary of John Paul II, proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church.
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Video at the link

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/new-book-reveals-soviets-behind-attempted-assassination-of-st.-john-paul-ii

New Book Reveals Soviets Behind Attempted Assassination of Pope St. John Paul II
May 2, 2017

DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) - A new investigation is alleging the attempt to assassinate Pope St. John Paul II on May 13, 1981 was organized by the Soviets.

Paul Kengor — a Catholic professor of political science at Grove City College and a Ronald Reagan biographer — is revealing in his newly-released book, A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century, that Soviet secret agencies planned the assassination attempt.

In an email to The Daily Signal, Kengor notes the Main Intelligence Directorate — Soviet Russia's foreign intelligence organization — conducted the operation with the assistance of the KGB and operatives in Bulgarian secret police. The KGB was headed at the time by Yuri Andropov — known as the Butcher of Budapest and leader of the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1983
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/06/remembering_joaqu%c3%adn_navarro-valls_/1323466

Remembering Joaquín Navarro-Valls
06/07/2017 10:07
(http://media02.radiovaticana.va/photo/2017/07/05/ANSA1223823_LancioGrande.jpg)
Joaquin Navarro-Valls with Pope St. John Paul II in 1994

(Vatican Radio) The former Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, passed away on Wednesday, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.

Navarro trained as a medical doctor with a specialization in psychiatry, as well as in journalism, moving to Rome in the early 1970’s, becoming a foreign correspondent and eventually being elected president of the foreign press association in the city.

In 1984, he accepted an offer from Pope St. John Paul II to become the new head of the Press Office of the Holy See, a position he held until 2006.

A statement on the website of Opus Dei, of which Navarro was a member, informs that a vigil is scheduled for Thursday, July 6, starting at 4pm in the sacristy of the basilica of the church of St. Eugene (Viale delle Belle Arti 10, Rome), and that Msgr. Mariano Fazio, Vicar General of the Prelature of Opus Dei, will celebrate a funeral Mass for him on Friday, July 7 at 11am Rome Time.
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http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/7994/0/french-court-orders-cross-removed-from-john-paul-ii-statue

French court orders cross removed from John Paul II statue
30 October 2017 | by Tom Heneghan
(http://www.thetablet.co.uk/UserFiles/images/news/300x300/JPII_statue_Breton.jpg)
PICTURE: The statue of John Paul II at Ploërmel ©Twitter

Polish Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, denounced the ruling as “political correctness..terrorising Europeans in their everyday life”.

France’s top administrative court has ordered a town in Brittany to remove a cross from an arch over a statue of Pope John Paul II that it erected 11 years ago, saying it violates the country’s legal separation of Church and State.

The Council of State, ruling on an appeal of conflicting lower court decisions, gave the town of Ploërmel six months to remove the cross. It did not mention the statue itself, presumably because the late pontiff was a public figure.

A similar statue without a cross stands next to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris and has not been challenged.

France’s 1905 law on laïcité bans any “religious sign or emblem” on a public monument or space. A local court ordered the removal of the cross in 2015 after a local secularist group sued, but a regional appeals court overturned the decision later that year.

Ploërmel’s mayor Patrick Le Diffon said the statue had wide popular support and was “an undeniable advantage for tourism”. He was reported to be considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights or reclassifying the square around the statue as a private space.
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The dispute has echoed as far as the late pope’s Polish homeland, where Prime Minister Beata Szydlo denounced the ruling as “political correctness..terrorising Europeans in their everyday life”.

“We propose to move it to Poland, if the French and local authorities agree,” she told the Polish Press news agency.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/remove-cross-on-top-of-john-paul-ii-memorial-french-court
Tue Oct 31, 2017 - 3:36 pm EST
Remove cross on top of John Paul II memorial: French court

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/lessons-i-learned-from-st.-john-paul-ii

Vatican | Dec. 15, 2017
George Weigel Discusses His Lessons Learned From St. John Paul II
George Weigel, the late saint’s biographer, discusses his new book, Lessons in Hope, with the Register.

Edward Pentin

Pope St. John Paul II’s biographer, George Weigel, is well known for having written two seminal works on the late pontiff, but in a new book, he offers the reader something more: a behind-the-scenes, more-intimate portrait of the canonized Polish pope.

In Lessons in Hope, Weigel recounts his conversations with John Paul over a decade and a half, how he came to write the authoritative biography, and reflects on what he learned from the Polish saint.

On a visit to Rome, Weigel sat down with the Register’s Rome correspondent, Edward Pentin, Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to discuss how the hand of Providence was clear in bringing him and John Paul together in the mid-1990s.

He also discusses how the Pope gave “lessons in hope” — to make a difference, rather than surrendering to the mentality that things are the “way they are and you can’t do anything about it.”

The American biographer also shares an anecdote of being introduced to John Paul’s “spy in Russia” and what John Paul II would probably say of the situation in the Church today.
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http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/pope-john-paul-ii-statue-a-300th-birthday-gift-to-no/504958946

Pope John Paul II statue a 300th birthday gift to N.O.
7:16 PM. CST January 04, 2018
(http://www.wwltv.com/img/resize/content.wwltv.com/photo/2018/01/04/pope%20statue_1515115007983.jpg_12175485_ver1.0.jpg?preset=534-401)
(Photo: Massa, Dominic)
A statue of St. Pope John Paul II was erected outside of the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans Thursday

It took a little over two hours Thursday to move two and a half tons of marble in position in front of St. Louis Cathedral. The ever-present brass bands in Jackson Square played under cold, sunny skies and the crowd that gathered to see what was inside the large wooden crates cheered when the special birthday gift finally made it to its final destination.

It is a newly-commissioned marble statue of St. Pope John Paul II, which will be officially unveiled Sunday outside of the cathedral. The statue was designed to both commemorate the pope's 1987 visit to the city and honor New Orleans' 300th birthday.
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The six-foot tall, life-sized likeness of Pope John Paul II, which features two children at his feet, was blessed by Pope Francis at the Vatican last November.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond will officially unveil it and bless it after the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Louis Cathedral on Sunday.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/french-courts-decision-forces-a-change-of-place-for-john-paul-ii-statue-30133

French court's decision forces a change of place for John Paul II statue

Paris, France, Mar 2, 2018 / 04:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A statue of St. John Paul II will be removed from public land in a small French city, after a 2017 court order ruled its cross must be removed.

The statue, nearly 25 feet tall, portrays Pope Saint John Paul II praying beneath an arch adorned with a cross. Its Russian sculptor had given the statue to the town, and it was installed at a public car park in 2006.

Patrick Le Diffon, the mayor of Ploërmel, has sold the statue to the Catholic Church for about $24,000. The statue will be moved a few dozen yards down the street to a church-owned property neighboring a Catholic school, Agence France Presse reports. It will be visible there for residents and visitors to the small city in northwest France’s Brittany region.
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Pope St. John Paul died on April 2, 2005
Video at the link

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-04/john-paul-ii-death-anniversary.html#play

Thirteenth death anniversary of Pope John Paul II
02 April 2018, 15:43

We bring you glimpses of the emotions in and around St. Peter’s Square as faithful and pilgrims from across the world reacted to the passing away of Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2015

Today is the 13th anniversary of the death of Pope Saint John Paul II.

Elected in 1978, John Paul II’s 27-year papacy was the second longest in history.

John Paul II is credited with helping bring an end to communist rule. He played a significant role in improving the Catholic Church’s relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion.

Pope St John Paul was a staunch defender of the Catholic Church’s position on a number of matters, but most especially on the value of life and the family.
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John Paul II was canonized in 2014, just 9 years after his death. His feast is celebrated on October 22 which is the day on which he was elected Pope.

The English translation of the letter is at the link.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/never-before-published-letter-of-cardinal-wojtya-to-paul-vi-on-humanae-vita

Wed Jul 25, 2018 - 2:45 pm EST
Never before published letter of Cardinal Wojtyła to Paul VI on Humanae Vitae
Diane Montagna

ROME, July 25, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — A letter that Cardinal Karol Wojtyła sent to Pope Paul VI in 1969, published here in full for the first time in English, underscores that Humanae vitae’s ban on contraception is an “infallible” and “irrevocable” teaching that the Church herself “has no power to change.”

According to Monsignor Livio Melina, tenured professor and former president of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome, Wojtyła’s letter to Paul VI is also decisive as it demonstrates that Humanae vitae “is not a matter of advice entrusted to the interpretation of conscience, but a binding doctrinal teaching.”

The letter was published for the first time in Italian earlier this year, as part of a new book by Fr. Paweł Stanisław Gałuszka, titled Karol Wojtyła and Humanae Vitae. The book examines the contribution that Karol Wojtyła and the Polish bishops made to the editing and reception of Humanae Vitae when Wojtyła was Archbishop of Krakow.

The book contains several never-before-published documents, including the letter Wojtyła sent to Paul VI in 1969, after numerous episcopates voiced their opposition to Humanae Vitae. In March, the book was launched at the Lateran University in Rome, with key Vatican figures in attendance.

Msgr. Melina, a highly regarded moral theologian and successor to the late Cardinal Carlo Caffarra as president of the John Paul II Institute, wrote the preface to Gałuszka’s book.

In comments to LifeSiteNews, Melina explained that Wojtyła’s letter to Paul VI is decisive on three points:

First, that moral law and therefore also the norm of Humanae vitae [the ban on contraception] is the expression of a truth about good and not the arbitrary imposition of a legislator, so that the Church herself has no power to change it (against nominalistic legalism); second, that Humanae Vitae is an infallible and irrevocable teaching, by universal ordinary Magisterium, even if not by a solemn defining act (ex cathedra)”; and third, that Humanae Vitae is not a matter of advice, entrusted to the interpretation of conscience, but a binding doctrinal teaching.

Today’s publication of Cardinal Wojtyła’s 1969 letter to Paul VI comes as new facts emerge about the origins of Humanae Vitae. The recent findings, contained in a new book, The birth of an Encyclical: Humanae Vitae in the light of the Vatican Archives, are based on a “secret” Vatican commission’s investigation into archived documents relating to the preparatory work of the encyclical.

Its author, Monsignor Gilfredo Marengo, is a member of the commission appointed by Pope Francis.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-08/veritatis-splendor-25-anniversary-tsakanikas.html

Reflections on 25 years of "The Splendor of Truth"
10 August 2018, 16:59

The Church celebrates the 25th anniversary of the encyclical “Veritatis splendor,” and reflects on the teaching of Saint John Paul II.
By Christopher Wells

On August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration, the Church marked the 25th anniversary of Pope St John Paul II’s landmark encyclical, Veritatis splendor. St John Paul himself explained the reason for the encyclical: Although the Church has “at all times developed and proposed a moral teaching regarding the many different spheres of human life,” in our times, “it seems necessary to reflect on the whole of the Church’s moral teaching” which “risk being distorted or denied.”

To understand the main themes of Veritatis splendor, we spoke with Moral Theologian Dr Matthew Tsakanikas, the head of the Theology Department at Christendom College in the United States. Pope John Paul touches on many themes in the encyclical, he said, but went on to point out three of particular importance.
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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/why-john-paul-ii-created-the-world-meeting-of-families

Aug. 15, 2018
Why John Paul II Created the World Meeting of Families
COMMENTARY: The origins of the gathering are worth recalling.
Matthew E. Bunson

The year 1994 was a memorable one for the family — for negative reasons that ultimately catalyzed a great catechesis.

It began with the formal celebration by the United Nations General Assembly of the “International Year of the Family” under the theme, “Family: Resources and Responsibilities in a Changing World” with the motto: “Building the Smallest Democracy at the Heart of Society.”

The celebrations included various events to “express the diversity of individual preferences and societal conditions” in families and also set the table for the infamous International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo that brought together U.N. officials, first lady Hillary Clinton, radical environmentalists, feminists and abortion and population-control advocates to impose their vision of the culture of death on the world under the guise of reproductive rights, gender equity and sustainable population. The Vatican led the heroic and winning fight at the Cairo conference. But Pope St. John Paul II was not done. He welcomed the U.N. year, but he also shrewdly understood the opportunity that the occasion presented to offer the world a clearer vision of the authentic family as the foundation for civilization. Not by accident, then, 1994 also marked the birth of the World Meeting of Families that will be held for the ninth time this year in Dublin Aug. 21-26 with the theme “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World” (see story).

Given the controversy surrounding certain issues and themes taking place at the upcoming World Meeting of Families, the origins of the World Meeting are especially worth recalling.

