Pope John Paul II

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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.”
 
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

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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
 
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

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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:
 
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"

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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.
 

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

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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.
 
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/galleriaartepoli/

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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.”