remembering pope john paul ii
Pope John Paul II has been the most influential Catholic of the last 100 years. Born in Poland on May 18, 1920, as Karol Jozef Wojtyla, he would live through the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Holocaust. Later he would serve as a priest, a bishop, and a cardinal under the Communist government of Poland, and the rule of the Soviet Union.
Cardinal Wojtyla attended the Second Vatican Council and was an influential member of those who were gathered there. He also was very influential with Pope Paul VI in his work on Humanae Vitae.
The Church remembers 1978 as the year of three popes. When Pope Paul VI passed away, Pope John Paul I was elected. He died only 33 days later. The second conclave in two months was called, and they elected John Paul II. He was one of the youngest popes in modern history. He died in 2005, at the age of 84, having served as pope for many years.
Some of the things he is most noted for are the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, his opposition to Communism and the Soviet Union (he is credited with President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as the three most important figures in the downfall of the Soviet Union), his Marian spirituality and the promotion of the rosary, and the publication of many very important encyclicals which will be influential for many years. In fact, his intellectual impact is so great that he is often called St. John Paul the Great.
Cardinal Wojtyla attended the Second Vatican Council and was an influential member of those who were gathered there. He also was very influential with Pope Paul VI in his work on Humanae Vitae.
The Church remembers 1978 as the year of three popes. When Pope Paul VI passed away, Pope John Paul I was elected. He died only 33 days later. The second conclave in two months was called, and they elected John Paul II. He was one of the youngest popes in modern history. He died in 2005, at the age of 84, having served as pope for many years.
Some of the things he is most noted for are the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, his opposition to Communism and the Soviet Union (he is credited with President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as the three most important figures in the downfall of the Soviet Union), his Marian spirituality and the promotion of the rosary, and the publication of many very important encyclicals which will be influential for many years. In fact, his intellectual impact is so great that he is often called St. John Paul the Great.