The Vision of John Paul II
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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/john-paul-iis-warning-on-final-confrontation-with-the-anti-church

Oct. 5, 2018
John Paul II’s Warning on ‘Final Confrontation’ With the ‘Anti-Church’

COMMENTARY: It seems more likely now that we are indeed facing, as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla said in 1976, the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through.
Paul Kengor

A remarkable gathering took place in the nation’s capital Sept. 26. In two locations, the John Paul II Shrine on the campus of The Catholic University of America and the Ronald Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, more than 500 people convened for a conference honoring Pope St. John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan and how these two men changed the world for the better.
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Near the end of his visit, in September, Cardinal Wojtyla shared some striking words. The exact provenance of those words remains elusive to scholars, though they were reported in The Wall Street Journal as having been delivered by the future pontiff in his final speech in the United States before his departure. In one particularly dramatic passage, reprinted by the Journal Nov. 9, 1978 (shortly after he became pope), Karol Wojtyla stated:

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence; it is trial which the whole Church, and the Polish Church in particular, must take up. It is a trial of not only our nation and the Church, but, in a sense, a test of 2,000 years of culture and Christian civilization with all of its consequences for human dignity, individual rights, human rights and the rights of nations.”
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-10/pope-francis-john-paul-ii-left-an-indelible-mark-on-the-church.html

Pope Francis: John Paul II left an indelible mark on the Church
16 October 2018, 08:43
(https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2018/08/02/00014_16101978.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.250.141.jpeg)
The election of Pope St John Paul II
The Pontiff writes a letter to the Bishop of Alba, on the occasion of a Conference held on 13 October for the 40th anniversary of Karol Wojtyla's election to the Chair of Peter.
By Barbara Castelli

“I wish to express my appreciation for the cultural and pastoral initiatives promoted by the diocese of Alba in order to remember the teachings and the exemplary nature of life” of Saint John Paul II, who “left an indelible mark on the Church and on society”. Those are the words of Pope Francis in a letter addressed to the Bishop of Alba, Marco Brunetti, on the occasion of a conference on the 40th anniversary of Karol Wojtyla's election to the Chair of Peter.
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https://zenit.org/articles/feature-cardinal-schonborn-tells-zenit-why-the-young-people-loved-john-paul-ii-so-much/

FEATURE: Cardinal Schönborn Tells Zenit Why the Young People Loved John Paul II So Much
October 16, 2018 11:31•Deborah Castellano Lubov

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has shared the “unanimous” response as to why young people loved St Pope John Paul II so much.

In an interview with Zenit in the Vatican, the Archbishop of Vienna reflected upon the Polish Pontiff for the 40th Anniversary of his election, and on a question of how the saint was able to be loved by millions of young people worldwide, but still always retaining and promoting Church teaching so clearly and effectively.

Today, October 16, 2018, marks this 40th Anniversary of Karol Wojtyla as Pope.

Asked how, given this, the Church today can embrace the model of JPII shown during his pontificate, the Austrian Cardinal responded: “I remember when he had died and his body was exposed in the Basilica in the Vatican in St. Peters, 4 million people passed in prayer one after another, and to see his body and pray.”

“Four million. They had to wait up to 15 hours, on lines that seemed never to end, he said. “The whole Via della Conciliazione was full of those waiting, for this little moment, to see him for the last time.”

“With the red cap,” Cardinal Schönborn said smiling touching his head, “I had the privilege to pass privately, and not wait 15 hours.”

“But,” the Archbishop of Vienna said, “I took the occasion to ask young people why do you stay here for hours, some all night, to just have a glimpse, a short moment then to see for the last time John Paul.”

“The answer,” Cardinal Schönborn stated, “was absolutely unanimous, some with tears: we have lost a father.”
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-10/pope-francis-feast-john-paul-ii-october-22.html

Pope Francis prays at St. John Paul II’s tomb on feast day
22 October 2018, 15:58
(https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/agenzie/images/ansa/2018/10/22/15/pope-francis-prays-on-st-john-paul-ii-s-tomb--1540216273306.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.250.141.jpeg)
Pope Francis praying at the tomb of St.John Paul II on October 22, 2018. (ANSA)
The feast of St. John Paul II is marked on October 22, the anniversary of the inauguration of his pontificate.

Pope Francis on Monday stopped by briefly to pray at the tomb of St. John Paul II in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica on the day the Catholic Church marks the feast day of his predecessor.

Traditionally, the feast of a saint is celebrated on the anniversary of his/her death, the day the person left for his/her eternal abode. However, in the case of Pope John Paul II, his feast was fixed for October 22, when his pontificate was officially inaugurated.

John Paul II of Poland was elected on October 16, 1978, becoming the first Slav pope and the first non-Italian pope in 455 years since Dutch Pope Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523.

Six days later, on October 22, he inaugurated his pontificate with a solemn High Mass in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square.
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https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/polish-cardinal-st-john-pauls-aide-defends-pontiffs-record-on-abuse.cfm

Polish cardinal, St. John Paul's aide, defends pontiff's record on abuse
By Jonathan Luxmoore Catholic News Service
3.21.2019 10:11 AM ET
(http://image.catholicnews.com/imagehandler/photos/2019/03/21/20190321T0939-25178-CNS-ABUSE-DZIWISZ-JOHN-PAUL_250.jpg)
CNS photo/Tom Tracy
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- A close aide to St. John Paul II has vigorously defended the late pope's handling of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and denied accusations that he ignored the problem during his 27-year pontificate.

"Emerging opinions that John Paul II was sluggish in guiding the church's response to sexual abuse of minors by some clerics are prejudicial and contrary to historical facts -- the pope was shocked and had no intention of tolerating the crime of pedophilia," said Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was the pontiff's personal secretary for 39 years.

St. John Paul saw how local churches "dealt with emerging problems and gave help when necessary, often at his own initiative."

The 79-year-old cardinal, who retired in 2016 after 11 years as archbishop of Krakow, was reacting to media criticisms that the Polish pontiff failed to confront abuse claims when they became widespread in the 1980s.

In a March 20 statement to Poland's Catholic Information Agency, KAI, he said the pope had concluded "new tools were needed" when the abuse crisis "began to ferment" in the United States.

He added that the saint had given church leaders new powers to combat it, including indults, or special licenses to ensure "a policy of zero tolerance," for the U.S. and Irish churches in 1994 and 1996.
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https://cruxnow.com/sponsored/2019/04/27/at-jpii-national-shrine-late-popes-face-reflected-in-his-people/

At JPII National Shrine, late pope’s ‘face’ reflected in his people
Jose Cortes Apr 27, 2019
(https://cruxnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Shrine-330x242.jpg)
Father Karol Nędza of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine gives benediction during the 2017 feast day celebration. (Credit: Saint John Paul II National Shrine.)
On April 27, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, together with more than one billion Catholics worldwide, celebrates the fifth anniversary of the canonization of Saint John Paul II. It has been five years since the entire Catholic Church began venerating the pope of the family as a saint.

Every saint opens a new window in heaven that brings God’s light to the world. Every saint has a mission that begins on earth and reaches fulfillment in heaven. For example, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux wrote, “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”

During the homily of the funeral Mass for Pope John Paul II, the then Cardinal Ratzinger said, “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.”
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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2019/05/30/dziwisz-thanks-francis-for-putting-an-end-to-attempts-to-discredit-jpii/

Dziwisz thanks Francis for ‘putting an end’ to attempts to discredit JPII
Elise Harris May 30, 2019
(https://cruxnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/25d49ace85d5e1d253315a7e703022fe-1-330x242.jpeg)
(Credit: CNS/Marcin Mazur, Bishops Conference of England and Wales.)
ROME - Polish Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz has issued a letter thanking Pope Francis for recent comments defending the late Saint John Paul II’s holiness and his handling of the case of Mexican abuser priest Marcial Maciel.

Dziwisz, who himself faces pressure over his role in accomodating ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick’s rise through ecclesial ranks, in a May 29 letter thanked Francis for “putting an end to attempts to defame the Polish Pope, saying that no one can doubt the holiness of John Paul II.”

His comments follow those made by Francis himself during a lengthy interview with Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, a longtime Vatican correspondent for Mexico’s Televisa.
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During the interview, Francis praised the efforts of both John Paul II and retired Pope Benedict XVI in the investigation into allegations against Maciel, the infamous founder of the Legionaries of Christ who in 2006 was removed from ministry after being found guilty by the Vatican of leading a double life, including sexually abusing minors.

“In that, Ratzinger was brave. And John Paul II,” Francis said, saying that regarding John Paul, certain attitudes must be understood, “because he came from a closed world, the iron curtain, communism was still in force there…and there was a defensive mentality, or that he knew a thousand things from that world.”

“We have to understand well, no one can doubt the sanctity and goodwill of this man. He was great, a great man,” Francis said.
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/06/02/trump-hails-pope-john-paul-for-helping-tear-down-iron-curtain-of-communism/

Trump Hails Pope John Paul for Helping Tear Down ‘Iron Curtain of Communism’
by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D. 2 Jun 2019

President Donald Trump commemorated the 40th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s first trip to Poland, calling him Sunday “a champion for human dignity and religious liberty.”

In a Presidential Message released on June 2 “in Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s First Pilgrimage to Poland,” Mr. Trump said that St. Pope John Paul II’s nine-day visit to Poland in 1979 “changed the course of history.”

“As we remember the long struggle of the Polish people against communism, we also acknowledge that millions of people now live in freedom because of St. Pope John Paul II and his extraordinary life as a follower of Jesus Christ and a champion for human dignity and religious liberty,” the president said in his message.
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/presidential-message-commemoration-40th-anniversary-pope-john-paul-iis-first-pilgrimage-poland/
Statements & Releases
Presidential Message in Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s First Pilgrimage to Poland
Issued on: June 2, 2019

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/every-page-was-an-act-of-prayer-new-manuscript-reveals-devotion-of-future-pope-99070

'Every page was an act of prayer': New manuscript reveals devotion of St. John Paul II
(https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/Cristo_la_Chiesa_e_il_Mondo_1.jpg?w=350)
Image of Italian language edition of Christ, the Church and the World: Catechesis of the Areopagus. Credit: Vatican Media
By Courtney Grogan

Vatican City, Oct 9, 2019 / 08:05 am (CNA).- Newly published manuscripts belonging to Karol Wojtyła have offered a glimpse into the future pope and saint’s deep devotion and prayer throughout his writing process.

The 39 handwritten pages contain Wojtyła's reflections on St. Paul’s Areopagus address to the Athenians described in the Acts of the Apostles. It is believed that these meditations and catecheses were written in or shortly after 1965, while Wojtya was Archbishop of Krakow. He was made a cardinal in 1967 and elected pope in 1978.

On each page, Wojtyła wrote a little prayer in Latin on the top right corner, such as “Veni, Sancte Spiritus” (Come Holy Spirit) and “Adoro te devote latens Deitas” (I devoutly adore you hidden God), a Eucharistic Hymn written by St. Thomas Aquinas.

On the top of the first page he wrote, in Latin, the full quote of St. Louis de Montfort from which he had taken his episcopal motto, Totus Tuus: “I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart.”

The writings have been published in a book titled “Christ, the Church and the World: Catechesis of the Areopagus.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/polish-bishops-open-beatification-process-for-parents-of-st-john-paul-ii-66030
Polish bishops open beatification process for parents of St John Paul II
(https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/EGf9QKpWoAAj669.jpg?w=300)
Credit: Archidiecezja Krakowska
Krakow, Poland, Oct 10, 2019 / 04:01 pm (CNA).- The Polish bishops’ conference has agreed to begin the canonization process for the parents of Saint John Paul II.

The Polish episcopate made the announcement Oct. 10, setting in motion the first steps for the beatification of John Paul II’s father, Karol Wojtyla, and mother, Emilia nee Kaczorowska.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/polish-bishops-call-for-john-paul-ii-to-be-named-a-doctor-of-the-church-80686

Polish bishops call for John Paul II to be named a doctor of the Church

Poznan, Poland, Oct 22, 2019 / 04:07 pm (CNA).- The Polish Bishops’ Conference has asked Pope Francis to name St. John Paul II a patron of Europe and doctor of the Church.

Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, president of the Polish Bishops Conference, sent the request to the pope on Oct. 22 - the feast day of John Paul II.

“The pontificate of the Pope from Poland was filled with groundbreaking decisions and significant events that changed the face of the papacy and influenced the course of European and world history,” he said, according to Zenit.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former archbishop of Krakow and a close friend of John Paul II, supported the request during a conference held by the “Europa Christi” movement, which took place at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw from Oct. 19-23.
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https://cruxnow.com/faith/2019/11/new-book-on-the-rosary-highlights-st-john-paul-iis-devotion-to-it/

New book on the rosary highlights St. John Paul II’s devotion to it
Mark Pattison Nov 30, 2019
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - If the use of the rosary as a devotion fell off at some point in the past, that’s not the case now, according to Gretchen R. Crowe, Our Sunday Visitor’s editorial director for periodicals.

