Who is John Paul II?

In a century of seemingly declining interest in organized religion, how does a Roman Catholic pope become an international hero? John Paul II is literally worshipped in his homeland, Poland, as a national icon. He is adored worldwide by young people whom he took a particular delight in visiting and for whom he said mass at various Catholic youth rallies through the decades. Here is a man who aged before our eyes because of Parkinson’s disease, yet whose moral authority would help bring down what Ronald Reagan called the evil empire-the Soviet Union.

John Paul II was not a church reformer. He did not embrace new theologies or modern interpretations of Catholic theology and tradition. On the contrary, he was an avowed conservative who considered church tradition and teachings unaffected by the world or its changing appetite for organized religion. He stood face to face with radical political leaders in Central America, an overwhelmingly Catholic part of the world, and criticized their Marxist social ideology. He was unafraid and undeterred by criticism that he and his church were outdated and outmoded.

Yet despite all the contradictions, the world largely grieved when this pope died. Almost immediately, efforts began to have Pope John Paul II canonized as a Catholic saint. What was it about his personal charm and religious zeal that made him so popular and so important in people’s lives?

What made him the Pope?

John Paul II was born as Karol Jozef Wojtyta in the southern Polish town of Wadowice in 1920. While his mother died at an early age, his father worked hard to keep his young son in school. Throughout school and university, Karol was a good athlete-even as pope, it is reported that he went skiing and was physically active.

His university studies were interrupted by World War II—the university faculty was arrested and the facility closed. Everyone had to get a job, and Karol did just that. While institutions of higher learning failed to function, the bishop of Krakow was sponsoring an underground seminary that Wojtyta attended, eventually being ordained a priest in 1946. Because the young man had promise, he was sent to Rome to study at the Pontifical University. He would go on to earn two degrees in theology (the equivalent of our Ph.D.), and in both cases had difficulties securing the actual degree. Nevertheless, he clearly was popular, bright (he spoke at least 10 languages) and upwardly mobile in the Catholic Church in Poland. By 1958, he was a bishop and was the cardinal of Krakow by 1967.

An odd turn of events would bring Wojtyta to the head of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1978, Pope John Paul I was elected pope at age 65. However, he was in poor health and died some 30 days later. This meant that another pope had to be elected.

“Wojtyta was a compromise candidate for two popular and promising Italian cardinals-after all, the church had not elected a non-Italian as pope since the 16th century and there never had been a Polish pope ever in the history of the papacy!”

At 58, he was one of the youngest men to take the ring of St. Peter. His papacy would continue for 26 years, one of the longest in modern times. During that time, he would travel to over 100 countries and was active—politically, socially and religiously-throughout the world, combating a variety of isms: particularly communism, but also fascism, unrestrained capitalism, materialism, imperialism and racism-just to mention a few.

This pope was no pushover; he knew what he wanted, and it was not a church mired in controversy or new theology. He was a traditionalist, and seemed out of step with many in Europe and North America-except for the young people whom he admired and loved. These young people returned that devotion. He was a Catholic’s Catholic, extending the influence and teachings of the church and not at all afraid to lecture presidents and prime ministers. He detested war and was very concerned for the emerging church in the Third World.

This pope was famed for his opposition to communism and his efforts to free Poland from Soviet influence. He was a staunch supporter of personal freedom and defiantly opposed those who would restrict it, to the point that some theorists conjecture that it was his opposition to communism that induced attempts on his life. Because he traveled so widely, he was extremely open to, and made every effort to improve relations with, Judaism, the Orthodox Church, Muslims and other non-Christians.

There were only two things that tried to slow this pope down: an assassin’s bullet and the onset of Parkinson’s disease. Pope John Paul survived the assassin but did not survive the effects of a progressive disease. The first indication of Parkinson’s disease appeared as early as 1992. The contrast between the older and younger man was pronounced. The entire world watched and suffered as the disease slowly deprived the pope of his mobility and his voice.

By the time of his death, many were already calling him Pope John Paul the Great, in reference to the expected efforts to have him canonized as a saint of the church and in recognition of his religious teachings and his striving to improve the conditions of peoples everywhere.

The Legacy of the John Paul II

John Paul II was a man of extraordinary energy, talent and genuine warmth. While considered by most to be holy man, a man of integrity, there are those who found him controversial. He was famous for making apologies for errors of the past. However, to many it seemed that he was unable to see some of the church’s most obvious contemporary failings.

He viewed himself as a pacifist, and saw little justification for war of any kind. He was very early in his condemnation of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and in the use of force anywhere. There are those who saw his conservative stances concerning sex, women in the church, the use of contraception, abortion and same-sex marriage as not in keeping with the times and actually contributing to the AIDS and overpopulation problems, among others.

Perhaps one of the most controversial charges against this pope was that he reacted too slowly to the sexual abuse charges against priests in the United States and elsewhere. He seemed very reluctant to take firm action, according to some critics.

In addition, because he lived a long life and was in poor health for his last several years, some felt that he should have stepped down as pope in favor of a younger, healthier man.

So how shall we think about this pope and his legacy? Certainly, he has one of the finest reputations of any world leader, religious or not, in the 20th century. Millions came to see him, greet him and hear his masses and sermons as he traveled around the world. He was not shy in chastising leaders of the great powers for their indifference to the suffering of the Third World and certainly was willing to take a stand on any issue for which he felt there was a compelling moral issue. Yet he was theologically and socially stubborn, affirming traditional church teachings and practices.

Courtesy

The official record of Pope John Paul II can be found on the Vatican Website. Visit www.vatican.va and search the database for more information and details about his life and work. In addition, visit www.pbs.org and search the huge collection of archives and videos for insights, interviews and video clips on the life of John Paul II.

To really understand the man and his vision, the best approach is to read his writings directly. Consider reading Pope John Paul II: In My Own Words, Gramercy, 2002. The book is available from most online booksellers; visit www. amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com for more information.