Under St. John Paul II, “we saw a real resurgence in praying the rosary,” said Crowe, author of “Praying the Rosary With St. John Paul II.” “He had such a great devotion to this Marian prayer that he inspired an entire generation of Catholics to come back to the rosary.”

Crowe added, “I think there’s a great power to the rosary, a great devotion to the rosary. I think John Paul exemplified that. I want to do, and try, everything I can, to help people reclaim that great gift of the rosary.”

The book, published Oct. 4, includes chapters for each set of mysteries - Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous, the last developed by the Polish-born pope - and each mystery contains a biographical note about St. John Paul as well as words from his writings or speeches.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-to-publish-a-book-with-reflections-on-st-john-paul-ii-80341

Pope Francis to publish a book with reflections on St. John Paul II
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Jan 28, 2020 / 08:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis has co-authored a book of reflections on the life of St. John Paul II to be published in Italian.

The book, entitled "St. John Paul the Great," is the product of a series of conversations between Pope Francis and Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco which took place from June 2019 to January 2020, according to its preface.

The book is expected to be published sometime ahead of the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyla on May 18.

When Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II in 1978, a 41-year-old Fr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was serving as the provincial superior of the Jesuits in Argentina. Pope John Paul II appointed Bergoglio to be an auxiliary bishop in 1992, elevating him to become Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and creating him a cardinal in 2001. Pope Francis canonized St. John Paul II in 2014.

The book’s co-author, Fr. Epicoco, 39, has written two dozen books on spirituality since his ordination in 2005, including “John Paul II: Memories of a Holy Pope” which he wrote with Archbishop Piero Marini in 2014. Epicoco is a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and offers numerous lectures and spiritual retreats throughout Italy.
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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.romereports.com/en/2020/02/29/copy-of-john-paul-iis-famous-jubilee-vestment-displayed-in-rome/

Copy of John Paul II's famous Jubilee vestment displayed in Rome
2020/02/29

It's been 20 years since Pope John Paul II inaugurated the Great Jubilee Year to usher in the third millennium. Perhaps even more than his words that day, it was his brilliant cloak that struck the world.

Today, a replica of the vestment, known as a cope, can be found in this showroom, a stone's throw from St. Peter's Basilica. It's called X Regio, whose three-man team was also responsible for making the original garment.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-04/pope-francis-jesus-is-our-faithful-friend-general-audience.html

Pope: Jesus is a faithful friend, He accompanies and never disappoints
01 April 2020, 15:30

During the General Audience on Wednesday morning, Pope Francis reminds us that Jesus is a faithful friend, and invites us to call on the intercession of Pope Saint John Paul II.
By Alessandro di Bussolo

In his greetings at the end of his General Audience on Wednesday morning, Pope Francis recalled that Jesus is a faithful friend. He said Jesus accompanies us and never disappoints us. In His cross we find "support and comfort in the midst of life's tribulations", the Pope said. Therefore, he invited us to entrust ourselves to the intercession of Saint John Paul II, on the eve of the 15th anniversary of his death.

Jesus is the faithful friend "who fills our lives with happiness, even in difficult times", who "accompanies us and never disappoints". In Him and with Him we are not alone. In His cross our hearts find "support and comfort in the midst of life's tribulations". It was with these words of encouragment that Pope Francis greeted the faithful of different language groups, following his General Audience through various media platforms.

At the beginning of his greeting to the Polish-speaking faithful, the Pope reminded them that today, people are living more and more in fear, “threatened to the very core of their existence”. “I invite you to turn your thoughts to Christ”, the Pope said. “Know that you are not alone. He accompanies you and never disappoints you". He then invited them at this difficult time to entrust themselves to the "Divine Mercy and the intercession of Saint John Paul II, on the eve of the 15th anniversary of his death", which falls tomorrow, April 2.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-04/cardinal-comastri-interview-pope-saint-john-paul-ii-anniversary.html
Cardinal Comastri: Pope St John Paul II transformed his cross into love
01 April 2020, 12:00
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Video, with English commentary, at the link below--
Pope's General Audience of 1 April 2020
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/papal-audience/2020-04/pope-francis-general-audience-1-april-2020.html

::MonkeyAngel:: ::MonkeyTears::
Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.romereports.com/en/2020/04/02/remembering-john-paul-iis-final-hours-15-years-later/
Remembering John Paul II's final hours, 15 years later
2020/04/02
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While St. Peter's Square currently looks like this, April 2, 2005, it was like this.

“May our prayerful silence accompany these first moments of the Holy Father John Paul II with Christ in Heaven.”

John Paul II's health began to decline two months earlier, on the night of Feb. 1, 2005, when he was urgently hospitalized at Gemelli Hospital.

He had breathing difficulties, the flu, and a swollen throat.

For a few weeks, this hospital in Rome became a pilgrimage destination. Hundreds of people visited, just to be near to him. John Paul II greeted them often from the 10th floor window of the clinic.

At the end of February, they did an emergency tracheotomy. He couldn't speak, but he did not stop seeing pilgrims.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-hails-st-john-paul-ii-as-a-great-witness-of-faith-58171

Pope Francis hails St. John Paul II's 'great witness' ahead of centenary
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, May 5, 2020 / 11:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis said that he has looked up to St. John Paul II throughout his priesthood in a book foreword he wrote ahead of the 100-year anniversary of the Polish pope’s birth.

“St. John Paul II was a great witness of faith … Many times, in the course of my life as a priest and bishop I have looked to him, asking in my prayers for the gift of being faithful to the Gospel as he witnessed to us,” Pope Francis wrote in the forward of a recently published Italian book.

The book, “St. John Paul II: 100 Years. Words and images”, is being issued by the Vatican Publishing House to mark the centenary of Karol Wojtyła’s birth on May 18, 1920.

In his five-page foreword, Pope Francis wrote that St. John Paul II was “a great man of prayer who lived completely immersed in his time and constantly in contact with God, a sure guide for the Church in times of great change.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st-john-paul-iis-parents-sainthood-cause-has-officially-opened-69386

St. John Paul II’s parents’ sainthood cause has officially opened

CNA Staff, May 7, 2020 / 07:00 am MT (CNA).- The sainthood causes of St. John Paul II’s parents were formally opened in Poland Thursday.

A ceremony launching the causes of Karol and Emilia Wojtyła took place at the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wadowice, John Paul II’s birthplace, May 7.

At the ceremony, the Archdiocese of Kraków officially formed the tribunals that will seek evidence that the Polish pope’s parents lived lives of heroic virtue, enjoy a reputation for holiness and are regarded as intercessors.

After the tribunals’ first session, Kraków Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski presided at a Mass, which was broadcast via livestream amid Poland’s coronavirus lockdown.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-francis-jpii-centenary-last-santa-marta-mass-live.html

Pope to celebrate Mass for JPII centenary on 18 May, cease live-broadcast of daily Mass
12 May 2020, 18:13

On Monday, 18 May, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the tomb of Pope St. John Paul II for the 100th anniversary of his birth. As of that date, the Pope will no longer live-stream his daily Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.
By Andrea Tornielli

Pope Francis’s morning Mass on Monday, 18 May, will be the last in a series that has daily accompanied millions of people around the world for more than two months.

Public Masses in Italy are being allowed to resume that same day. On that occasion, the Pope has decided to interrupt the live broadcast of his morning Mass.

The last Mass will be a special one, because 18 May also marks the 100th anniversary of Karol Wojtyla’s birth. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the altar over the tomb of his predecessor.

Pope St. John Paul II was born in 1920, elected Bishop of Rome in 1978, died in 2005, and canonized in 2014.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/a-saint-and-his-family.html

A Saint and his family
14 May 2020, 12:30

Unshakable faith in the Lord, devotion to Mary, the spirit of sacrifice, the commitment to one’s neighbour, even at the risk of one’s own life. In his own family, Karol Wojtyła encountered all those characteristics that were then developed in his own life, and in an extraordinary way, in his Pontificate.
By Alessandro Gisotti

In his “service to the People of God, Saint John Paul II was the Pope of the family”. These words of Pope Francis during the canonization of Karol Wojtyła and Angelo Roncalli on April 27, 6 years ago, have a special meaning today as we approach the centenary of the birth of the holy Polish Pope. In fact, celebrating the beginning of his earthly life naturally leads us to want to “meet” his family, to try to discover the “secret” of his parents. Their cause for canonization began last week in Poland. Simply reading the basic biographical data of his mother, Emilia, and father, Karol, after whom he was named, one can understand how deeply their witness impacted the personality of the future Pope. Without a doubt, it can be said that the pillars of his priestly, and then pastoral, ministry first as the Archbishop of Krakow, and then as Bishop of Rome, were laid down in the early years of his life in Wadowice, a small town in the far south of Poland, where he was born on 18 May 1920.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-mercy-jpii-birth-centenary.html

The Pope emeritus’ words on mercy in Saint John Paul II
15 May 2020, 11:30

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI sends a letter to the Bishops of Poland for the birth centenary of his predecessor, Pope St. John Paul II.
By Vatican News

"The whole of the Pope’s life was centered on subjectively assimilating the objective center of the Christian faith – the teaching of salvation – and allowing others to accept it.”
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI wrote those words in a letter for the centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedict-xvi-hails-john-paul-ii-as-liberating-restorer-of-church-26535
Benedict XVI hails John Paul II as ‘liberating restorer’ of Church

CNA Staff, May 15, 2020 / 03:00 am MT (CNA).- John Paul II was a “liberating restorer of the Church” in the turbulent years after the Second Vatican Council, Benedict XVI has said in a letter marking the 100th anniversary of the saint’s birth.

In a message to Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, John Paul II’s personal secretary, the Pope emeritus said that the Polish pope had faced “an almost impossible task” when John Paul was elected to the papacy in 1978.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-benedict-xvis-letter-marking-st-john-paul-iis-birth-centenary-20198
Full text: Benedict XVI's letter marking St. John Paul II's birth centenary

Vatican City, May 15, 2020 / 03:10 am MT (CNA).- Here is the full text of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI's letter marking the centenary of the birth of St. John Paul II. The English translation of this letter, dated May 4, was released May 15 by the Polish bishops' conference:

100 years ago, on May 18th, Pope John Paul II was born in the small Polish town of Wadowice.
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https://zenit.org/articles/polish-bishops-issue-letter-for-saint-pope-john-paul-ii-centenary-full-text/

Polish Bishops Issue Letter for Saint Pope John Paul II Centenary (Full Text)
‘Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.’
May 15, 2020 17:42 Paweł Rytel-Andrianik Episcopal Conferences

In this difficult time for us all – when we struggle with the coronavirus pandemic and question the future of our families and society – it is worth asking what he would he say to us today? What message would speak to us his countrymen in May 2020? First come to our minds these words which he spoke to us in the homily inaugurating his pontificate. “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ,” emphasizes the Praesidium of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in a letter on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II.

The letter of the Praesidium of the Polish Episcopate will be read in churches on Sunday, May 17, on the eve of the anniversary of the birth of the Polish Pope. The bishops recall, among others, the words that St. John Paul II said in his homily beginning his pontificate in 1978: “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization, and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows +what is in man+. He alone knows it”. “Yes, Christ knows, what each of us carries within ourselves, He perfectly knows our joys, worries, hopes, fears, and yearnings. Only he can answer the question, which we ask ourselves today,” they wrote.
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https://zenit.org/articles/anniversary-special-100-ways-pope-saint-john-paul-ii-changed-the-world/

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: 100 Ways Pope Saint John Paul II Changed the World
Book by Patrick Novecosky Who Knew Polish Saint Makes You Know Him Better Too
May 15, 2020 07:16 Deborah Castellano Lubov

How can one possibly try to wrap their mind around, somewhat rapidly, the countless ways a beloved pontiff, genius, and now saint, changed the world during his 26-year pontificate that drew with a close on April 2, 2005, on Divine Mercy Sunday?

A new work by Patrick Novecosky, titled ‘100 Ways John Paul II Changed the World,’ and published by Our Sunday Visitor, seeks to do just that, and does so as Monday, May 18, marks the 100 year anniversary of the Polish Pontiff’s birth.

The American Catholic communicator who has traveled to 26 countries, met Pope St. John Paul II five times, often in private venues in Rome, and is a husband and father of five. The award-winning journalist has edited and written for some of America’s top Catholic publications and has been published in five languages. Patrick is Managing Partner at NovaMedia a public relations firm specializing in the Catholic space.

Shattering the Mold

In his book, he examines in one or two pages per chapter, the mystical beloved Pope’s remarkable and difficult upbringing. Remembering his friendships, and unforgettable, as well as less known, moments, it also examines his impact on the world, including being an incredibly important force in the eventual collapse of Communism in Poland and Eastern Europe.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/john-paul-ii-family-home-museum-documents-life-of-polish-pontiff.html

John Paul II Family Home Museum documents life of Polish Pontiff
15 May 2020, 12:29

Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Polish Pope, the archivist of the John Paul II Family Home Museum in Wadowice encourages everyone to discover it online.
By Vatican News

Karol J. Wojtyła, known as Pope Saint John Paul II, was born on 18 May 1920 in a modest apartment in Wadowice, a small city about fifty kilometres from Krakow, Poland. The Wojtyła family lived in this home from 1919 – 1938, when Karol was eighteen years old.

Today, that building on Kościelna Street is the John Paul II Family Home Museum, which attracts approximately 250,000 visitors annually. It was opened on 12 April 2010 by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Małopolska region, the Wadowice Township and the Archdiocese of Krakow.

In an interview with Vatican News, the archivist of the John Paul II Family Home Museum, Artur Oboza speaks more about the memorial.
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The archivist encourages everyone to visit the Museum’s website where further information can be found.
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John Paul II Family Home Museum: https://homejp2.com/

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-saint-john-paul-ii-a-man-attached-to-prayer.html

Pope Saint John Paul II: A man attached to prayer
18 May 2020, 10:57

In an interview, Polish Cardinal and personal secretary to Pope Saint John Paul II, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, speaks on the personality of the saint.
By Vatican News

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope Saint John Paul II. Pope Francis, on Monday morning, celebrated Mass at the altar where the saint is entombed in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Saint John Paul II was elected Pope by the second papal conclave of 1978 which was called after the death of Pope John Paul I who died after a brief pontificate. Saint John Paul II’s papacy lasted from 1978 to 2005.

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, personal secretary to Pope Saint John Paul II, and Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow, Poland, speaks about his experience of living and working with the saint.
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Video, with English commentary, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2020-05/pope-celebrates-mass-for-anniversary-of-birth-of-john-paul-ii.html
Pope Francis: St John Paul II a man of prayer, closeness, justice
18 May 2020, 08:01

Celebrating Mass on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyla, the future St John Paul II, Pope Francis described his predecessor as a man of prayer, closeness, and justice.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of St John Paul II by offering Holy Mass at the altar where the Polish Pope is buried in St Peter’s Basilica.

Joined by a very limited number of the faithful, the liturgy on Monday morning was the first Mass open to the public after almost two months of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Lord has visited His People

Pope Francis began his homily by reminding us that God loves His People, and in times of difficulty “visits” them by sending a holy man or a prophet.
In the life of Pope John Paul II, we can see a man sent by God, prepared by Him, and made Bishop and Pope to guide God’s Church. “Today, we can say that the Lord visited His people”.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/saint-faustina-kowalska-roman-calendar-universal-feast.html

Pope Francis adds feast of Saint Faustina to Roman Calendar
18 May 2020, 12:49

Pope Francis makes the feast of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska an optional memorial for the universal Church, celebrated on 5 October.
By Vatican News

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a decree on Monday, 18 May, inscribing the celebration of Saint Maria Faustina (Helena) Kowalska, virgin, in the General Roman Calendar.

The decree – issued on behalf of Pope Francis – came on the same day as the Church marks 100 years since the birth of Karol Wojtyla. The future Pope St. John Paul II canonized St. Faustina in the year 2000.

Her optional memorial will be celebrated around the world on 5 October.

Below please find the official English-language translation of the decree:
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-francis-letter-angelicum-jpii-cultural-institute.html

Pope Francis sends blessings to new JPII Institute of Culture
18 May 2020, 12:12

Pope Francis sends a letter to the Rector of the Pontifical Angelicum University for the inauguration of the St. John Paul II Institute of Culture.
By Devin Watkins

As the world marks 100 years since the birth of Karol Wojtyla, the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome inaugurates an Saint John Paul II Institute of Culture within the Faculty of Philosophy in JPII’s name.

Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope, studied philosophy at the Angelicum from 1946 until 1948. The new institute is supported by two Polish foundations, Futura Iuventa and Saint Nicholas.

JPII: Inspiration and architect

To commemorate the new cultural institute, Pope Francis sent a letter on Monday to the Angelicum’s Rector, Fr. Michał Paluch, O.P., who hails from Poland.

The Pope said JPII is both “the inspiration behind this project and its first and most important architect.”

He added that the Polish Pope left the Church a “rich and multifaceted heritage” due to “the example of his open and contemplative spirit, his passion for God and man, for creation, history and art.”
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https://zenit.org/articles/letter-of-his-holiness-pope-francis-to-rector-of-pontifical-university-of-saint-thomas-aquinas-angelicum/
Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to Rector Of Pontifical University Of Saint Thomas Aquinas ‘Angelicum’
For Inauguration, at the University, of the ‘Saint John Paul II’ Institute Of Culture
May 18, 2020 16:10

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2020-05/tributes-john-paul-ii-world.html

Tributes to St John Paul II from around the world
18 May 2020, 15:30

The 100th anniversary of Pope Saint John Paul II's birth is being noted in various parts of the world as tributes attest.
By Francesca Merlo and Sr Bernadette Reis

One hundred years ago, the baby who would become Pope John Paul II was born. Tributes have been pouring in from around the world to mark this centenary.
Chief Rabbi of Poland

Amongst these is Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich. In an announcement made on Sunday, he noted that “No other Pope has done more to heal the painful wounds and to effectively erase the scourge of antisemitism”.

Rabbi Schudrich noted that Pope John Paul II took bold steps within the contacts with the Jewish community. “Recognizing Jewish suffering during his visit to Auschwitz, acknowledging the State of Israel as central to Jewish life and faith and apologizing for Christian persecution of Jews throughout history, act as testaments to his ultimate aspiration regarding Jewish/Christian relations”, he said.

Tribute from US Ambassador to Holy See
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https://zenit.org/articles/us-ambassador-to-vatican-saint-john-paul-ii-overcame-astonishing-difficulties-with-grace-and-perseverance/
US Ambassador to Vatican: ‘Saint John Paul II Overcame Astonishing Difficulties with Grace and Perseverance’
Statement by Ambassador Gingrich on the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Saint John Paul II
May 18, 2020 15:56

Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-francis-video-message-young-people-krakow-jpii.html
Pope sends message to Polish young people, on birth centenary of John Paul II
18 May 2020, 20:15

Pope Francis sends a video message to the young people of Krakow, as Poland and the world marks the birth centenary of Pope St. John Paul II.
By Devin Watkins

In a video message sent on Monday, Pope Francis urges the young people of Poland – and youth around the world – to let Christ enter every aspect of their lives.
His message came on the evening of 18 May, which marks 100 years since the birth of Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope Saint John Paul II.

“Saint John Paul II was a gift of God to the Church and to Poland, your motherland. His earthly pilgrimage,” said the Pope, “was marked by his passion for life and by a fascination with the mystery of God, of the world and of humankind.”

Man of mercy
Pope Francis said he remembers his predecessor as “a great man of mercy”.

He recalled the Polish Pope’s encyclical Dives in Misericordia, his canonization of St. Faustina, and the creation of Divine Mercy Sunday.

“In the light of God’s merciful love, he captured the specificity and beauty of the vocation of women and men; he understood the needs of children, of young people and of adults, also considering cultural and social conditioning. Everyone had an experience of him.”

Reference point for families

The Pope went on to say everyone can experience John Paul II and learn of his life and teachings.

Among the Saint’s teachings, “love and care for the family” stand out. They provide a “secure point of reference for finding concrete solutions” to the challenges of family life, the Pope said.
Pope Francis recalled the many sufferings that Pope John Paul II experienced. He had to deal with the death of his mother, father, and brother, the “atrocities of Nazism” and, later, the threat of Atheistic Communism.

“Difficulties, even tough ones, are a proof of maturity and of faith,” said the Pope, “a test which can only be passed based on the power of Christ, who died and rose again.”

Become Christ’s hands

Finally, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the young people of Krakow, of Poland, and of the world might “enter Christ with your whole life.”

Jesus, said the Pope, “wants to turn your hands, my hands, our hands into signs of reconciliation, of communion, of creation.”

Below please find the full text of the video message:
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/polish-catholics-celebrate-centenary-of-st-john-paul-iis-baptism-47108

Polish Catholics celebrate centenary of St. John Paul II’s baptism

CNA Staff, Jun 20, 2020 / 07:00 am MT (CNA).- The Church in Poland will celebrate the centenary of the baptism of St. John Paul II Saturday.

The future pope was baptized on June 20, 1920, in the Chapel of the Holy Family of the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wadowice, southern Poland.

When he returned to the basilica in 1999, Pope John Paul II said: “With profound veneration I ... embrace the threshold of the house of God, the parish church of Wadowice, and in it the baptistery, in which I was joined to Christ and received into the community of his Church.”

The commemoration of St. John Paul II’s baptism comes amid a series of events marking the 100th anniversary of the saint’s birth on May 18, 1920.

The Press Office of the Polish bishops’ conference said that at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, June 21, a John Paul II memorial concert would be broadcast online.

The concert was originally due to take place at the Lincoln Center in New York, under the patronage of Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, St. John Paul’s long-time personal secretary.

The coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to change the format of the concert, which will feature more than 30 artists from 10 countries.

The Polish Church is marking the centenary of the birth of the saint, who served as pope from 1978 to 2005, with an international social media campaign, #ThankYouJohnPaul2.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/god-bless-america---pope-john-paul-ii-pope-benedict-xvi-and-pope-francis-speak-to-the-united-states-30234

‘God bless America’ - Popes speak to the United States

CNA Staff, Jul 3, 2020 / 11:20 am MT (CNA).- Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis each made apostolic visitations to the United States during the course of their pontificates. As the United States celebrates Independence Day, CNA remembers words to America from each of those popes:
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Pope St. John Paul II

Detroit, September 19, 1987

America the beautiful! So you sing in one of your national songs. Yes, America, you are beautiful indeed, and blessed in so many ways:

- in your majestic mountains and fertile plains;
- in the goodness and sacrifice hidden in your teeming cities and expanding suburbs;
- in your genius for invention and for splendid progress;
- in the power that you use for service and in the wealth that you share with others;
- in what you give to your own, and in what you do for others beyond your borders;
- in how you serve, and in how you keep alive the flame of hope in many hearts;
- in your quest for excellence and in your desire to right all wrongs.

Yes, America, all this belongs to you. But your greatest beauty and your richest blessing is found in the human person: in each man, woman and child, in every immigrant, in every native-born son and daughter.

For this reason, America, your deepest identity and truest character as a nation is revealed in the position you take towards the human person. The ultimate test of your greatness in the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenceless ones.

The best traditions of your land presume respect for those who cannot defend themselves. If you want equal justice for all, and true freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life! All the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person:

- feeding the poor and welcoming refugees;
- reinforcing the social fabric of this nation;
- promoting the true advancement of women;
- securing the rights of minorities;
- pursuing disarmament, while guaranteeing legitimate defence; all this will succeed only if respect for life and its protection by the law is granted to every human being from conception until natural death.

Every human person - no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society - is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival-yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenceless ones, those as yet unborn.

With these sentiments of love and hope for America, I now say goodbye in words that I spoke once before: "Today, therefore, my final prayer is this: that God will bless America, so that she may increasingly become - and truly be - and long remain one Nation, under God, indivisible. With liberty and justice for all"

A link to the concert is below--

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2020/07/concert-honoring-st-john-paul-ii-centenary-available-online/

Concert honoring St. John Paul II centenary available online
Catholic News Service Jul 5, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A concert honoring the centennial of St. John Paul II’s birth is now available online.

The concert, featuring some of the United States and Poland’s top classical music artists, was held June 21. St. John Paul’s birth was May 28.

The concert features introductory remarks from Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, president of Poland’s bishops’ conference, and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York. The performances can be seen at https://jp2concert.com. The total running time is two hours and 47 minutes.

The musical program begins with pianist Szymon Nehring, in a church courtyard, playing a solo piano rendition of “Etude in C# Minor, No. 25, Op. 9,” written by one of Poland’s musical treasures, Fredric Chopin.

The program, a combination of sacred and classical music, includes Metropolitan Opera soloist Angel Joy Blue’s rendition of Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria”; two other Metropolitan Opera soloists, MaryAnn McCormick and Lisette Oropesa performing Mozart’s “Panis Angelicus” and “Laudate Dominum”; Metropolitan Opera featured performer Latonia Moore singing the “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s opera “Otello”; and Brandie Sutton’s performance of the “Lamb of God” to the accompaniment of David Sneed, who has performed with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Jessye Norman, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/john-paul-ii-rose-added-to-white-house-rose-garden-44378
JPII rose added to White House Rose Garden

Washington D.C., Aug 22, 2020 / 11:08 am MT (CNA).- A rose named for the late Pope St. John Paul II has been included in a renovation of the White House Rose Garden.

The Pope John Paul II rose, a white tea rose cultivar, is included in a redesign of the Rose Garden overseen by First Lady Melania Trump, which was unveiled Aug. 22. Other roses included in the garden redesign are the JFK rose cultivar and the Peace rose.

The Rose Garden, a space of about 1,700 square feet, sits outside the Oval Office. It was first designed and planted in 1913 under the direction of First Lady Ellen Wilson, and a 1961 redesign was overseen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

The Pope John Paul II rose was bred by American horticulturist Keith Zary in 2006. It has since been planted in the Vatican Gardens. The rose, which produces large white blossoms, is said to be among the most fragrant of rose cultivars.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st-john-paul-ii-relic-stolen-amid-church-robberies-in-italy-79938

St. John Paul II relic stolen amid church robberies in Italy
By Hannah Brockhaus

Rome Newsroom, Sep 24, 2020 / 08:00 am MT (CNA).- This week a relic of St. Pope John Paul II was stolen from a cathedral in central Italy, while a church in Sicily was also robbed and the Eucharist desecrated.

A gold reliquary with a relic of the blood of St. John Paul II was discovered to be missing from a chapel of the Cathedral Basilica of Spoleto on the evening of Sept. 23, according to the Italian daily L’Avvenire.

In a video message Sept. 24, the archbishop of Spoleto said he received the news of the theft with sorrow.

Archbishop Renato Boccardo asked the perpetrator to “return and restore the relic to the cathedral. What I am asking is a gesture of responsibility and seriousness.”

The relic was a gift from the archbishop of Kraków to the Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia in 2016. The archdiocese planned to move the relic to a new church in honor of the Polish saint on Oct. 22. This year the Church is marking the 100th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s birth.

The relic was, in the meantime, being displayed for veneration in the chapel of the crucifix, which is enclosed by a gate.
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Photo at the link

https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/sculpture-of-john-paul-ii-with-rock-red-water-makes-waves/article_8599522d-0c40-5681-8d3a-36195bd693b5.html

Sculpture of John Paul II with rock, red water makes waves
By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press 2 hrs ago

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A new statue that depicts the late pope St. John Paul II throwing a boulder into red water has provoked debate in his native Poland and revived memories of a 1999 Italian sculpture that showed him crushed under a meteorite, to which the new work was intended as a counter-statement.

The statue by Polish artist Jerzy Kalina, titled “Poisoned Well,” was inaugurated Thursday in front of Warsaw’s National Museum to mark 100 years since the much-loved pope's birth on May 18, 1920.

Kalina, 76, said the installation in the museum's fountain relates to John Paul II's efforts in the 1980s to help free Poland from communism, which is symbolized by the red color the water has from a red fabric placed on the fountain's bottom.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/international-appeal-to-promote-st-john-paul-iis-teaching-launched-83818

International appeal launched to promote St. John Paul II’s teaching

CNA Staff, Oct 12, 2020 / 02:00 pm MT (CNA).- The rector of a Catholic university in Poland urged academics worldwide Monday to sign an appeal committing themselves to promoting the teachings of St. John Paul II.

Fr. Mirosław Kalinowski, rector of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, launched the appeal Oct. 12, as the centenary of the Polish pope’s birth is marked around the world.

The “International Appeal of Professors and Academic Teachers” emphasizes the urgency of introducing the thought of Karol Wojtyła, who took the name John Paul II when he was elected pope, to a new generation of students.

The appeal said: “The month of October is traditionally associated with the beginning of the academic year at our universities, and this year, October 16th marks the 42nd anniversary of the election of John Paul II, while 2020 marks the centennial anniversary of his birth.”

“This is a good opportunity to introduce once again Karol Wojtyła’s teaching in philosophy, culture, and sociology into our lecture programs, didactic classes, and scientific work; and we encourage you to do that.”
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https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/13476/polish-bishop-laments-failure-to-elevate-st-john-paul-ii-

13 OCTOBER 2020, THE TABLET
Polish bishop laments failure to elevate St John Paul II
by Jonathan Luxmoor

The president of Poland’s Bishops’ Conference has said the Vatican rejected his request to have St John Paul II declared a Doctor of the Church and patron saint of Europe.

Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan said most bishops worldwide also ignored the proposal.

He said: “The title of Doctor of the Church is reserved for saints who performed a special service, especially in the development of theology.

“The idea of patrons for all Europe is quite a new one, dating from the twentieth century when the founders of Europe's contemporary order looked for ways of integrating our continent's nations and states. Although the first stage of our initiative has been completed, and the appropriate seeds sown in the ground, it seems we'll now need a lot of patience.”
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-10/pope-john-paul-ii-saint-election-1978-16-october-poland.html
One October evening: Pope Saint John Paul II changed history
16 October 2020, 09:50

The anniversary of John Paul II's election to the papacy falls this year on the centenary of his birth: two events celebrated by Churches around the world. The Vatican Publishing House and the Osservatore Romano preserve the memorable moments of that unforgettable evening of 16 October 1978.
By Alessandro Di Bussolo

October 16, 1978, 42 years ago, was a Monday. It was already dark when, at 6.18 p.m., white smoke billowed out from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, after black smoke had risen seven times before.

After a little less than half an hour, at 6:45 p.m., Cardinal proto-deacon Pericles Felici announced the election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, under the name of John Paul II, as the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome and successor of Peter.

It seemed at first that the 58th Archbishop of Krakow wanted to call himself Stanislaus I in honor of the patron saint of Poland. When it was pointed out to him that it was a name that did not fit into the Roman tradition, Wojtyła chose John Paul in memory of his predecessor, Albino Luciani, who passed away after only 33 days of his Pontificate.
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Video, with English commentary, at the link below--
John Paul II A Pope Who Made History
This biograpghy shows the life of Bl. Pope John Paul II, from his birth in Poland to his Pontificate in Rome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t2nAJ1BNe4

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-st-john-paul-ii-foresaw-challenges-facing-world-today-71706

Cardinal: St. John Paul II foresaw challenges facing world today

Vatican City, Oct 16, 2020 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- St. John Paul II accurately predicted the problems facing the world today, his longtime personal secretary said Friday, the anniversary of the Polish pope’s election.

In an essay marking the election on Oct. 16, 1978, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz said that John Paul II was accused of being out of touch with the world following the collapse of communism.

“Today, however, 15 years after he left for the House of the Father, we can see with what perspicacity he was analyzing the reality, and how accurate were his predictions of the problems we are facing today,” he wrote in the Polish newspaper Wszystko Co Najważniejsze (All that Really Matters).

John Paul II served as pope for 26 years until his death in 2005, publishing 14 encyclicals and making pastoral visits to 129 countries. This year, the centenary of his birth is being marked by events in Rome and Poland.

Dziwisz, the former archbishop of Kraków, recalled that the pope did not share in the euphoria when the Iron Curtain fell and commentators spoke of “the end of history.”

“The events that followed have proved John Paul II right: not only had he accurately diagnosed the illnesses afflicting the Western world, but he was also able to point to remedies,” he said.

“In his opinion, the world’s future will not be decided on battlefields but, above all, in the bosom of families, and it will depend on the quality of relations with our loved ones. For this reason, he elevated studies on the phenomenon of the family to the rank of an academic science. The theology of the body he developed became an in-depth, comprehensive, and tested response to the identity crisis we are currently witnessing in the sphere of human sexuality.”
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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/john-paul-ii-exhibition-in-rome-promotes-beauty-as-a-source-of-hope-and-life

John Paul II Exhibition in Rome Promotes Beauty as a Source of Hope and Life

The event marking the first centenary of the Polish pope’s birth may be the only cultural event of the Eternal City for this anniversary because of COVID-19 restrictions.
October 21, 2020

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of John Paul II’s birth, an exhibition of photographs, relics and art works about the saint is being held in Rome at the Arte Poli Gallery, located just steps away from the Vatican.

The exhibition, which was inaugurated Oct. 16 and will be open to public until April 2, 2021, will most probably be the only cultural event taking place in the Italian capital for this centenary as the country is still under heavy COVID-19 restrictions.

“In these very troubled times, as many people have lost their bearings and tend to become more and more afraid, defying, nervous and even mean, our wish was to spread a message of hope connected to the figure of St. John Paul II,” Andrea Mezzetti, artistic director of Progetto Arte Poli, the Verona-based art laboratory promoting the event, told the Register.
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For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/galleriaartepoli/

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/polish-city-unveils-giant-st-john-paul-ii-mural-in-centenary-year-73897

Polish city unveils giant St. John Paul II mural in centenary year

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2020 / 06:00 am MT (CNA).- A Polish city has unveiled a giant mural of St. John Paul II in honor of the birth centenary of the pope whose feast day is celebrated Thursday.

City authorities in Stalowa Wola, southeastern Poland, commissioned the portrait, which is 30 feet wide and 100 feet high, to mark the anniversary year, which is being commemorated by events in Rome and Poland.

The image, on the side of an apartment building on the city’s John Paul II Avenue, depicts the pope who led the Church from 1978 to 2005 leaning on his crozier while praying. The mural was officially blessed Oct. 18 by Bishop Edward Frankowski, a retired auxiliary bishop of Sandomierz.
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https://zenit.org/2020/10/22/feast-day-special-100-ways-pope-saint-john-paul-ii-changed-the-world/

FEAST DAY SPECIAL: 100 Ways Pope Saint John Paul II Changed the World
OCTOBER 22, 2020 12:20 DEBORAH CASTELLANO LUBOV

The feast of St. John Paul II is marked on October 22, the anniversary of the inauguration of his pontificate. Here we bring you this special on the beloved Polish Pope from ZENIT’s Archives

***

How can one possibly try to wrap their mind around, somewhat rapidly, the countless ways a beloved pontiff, genius, and now saint, changed the world during his 26-year pontificate that drew with a close on April 2, 2005, on Divine Mercy Sunday?

A new work by Patrick Novecosky, titled ‘100 Ways John Paul II Changed the World,’ and published by Our Sunday Visitor, seeks to do just that, and does so as today, Monday, May 18, marks the 100 year anniversary of the Polish Pontiff’s birth.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/13/man-arrested-over-theft-of-relic-containing-blood-of-pope-john-paul-ii-cathedral-spoleto-italy

Police identify man suspected of theft of Pope John Paul II's blood
Fri 13 Nov 2020 07.40 EST First published on Fri 13 Nov 2020 07.17 EST

Italian police have identified the man suspected of stealing a vial containing the blood of Pope John Paul II from a cathedral in the Umbria region.

The gold and crystal reliquary was stolen from an altar dedicated to the late pontiff in Spoleto in September.

Police identified the man, reported to be aged 49 and resident of Tuscany, thanks to CCTV footage in the cathedral and surrounding area. He has allegedly been connected to the theft of other ecclesiastical assets in the past.

The vial, one of three relics that contain droplets of the pope’s blood, has not been found. Police believe it may have ended up on the parallel market, possibly in the hands of collectors, as such relics are of great religious value.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/new-book-highlights-st-john-paul-iis-influence-amid-cold-war-77046

New book highlights St. John Paul II’s influence amid Cold War
By Courtney Mares

CNA Staff, Nov 18, 2020 / 01:00 pm MT (CNA).- A new book on St. John Paul II examines the relationship of the Polish pope with Central and Eastern European countries during the Cold War.

“Blood of your Blood, Bone of your Bone: The Pontificate of John Paul II (1978-2005) and the Churches in Central and Eastern Europe” is a 1,510-page volume with contributions from more than 50 authors.

At a virtual book launch Nov. 17, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski of Kraków pointed out that the book’s title comes from the words that John Paul II spoke during his first apostolic journey to Poland in June 1979.

“Thus, dear fellow-countrymen, will this pope, blood of your blood, bone of your bone, sing with you, and with you he will exclaim: ‘May the glory of the Lord last forever,’” he said at the end of his Pentecost homily in Gniezno.

John Paul II was the first pope to visit a country in the Communist Bloc, the book’s editor, Fr. Jan Mikrut, said at the virtual launch, hosted by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, which followed the book’s publication in October.

“John Paul II radically modified the traditional Vatican ‘Ostpolitik’ led by Archbishop Agostino Casaroli and oriented towards compromise with the communist governments. From the beginning of his pontificate he began a tougher line towards the communist governments,” Mikrut said.

“Gorbachev himself attested to John Paul II a decisive contribution in the fall of communism in Europe and on Nov. 9, 1989, to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The end of the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet regime came.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/polish-archbishop-responds-to-unprecedented-attacks-on-st-john-paul-ii-in-wake-of-mccarrick-report-15131

Polish archbishop responds to ‘unprecedented attacks’ on St. John Paul II after McCarrick Report

CNA Staff, Dec 8, 2020 / 09:20 am MT (CNA).- St. John Paul II’s “highest priority” was combating clerical abuse and protecting young people, a Catholic archbishop said Monday in response to what he called “unprecedented attacks” on the Polish pope.

In a Dec. 7 statement, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, defended John Paul II’s legacy in the wake of the McCarrick Report, which unleashed criticism of the pope who appointed McCarrick as archbishop of Washington in 2000 and made him a cardinal a year later.

“On the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, we are witnessing unprecedented attacks on his person. The pretext is the alleged failure of the Pope to disclose and punish the clergy -- perpetrators of sexual abuse against minors,” Gądecki said.

“People who thoroughly research the history of the pontificate of the Holy Father know very well that the issues of protecting children and youth and counteracting any abuses by the clergy were the Holy Father’s highest priority.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st-john-paul-ii-1700-professors-respond-to-wave-of-accusations-against-polish-pope-82269

St. John Paul II: 1,700 professors respond to ‘wave of accusations’ against Polish pope

CNA Staff, Dec 12, 2020 / 01:15 am MT (CNA).- Hundreds of professors have signed an appeal defending St. John Paul II following criticism of the Polish pope in the wake of the McCarrick Report.

The “unprecedented” appeal was signed by 1,700 professors based at Polish universities and research institutes. The signatories include Hanna Suchocka, Poland’s first female prime minister, former foreign minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld, physicists Andrzej Staruszkiewicz and Krzysztof Meissner, and film director Krzysztof Zanussi.

“An impressive long list of John Paul II’s merits and accomplishments is being challenged and erased today,” the professors said in the appeal.

“For young people, who were born after his death, the deformed, false and belittled image of the pope could become the only one they will know.”

“We appeal to all people of goodwill to come to their senses. John Paul II, like every other person, deserves to be talked about honestly. By defaming and rejecting John Paul II, we do great harm to ourselves, not to him.”

The professors said they were responding to accusations leveled against John Paul II, pope from 1978 to 2005, following the publication last month of a Vatican report on disgraced ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The Polish pope appointed McCarrick as archbishop of Washington in 2000 and made him a cardinal a year later.

The professors said: “In the last few days, we have been witnessing a wave of accusations leveled against John Paul II. He is accused of covering up pedophile acts among Catholic priests and there are calls for the removal of his public memorials. These acts are intended to transform the image of a person worthy of the highest esteem into one who was complicit in abhorrent crimes.”

“A pretext for making radical demands was the publication of the ‘Report on the Holy See’s Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick’ by the Holy See. However, a careful analysis of the report does not point to any facts that could constitute a basis for leveling the above-mentioned accusations against John Paul II.”

The professors continued: “There is a huge gap between promoting one of the most serious offenses and making wrong staffing decisions due to inadequate knowledge or outright false information.”
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https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2020/12/those-who-question-the-sanctity-of-john-paul-ii-dont-know-what-theyre-talking-about
“THOSE WHO QUESTION THE SANCTITY OF JOHN PAUL II DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT”
by George Weigel
12 . 9 . 20

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/clearing-the-air-regarding-st-john-paul-ii-and-theodore-mccarrick

Clearing the Air Regarding St. John Paul II and Theodore McCarrick

COMMMENTARY: If carefully read, the McCarrick Report helps to explain what John Paul did know about the allegations against McCarrick, what he did with that knowledge, and why he may have done it.
Father Raymond J. de Souza Commentaries December 15, 2020

A month after the release of the McCarrick Report, some of the dust has settled, and it is possible to better digest the mass of information published. It is possible, then, to turn more soberly to the question of the impact of the McCarrick Report on the sainted memory of Pope John Paul II.

In the days immediately following the report’s release, there were voices who eagerly put the blame on John Paul, claiming that report proved that he was aware of McCarrick’s misconduct and promoted him anyway. Many who were detractors of St. John Paul II in life characterized the report as tainting his memory.

One report from a customarily hostile publication put it this way: “Vatican’s explosive McCarrick report largely places blame on John Paul II.”

Defenders claimed that John Paul was deceived and thus is not culpable of the mistaken promotion. Papal biographer George Weigel argued that John Paul was deceived, that there was “massive system failure,” and that a report about McCarrick should not be manipulated to become “an assault on John Paul.”
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The Legacy

Some commentators have suggested that the public cult of St. John Paul II should be limited, or even suppressed, after the McCarrick Report.

Two authoritative voices disagree, both of whom had seen the McCarrick Report well in advance, as it was ready almost a year ago: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who argued in May 2020 that the late Holy Father should be known as “John Paul the Great,” and Pope Francis, who published an interview book last spring by that very name.

Video at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/remembering-saint-john-paul-ii-2-april-20015.html
Remembering St. John Paul II on the 16th anniversary of his death
02 April 2021, 16:08

Today, April 2, 2021, marks the sixteenth anniversary of the death of Saint John Paul II. As today is also Good Friday, we remember him praying in his private chapel while participating spiritually in his last Way of the Cross. He was watching the live television broadcast of the celebration taking place at Rome's Colosseum on March 25, 2005.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/hail-o-cross-our-only-hope-the-story-of-the-crucifix-st-john-paul-ii-held-on-his-last-good-friday
‘O crux, ave spes unica!’: The story of the crucifix St. John Paul II held on his last Good Friday

CNA Staff, Apr 2, 2021 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- Days before Pope John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005, Vatican television cameras captured extraordinary footage of the Polish pope.

He was sitting alone facing the altar of his private chapel. Beneath the crucifix and tabernacle was a television screen showing a torchlit procession at Rome’s Colosseum.

It was Good Friday and the 84-year-old pope was unable to lead that year’s Way of the Cross because of his infirmity. But he was still determined to take part.

Images of the pope in his chapel were broadcast live on video screens at the Colosseum. The thousands present there cheered as they saw him sitting silently with his back to the camera.

Near the end of the Via Crucis, John Paul II was seen holding a large wooden crucifix.

The crucifix originally belonged to a Polish woman called Janina Trafalska, who like the pope experienced great suffering.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/st-john-paul-ii-rome-synagogue-visit-jewish-catholic-anniversary.html

35 years since Pope St John Paul II’s historic visit to Rome’s Synagogue
13 April 2021, 15:00

Pope St John Paul II's historic visit to Rome’s Synagogue 35 years ago marked a new chapter in Catholic-Jewish relations.
By Linda Bordoni

The date of 13 April 1986 is etched in history as the day of the first-ever recorded papal visit to a Synagogue. It was a rainy spring afternoon when Pope St. John Paul crossed the River Tiber to pay his respects to the community of Rome’s imposing Victorian Synagogue, believed to be home to the oldest Jewish community in the West.

Thousands of Romans gathered to cheer, and the international press corps was present in force to capture the moment widely seen as a gesture destined to go down in history.

''The heart opens itself,'' Rabbi Elio Toaff declared, and the two leaders embraced and entered the synagogue together to the ovation of the 1,000-strong congregation.

In a service that emphasized the equal dignity of the two faiths, the two men sat on identical gilt and brocade thrones and took turns reading from the Book of Psalms. The Pope even read one in Hebrew.

He quoted extensively from the Declaration Nostra Aetate, proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in 1965 and dedicated to the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions, and which rejects a longstanding belief that held Jews responsible for Christ's death.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247420/postulator-st-john-paul-ii-remains-a-prophetic-voice-seven-years-after-canonization

Postulator: St. John Paul II remains a ‘prophetic voice’ seven years after canonization

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2021 / 08:05 am America/Denver (CNA).

The postulator of St. John Paul II’s canonization cause said Tuesday that the Polish pope remains a “prophetic voice” seven years after he was recognized as a saint.

Msgr. Sławomir Oder said that when St. John Paul II was canonized on April 27, 2014, he felt he had completed the task entrusted to him by Benedict XVI, who permitted the cause to open in 2005 without the customary five-year waiting period after a candidate’s death.

“At the beginning of this process, Pope Benedict XVI gave me a clear instruction: work fast but work well. On that day, I was conscious that I had not disappointed the expectations expressed in those words of the Holy Father,” he said.

Referring to recent criticisms of St. John Paul II in Poland and elsewhere, Oder said that devotion to the pope who led the Church from 1978 to 2005 would prove stronger than the attacks on him and his legacy.

“The voice of John Paul II, which resounds through his teaching -- and the fact of the devotion with which he is surrounded by people manifesting their love for him -- this voice continues to be a voice that stimulates our conscience and a prophetic voice that will always be contested by those who do not share the idea of the Church and Christianity at all,” he commented.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-anniverary-st-john-paul-ii-attack-our-lady-fatima.html

Pope recalls 40th anniversary of attack on Saint Pope John Paul II
12 May 2021, 11:24

In his greetings to pilgrims present in the Courtyard of St Damasus for the weekly General Audience Pope Francis recalled the attack on St Pope John Paul II 40 years ago, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Fatima and he invited the faithful to recite the Holy Rosary for the end of the pandemic.
By Linda Bordoni

Greeting Polish pilgrims at the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis recalled the 40th anniversary tomorrow of the assassination attempt on Pope Saint John Paul II.

“He was certain that he owed his life to Our Lady of Fatima,” he said, noting that “that this makes us aware that our lives and the history of the world are in God’s hands.”

Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded as he passed through St Peter’s Square in an open car during the General Audience on Wednesday, 13 May 1981, on the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

“Let’s entrust the Church, ourselves and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let’s pray for peace, for the end of the pandemic, for a spirit of penitence and for our conversion,” the Pope said.

And recalling tomorrow’s feast day dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, he said: “Let us place ourselves with trust under Her maternal protection, especially when we find ourselves in difficulty during our prayer life.”
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Video of the General Audience at the link below--
May 12 2021 General Audience Pope Francis
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/may-13th-1981-remembering-that-fateful-day.html
May 13th, 1981: Remembering that fateful day
12 May 2021, 14:30

Video at the link
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/gun-shots-fear-prayer-and-forgiveness.html
Gun shots, fear, prayer and forgiveness
12 May 2021, 14:36

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2021/08/poland-prepares-for-beatification-of-mentor-to-john-paul-ii/

Poland prepares for beatification of mentor to John Paul II
By Paulina Guzik
Aug 14, 2021

KRAKÓW, Poland – When he became pope, St. John Paul II said, “There would be no Polish Pope without the Primate.”

The primate he referred to was Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, who will be beatified September 12.

Wyszyński, the “Iron Primate” known for his resistance to communism, was born in Zuzela, 75 miles east of Warsaw, on August 3, 1901, when Poland was still dived between Russia, Germany and Austria after the late 18th century partitions of the previously independent country.

He was only 9 when he lost his mother, Julianna. When his mother was dying and a teacher told him to stay after in class – teachers were sent by the Russians in his region – little Stefan said he didn’t want to go to a school like that and rushed home to say goodbye to his beloved mother.

“It was an early sign of his steadfast bravery,” writes Ewa Czaczkowska, author of a 1000-page biography of Wyszyński.

Julianna passed away the same day: “I transferred all my love from a Mother to a Mother,” Wyszyński wrote years later in his book Pro Memoria, referring to Virgin Mary who he credited with guiding and protecting him through the years of communist oppression.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249363/could-st-john-paul-ii-be-declared-a-doctor-of-the-church

Could St. John Paul II be declared a Doctor of the Church?
By CNA Staff
Warsaw, Poland, Oct 22, 2021 / 02:00 am

Could St. John Paul II, whose feast day is celebrated on Oct. 22, one day be declared a Doctor of the Church?

That is the hope of the Polish bishops’ conference, which called in 2019 for the Polish pope to be granted the title so far held by just 36 figures in Church history.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the president of the bishops’ conference, formally requested the designation on Oct. 22 of that year.

The request’s supporters included Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the longtime personal secretary to John Paul II, who served as pope from 1978 until his death in 2005.

“Doctor of the Church” is a title bestowed by popes on saints who have made a universally significant contribution to theology.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/44565/john-paul-iis-mom-chose-life-after-her-doctor-advised-an-abortion

John Paul II’s mom chose life after her doctor advised an abortion
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Oct 22, 2021 / 07:00 am

Over one hundred years ago on May 18, Emilia Wojtyla gave birth to her second son, Karol, after a difficult and life-threatening pregnancy. The child would grow up to be St. John Paul II.

In a new book published in Poland, Milena Kindziuk describes how St. John Paul II’s mother was advised to get an abortion.

“She had to choose between her own life and that of the baby she was carrying, but her deep faith did not allow Emilia to choose abortion,” Kindziuk said in an interview with ACI Stampa.

“Deep in her heart she had to be ready to make this sacrifice for the baby she was carrying,” she said.

In her book, “Emilia and Karol Wojtyla. Parents of St. John Paul II,” Kindziuk cites the testimony of a midwife, Tatarowa, and the reports of her two friends, Helena Szczepańska and Maria Kaczorowa, as well as the memories of other Wadowice residents. She said that these showed that Emilia Wojtyla was depressed by the insistence of her first doctor, Dr. Jan Moskała, that she have an abortion.

She said that Emilia and Karol Wojtyla “made a bold decision that, regardless of everything, their conceived baby was to be born. And so they started looking for another doctor.”

They ultimately chose Dr. Samuel Taub, a Jewish doctor from Krakow, who had moved to Wadowice after the First World War.
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https://www.ncregister.com/interview/wanda-poltawska-friend-of-john-paul-ii-so-many-problems-can-only-be-solved-on-one-s-knees

Wanda Półtawska, Friend of John Paul II: ‘So Many Problems Can Only Be Solved on One’s Knees’
In this exclusive interview on the occasion of her 100th birthday, the famous Ravensbrück survivor discusses her friendship with the Polish saint, World War II, the excesses of science and the need for new generations of saints.
Solène Tadié Interviews November 3, 2021

KRAKOW, Poland — Wanda Półtawska is one of the greatest living testimonies of the 20th century. She experienced firsthand the atrocities of Nazi and communist totalitarianisms and is the last survivor of the 74 Polish women who were transported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II and subjected to pseudo-medical experiments.

This unspeakable ordeal that she lived at the age of 20 for assisting the Polish resistance (and that she recounts in her book And I Am Afraid of My Dreams) turned her into an untiring defender of life and human dignity. It is a fight that she fought through her long career as a psychiatrist.

And as the personal friend of St. John Paul II — who gave her spiritual support during the difficult years following the war and who she influenced on questions related to the family and marital life — she has followed closely Church affairs of the recent decades. She has also been a prominent member of various Vatican dicasteries, in particular the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Pontifical Council for the Family.
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https://www.ncregister.com/features/celebrating-the-family-in-st-john-paul-ii-s-sanctuary-in-krakow

Celebrating the Family in St. John Paul II’s Sanctuary in Krakow

Every Sunday for the past six years, the famous shrine of the Polish Pope has offered a Mass especially dedicated to families, attracting each time around a thousand faithful.
Solène Tadié World April 26, 2022

KRAKOW, Poland — St. John Paul II used to say that the family constitutes the heart of evangelization, the “first and most important way of the Church,” and the “living cell of the great and universal family of mankind.”

The defense of the institution of the family was undoubtedly the core of the pontificate of the Polish Pontiff, who dedicated his first synod to this topic in 1980, which subsequently generated the famous apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio.

It is specifically to honor this important legacy of the one who wanted to be remembered as the “Pope of the Family” that the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Krakow (his historic diocese) decided six years ago to launch the first Sunday Mass entirely dedicated to families.
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Photo at the link

‘Everyone was crying’: An eyewitness recalls the attempted assassination of St John Paul II
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, May 13, 2022 / 03:47 am

On May 13, 1981, Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II and critically injured him. The pictures of the pontiff in a blood-soaked cassock in a jeep went around the world. David DePerro, who was nine years old at the time, saw the assassination attempt at close range.

In an interview, the now 50-year-old speaks about how he experienced the attack and explains why he only talks about it decades later.

Markus Vögele: On May 13, 1981, you were in St. Peter’s Square when Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II. From what distance did you see the assassination attempt?

David DePerro: We were close enough to the assassination attempt for the priest in our group to see the gun itself.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251228/church-leaders-and-scholars-to-explore-st-john-paul-ii-s-natural-law-legacy

Church leaders and scholars to explore St. John Paul II’s ‘natural law legacy’
By CNA Staff
Warsaw, Poland, May 13, 2022 / 08:57 am

Church leaders and scholars will gather in Poland next week to explore the “natural law legacy” of St. John Paul II.

Keynote speakers at the May 18-19 event hosted by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw include the Polish pope’s biographer George Weigel, Princeton professor Robert George, and Harvard professor Adrian Vermeule.

Also scheduled to speak are the Dutch Cardinal Willem Eijk, Warsaw Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, and Latvian Archbishop Zbigņevs Stankēvičs.

Topics at the conference will include John Paul II’s vision of natural law, his contribution to biotechnology and human rights, and human rights in a secularized society.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2022-05/world-youth-day-lisbon-2023-patron-saints.html

WYD Lisbon 2023 announces 13 patron saints for young pilgrims
18 May 2022, 19:00

The press office of World Youth Day announces the 13 patron saints of WYD Lisbon to act as models for the young people who will gather in the capital of Portugal on 1-6 August 2023.
By Devin Watkins

As preparations continue for next year’s World Youth Day in Lisbon, thirteen holy men and women are being held up as examples of holiness for young people around the world.

Cardinal Manuel Clemente, the Patriarch of Lisbon, says these patrons “have shown that life in Christ fills and saves the youth of all times.”

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the Cardinal explores the contribution each holy person can make in the lives of young people.

“The patroness par excellence of the next World Youth Day is the Virgin Mary, the young woman who accepted to be the mother of the incarnate Son of God”

Inspiration for young, holy lives

Cardinal Clemente also pointed to Pope St. John Paul II, who brought the WYD events to life, “which have brought together and encouraged millions of young people from the five continents.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251285/st-john-paul-ii-and-blessed-carlo-acutis-named-among-patrons-of-world-youth-day-2023
St. John Paul II and Blessed Carlo Acutis named among patrons of World Youth Day 2023
By CNA Staff
Rome Newsroom, May 18, 2022 / 11:30 am

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/44565/john-paul-iis-mom-chose-life-after-her-doctor-advised-an-abortion
John Paul II’s mom chose life after her doctor advised an abortion
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, May 18, 2022 / 12:01 pm

Over one hundred years ago on May 18, Emilia Wojtyla gave birth to her second son, Karol, after a difficult and life-threatening pregnancy. The child would grow up to be St. John Paul II.

In a new book published in Poland, Milena Kindziuk describes how St. John Paul II’s mother was advised to get an abortion.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252052/twenty-years-ago-john-paul-ii-entrusted-the-world-to-divine-mercy-with-this-prayer

Twenty years ago John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy with this prayer
By Zelda Caldwell
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 17, 2022 / 04:00 am

On Aug. 17, 2002, twenty years ago today, Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy as he consecrated the International Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland.

Standing before the image of Divine Mercy, the pope said, “I wish solemnly to entrust the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope.”

He finished his homily with this prayer:

God, merciful Father,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love
and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
We entrust to you today the destiny of the world and of every man and woman.
Bend down to us sinners,
heal our weakness,
conquer all evil
and grant that all the peoples of the earth
may experience your mercy.
In You, the Triune God,
may they ever find the source of hope.
Eternal Father,
by the Passion and Resurrection of your Son,
have mercy on us and upon the whole world!

The consecration and entrustment of the world to Divine Mercy represented the fulfillment of a mission for Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). Faustina, a poor, young Polish nun experienced visions of Jesus in which he asked her to make his message of infinite love and mercy known to the world. At the request of her spiritual director, she made a record of the visions in her diary.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-08/pope-francis-condolences-death-mikhail-gorbachev-soviet-union.html

Pope expresses condolences upon death of Mikhail Gorbachev
31 August 2022, 19:01
(https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2019/11/29/00134_01121989aem.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg)
Pope St. John Paul II and Mikhail Gorbachev meet on 1 December 1991 (Vatican Media)

Pope Francis sends his condolences to the family of Mikhail Gorbachev following the last president of the Soviet Union's death at the age of 91.
By Devin Watkins & Lisa Zengarini

Mikhail Gorbachev died at hospital in Moscow on Tuesday following a lengthy illness at the age of 91.

Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolences on Wednesday to the former Soviet statesman’s daughter, Ms. Irina Gorbachev.

The Pope expressed his “spiritual closeness” during this time of grief, and extended his “heartfelt condolences” to his family members and everyone who saw him as a valued statesman.

“As we gratefully remember his far-sighted commitment to concord and fraternity amongst peoples, as well as to the progress of his own country at a time of important changes, I raise prayers of suffrage, invoking eternal peace for his soul from the good and merciful God.”
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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/08/gorbachev-st-john-paul-had-great-appreciation-for-each-other
Gorbachev, St. John Paul had great appreciation for each other
By Catholic News Service
Aug 31, 2022

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252575/the-reasons-st-john-paul-ii-gave-for-adding-the-luminous-mysteries-to-the-rosary

The reasons St. John Paul II gave for adding the Luminous Mysteries to the rosary
By CNA Staff
Denver Newsroom, Oct 18, 2022 / 14:47 pm

Twenty years ago, St. John Paul II published the apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, adding five Luminous Mysteries to the traditional 15 meditated on in the rosary.

The Luminous Mysteries refer to Christ's public life, and are his Baptism in the Jordan; his self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana; his proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion; his Transfiguration; and his institution of the Eucharist, “as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery,” according to the letter.

In his apostolic letter, the Holy Father explained that “the rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer” and that it had “an important place” in his spiritual life during his youth.

In fact, two weeks after being elevated to the Chair of Peter, St. John Paul II publicly confessed: “The rosary is my favorite prayer.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252558/what-john-paul-ii-and-benedict-xvi-saw-at-the-second-vatican-council

What two future popes saw at the Second Vatican Council
By Kevin J. Jones
Denver Newsroom, Oct 18, 2022 / 09:00 am

Sixty years ago this month, the Second Vatican Council brought together thousands of bishops, Catholic leaders and even non-Catholic observers to reflect on the role of the Church in the modern world.

Pope Francis’ two immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, were eyewitnesses to this three-year event, which took place from 1962 to 1965. After they were elected to the papacy, their pontificates brought the legacy of the Second Vatican Council into the 21st century and taught generations of Catholics how to bring Christ into their lives — and into the world.
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What John Paul II saw as a council father

Ahead of the council, then Bishop Wojtyla submitted to council organizers an essay about the human condition in which he reflected on what the people of the world expect from the Church.

He emphasized lay Catholics’ mission in the world. For John Paul II, the Church should remind lay Catholics that they have a “specific responsibility” in secular life, where they are “responsible for the Church and its witness.” They and the clergy must make a mutual effort to build up the Body of Christ.

The Pole’s biography on the Vatican website notes his “important contribution” to drafting Gaudium et Spes, the council’s pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world.

One of John Paul II’s biographers, George Weigel, says that for Wojtyla the “theological linchpin” of the council is found in Gaudium et Spes’ 20-second paragraph: “It is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear… all this holds true not just for Christians only, but also for all men of goodwill in whose hearts grace is actively present.”

During Wojtlya’s trips back home, he gave public lectures on what was happening at the council. He asked parishes, convents, and monasteries in his home archdiocese to hold days of prayer and vigils for the council, Weigel says in his biography “Witness to Hope.”

The council’s declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, had special resonance for Wojtyla, whose homeland suffered heavy communist hostility toward the Church.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252572/15-quotes-from-st-john-paul-ii-on-his-love-for-the-eucharist

15 quotes from St. John Paul II on his love for the Eucharist
By Katie Yoder
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2022 / 06:00 am

Catholics worldwide remember St. John Paul II on his feast day, Oct. 22. His “secret” to life and all that he did, he said, was the Eucharist — Christ present on earth.

Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, in 1920, the saint served as pope from 1978 until his death in 2005. During his nearly 27-year pontificate, his teachings transformed the Catholic Church. He is perhaps most remembered for his charismatic nature, his love for young people, his world travels, and his role in the fall of communism in Europe.

He was canonized a saint fewer than 10 years after his death, in 2014.

On his feast day, here are 15 quotes from the late Roman Pontiff reflecting on his love for the Eucharist.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252822/archdiocese-of-madrid-pays-debt-to-john-paul-ii

Archdiocese of Madrid pays ‘debt’ to John Paul II, dedicates cathedral chapel in his honor
By CNA Staff
CNA Newsroom, Nov 16, 2022 / 08:30 am

The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Madrid dedicated Nov. 13 a new chapel in honor of St. John Paul II, the pope who consecrated the church in 1993. The dean of the cathedral, Father Jorge Ávila, believes that thus “a debt” has been paid to the Polish pontiff.

The archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Carlos Osoro, presided over the dedication ceremony. The cardinal was accompanied by the Polish ambassador to Spain, Anna Sroka, among other officials from the Slavic country.

To make room for the chapel dedicated to St. John Paul II, a space formerly used for confessions located next to the main sacristy was utilized. To maintain this penitential aspect, the new chapel also has a confessional.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253005/journalists-contradict-allegations-of-cover-up-against-john-paul-ii-before-he-was-pope

Journalists contradict allegations of ‘cover up’ against John Paul II before he was pope
By CNA Staff
CNA Newsroom, Dec 7, 2022 / 08:00 am

Journalists investigating secular and Catholic Church sources in Poland have called into question allegations by a Dutch writer that St. John Paul II “covered up” sexual abuse while still a bishop in Poland.

On Dec. 2, Ekke Overbeek, a journalist from the Netherlands living in Poland, said he had found “concrete cases of priests abusing children in the Archdiocese of Krakow, where the future pope was archbishop. The future pope knew about it and transferred them anyway, which led to new victims.”

Overbeek referred to the case of the priest Eugeniusz Surgent and “many others” whom Karol Wojtyla allegedly “covered up.”

The Dutch publication NOS, in which Overbeek’s statements appeared, reported the journalist spent three years combing “Polish archives.”

“Almost all documents collected directly about Wojtyla have been destroyed. However, in other surviving documents, he is mentioned very often. And if you put them all together, they are pieces of a puzzle that give a picture of how he dealt with it,” the writer stated, without saying which archives he was referring to.

Polish journalists Tomasz Krzyżak and Piotr Litka of Rzeczpospolita published an investigation that countered Overbeek’s accusations, stating St. John Paul II did not cover up any abuse and consistently acted against such cases during his time as archbishop of Krakow from 1964 to 1978.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-to-cubans-continue-walking-together-in-faithful-hope.html

Pope Francis recalls 25th anniversary of JPII's visit to Cuba
14 January 2023, 16:13

As the Church in Cuba celebrates the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s historic visit to the island nation on 21-25 January 1998, Pope Francis sends a letter encouraging Cubans to continue walking together in faithful hope to build a better future.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has sent a letter to Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez of San Cristóbal de La Habana, the Bishops and the People of God of Cuba.

He conveyed his blessings and closeness to the Cuban Church, as it marks the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Journey to the country, on 21-25 January 1998.

The message was consigned by Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect Emeritus of the former Congregation for Clergy, who at the time was the Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba, and has been invited to the celebrations.
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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/stanislaw-grygiel-dies-at-89

Professor Stanisław Grygiel, Longtime Friend of John Paul II, Dies at 89
Edward Pentin February 22, 2023

VATICAN CITY — Stanisław Grygiel, a close friend of Pope St. John Paul II and a respected professor who was an authoritative interpreter of the late pontiff’s teaching on marriage and the family, has died at the age of 89.

The Polish academic and married father of two passed away Feb. 20 in Rome where he had lived since 1980. He had been in poor health for some months but was lecturing as recently as January 2022.

A scholar of high academic achievement, the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences where he taught for many years remembered him as someone “endowed with great intellectual curiosity” who knew how to “transmit to students a liking for research and reflection through a kind, open, friendly and paternal manner.”

The Veritas Amoris Project, an organization Grygiel co-founded that promotes John Paul II’s and Benedict XVI’s teaching on the “truth of love,” paid tribute to the late Polish professor for being a “passionate guide to the truth of love in the communio personarum [communion of persons].”
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https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/02/john-paul-iis-legacy-is-alive-and-well-and-living-in-kyiv

John Paul II’s legacy is alive and well, and living in Kyiv
By John L. Allen Jr.
Feb 23, 2023

ROME – Three leaders of NATO member states – and, as it happens, three Roman Catholic laity deeply involved in politics – all issued stirring defenses of Ukraine this week, as the one-year anniversary of its war with Russia approaches tomorrow.

US President Joe Biden delivered a forceful speech in Warsaw Tuesday in which he vowed that the free world “will not tire” in its support for Ukraine, thundering that “tyrants” such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin only understand the word “no,” while his host, Polish President Andrzej Duda, insisted that “Ukraine must win this war.”

At the same moment that Biden and Duda’s tête-à-tête was playing out, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, site of a 2022 massacre by Russian forces that left nearly 500 people dead, to tell Ukrainians that Italy “will be with you until the end.”

“You’re not alone,” Meloni told the Ukrainians. “We will fight for your freedom.”

In his own speech Tuesday, Duda explicitly cited the example of Pope John Paul II, whose support of the Solidarity movement in Poland in the late 1970s and 1980s helped set the dominos in motion that led to the collapse of the Soviet empire.

“The Pope, St. John Paul II, spoke of solidarity,” Duda said. “Nobody can oppose what we obtained through solidarity. Thanks to our efforts, we broke the chain of communism and we entered the free world. We helped open up the Iron Curtain.”

“This was thanks to human solidarity, and today it allows us to help the Ukrainians,” the Polish leader said.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253820/polish-bishops-dispute-accusations-of-pope-st-john-paul-ii-sex-abuse-cover-ups

Polish bishops: New allegation that JPII covered up sex abuse based on reports from communist secret police
By Tyler Arnold
Washington D.C., Mar 8, 2023 / 15:30 pm

The Polish Bishops’ Conference says that “further archival research” is needed to fairly assess a new allegation, based on communist secret police records, that St. John Paul II covered up child sexual abuse by a priest while serving as the archbishop of Krakow, Poland, prior to becoming pope.

The allegation was included in a documentary broadcast March 6 on Polish television channel TVN24.

The same TV report also cited two other instances where St. John Paul II, then Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, allegedly relocated Father Eugeniusz Surgent and Father Jozef Loranc to new parishes despite being aware that they had been accused of sexually abusing minors. However, those allegations, first made by a Dutch journalist on Dec. 2 of last year, were quickly refuted later that month by a pair of investigative journalists, the Polish bishops noted in a statement released March 7.

The journalists, Tomasz Krzyżak and Piotr Litka, found that St. John Paul II did not cover up any abuse and consistently acted against such cases during his time as archbishop of Krakow from 1964 to 1978.
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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/new-book-pope-john-paul-ii-stirs-up-heated-debate-polish-politics-2023-03-09/
March 9, 202311:12 AM CST Last Updated 7 hours ago
New book on Pope John Paul II stirs up heated debate in Polish politics
By Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska and Anna Wlodarczak-semczuk

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253841/in-poland-disputed-report-about-john-paul-ii-abuse-coverup-sparks-political-uproar

In Poland, lawmakers condemn disputed report about John Paul II abuse cover-up
By Kevin J. Jones
Denver, Colo., Mar 10, 2023 / 16:00 pm

Polish lawmakers denounced a documentary alleging that when he was a cardinal and archbishop in Poland, Pope St. John Paul II covered up alleged child sexual abuse committed by priests.

“There are those who are trying to stir up not a military conflict, but a culture war here in Poland,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a video posted to Twitter March 8. “I stand in defense of our beloved pope, like most of my fellow citizens, because I know that as a nation we owe a lot to John Paul.”

On Thursday, Poland’s Parliament passed a resolution in defense of the former pope that “strongly condemns the disgraceful media smear campaign, largely based on the documents of communist Poland’s machinery of violence, against the great pope, St. John Paul II, the greatest Pole in history.”
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https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/03/09/poland-summons-american-ambassador-over-report-critical-of-pope-john-paul-ii-on-us-owned-station/
Poland summons American ambassador over report critical of Pope John Paul II on US-owned station
MAR 9, 2023

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/primate-pope-president-knights-of-liberty

Wyszyński, John Paul II and Reagan Saluted as ‘Knights of Liberty’
These three men contributed, both individually and jointly, to the overthrow of communism behind the Iron Curtain in Europe.
John Grondelski
March 24, 2023

Blessed Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński, Pope St. John Paul II and President Ronald W. Reagan were all described as modern “Knights of Liberty” for their roles in bringing down European communism in the 1980s and 90s during an international conference at the Victims of Communism Memorial Museum in Washington on Thursday.

Panelists from the United States and Poland spoke about how the three men contributed, both individually and jointly, to the overthrow of communism behind the Iron Curtain in Europe. Major speakers included papal biographer George Weigel, European Member of Parliament Ryszard Legutko, and Bishop Sławomir Oder who, as postulator, handled John Paul’s canonization process. Other panelists included Jan Kotański, Poland’s former ambassador to the Vatican; Profs. Zbigniew Stawrowski, John Radziłowski, Marek Chodakiewicz. Henry Nau, Lee Edwards, Paul Kengor, and Victims of Communism personnel, including Dr. Elizabeth Spalding and Ambassador Andrew Bremberg.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252052/twenty-years-ago-john-paul-ii-entrusted-the-world-to-divine-mercy-with-this-prayer

Pope John Paul II declared Divine Mercy Sunday a feast 23 years ago
By Zelda Caldwell
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 16, 2023 / 06:00 am

On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Maria Faustina Kowalska and declared the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. This year, we celebrate the feast on April 16.

In his devotion, Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to divine mercy two years later, when he consecrated the International Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland.

Standing before the image of divine mercy, the pope said: “I wish solemnly to entrust the world to divine mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through St. Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251031/divine-mercy-sunday-2022-plenary-indulgence
Divine Mercy Sunday 2023: Here’s how to obtain a plenary indulgence
By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., Apr 15, 2023 / 06:00 am

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/3523/pope-john-paul-left-message-for-divine-mercy-sunday
Read the message for Divine Mercy Sunday that Pope John Paul II wrote just before he died
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2023 / 08:00 am

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254109/pope-francis-defends-st-john-paul-ii-against-offensive-conjectures-from-brother-of-missing-vatican-girl
Pope Francis defends St. John Paul II against ‘offensive conjectures’ from brother of missing ‘Vatican girl’
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2023 / 06:10 am

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/04/brother-of-missing-vatican-girl-walks-back-insinuations-against-john-paul-ii
Brother of missing ‘Vatican girl’ walks back insinuations against John Paul II
By Elise Ann Allen
Apr 15, 2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257340/the-pastoral-genius-of-st-john-paul-ii-40-years-ago-he-laid-the-foundations-for-world-youth-day

Pastoral genius of St. John Paul II: 40 years ago, he laid foundation for World Youth Day
By Andrés Henríquez
ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 06:00 am

Nearly 40 years ago, an event was held in Rome that laid the foundations for what today is World Youth Day (WYD). On April 14, 1984, Pope John Paul II met in Rome with 300,000 young people from all over the world who were hosted by some 6,000 Roman families.

WYD is an encounter of young people from all over the world with the pope that takes place every two or three years in different cities around the world. The first one took place in Rome in 1986. Since then, the fruits of each WYD have flowed: conversions, vocations discovered, and even alleged miracles.

The seminal event was part of the 1984 Holy Year of Redemption, held near Palm Sunday. On that occasion, the pope told the assembled young people that “the real problem of life is, in fact, that of verifying, first of all, what is the place of youth in the present world.”

St. John Paul II then addressed each of those present personally, explaining that young people are called to make the love and message of Jesus Christ present in each of their own lives.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-04/john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii-pastors-in-the-midst-of-the-people.html

John XXIII and John Paul II: Pastors in the midst of the people
26 April 2024, 14:12

Ten years ago, Pope Francis canonized Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II during Mass in St Peter’s Square. Living in times of great historical upheaval, the beloved pontiffs bore witness to the hope and joy that comes from an encounter with Jesus.
By Alessandro Gisotti

Who are the saints? First of all, they are not “supermen”, as Francis has so often reminded us. Yet in the collective imagination, even of non-believers, holiness is synonymous with exceptionality. If your name is on the calendar – one could say facetiously – it is certainly due to a life lived in an extraordinary way.

Pope Francis, however, speaking precisely on this point, has emphasized – in an Apostolic Exhortation that would perhaps repay further and deeper study – that all the baptised are called to holiness, to be “saints next door”, who are far more numerous than those included on the Church’s calendar. Holiness, the Pontiff wrote in Gaudete et exsultate, is seen “in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile”.

John XXIII and John Paul II believed wholeheartedly in this holiness of the People of God, a patient people who know how to entrust themselves to the Father and let themselves be guided by Him, and on 27 April ten years ago they were proclaimed saints in a St Peter’s Square packed with the faithful.
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Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Current Events and Musings => Religion (discussion and debate) => Topic started by: MuffyBee on April 24, 2013, 08:12:33 AM