Passing of Pope John Paul II

By: Lauren Kras
As most of us know on Saturday, April 02, 2005, Pope John Paul II passed away. Whether Catholic or not, we are all affected by his passing. Throughout his life John Paul II influenced the world in a way we may never encounter in our lifetime. He not only sent the message of Christianity, he led by example, showing what we are called to do and be as Christians.
Pope John Paul II, originally Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born May 19, 1920. He was a friend with all regardless of beliefs as he grew up desiring to care and love everyone; befriending and defending Jews growing up in anti-Semitic pre-war Poland. John Paul II studied theology secretly during the Nazi occupation of Poland and became a priest. He also was an actor and poet, participating in cultural resistance to the Nazi occupation. He spoke over a dozen languages, held two doctorate degrees, and was a professor of ethics. As a professor he started and ran a program dealing with marital problems, from family planning and illegitimacy to alcoholism and physical abuse and was one of the most successful marriage institute in Christian history. In 1958 he was named the bishop of Krakow. Shortly after in 1962 he became a leader amidst the Vatican II council and was named the acting archbishop in the same year when the incumbent passed away. Due to his compassion, intellect, and care for all, he rose through the church hierarchy quickly and became a cardinal in 1967. As cardinal he led Poland through the communist government’s oppression insisting upon permits for building churches. He also defended youth groups and ordained priests that worked underground in Czechoslovakia. He became pope October 16th, 1978, choosing the name John Paul II, commonly known as JPII. He became the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, and the youngest Pope in 132 years, and the first Slavic Pope ever.
There exists a common misconception that a Pope is concerned only with church affairs and is a figure rather than a person. However, John Paul II took responsibility in caring for the entire world visiting 129 countries during his papacy particularly taking concern with the world’s youth. He drew crowds of millions to hear Christ’s message of love and forgiveness, which is one we can all agree upon. This concern for the future prepared many youth to become the “Light of the World, and Salt of the Earth.”
The Pope took great concern with human rights and promoted peace throughout the world during times of war and conflict. John Paul II sent messages to imprisoned union leaders helping to contribute to the downfall of communism in Poland. The Pope also visited Communist Poland as Pope - drawing huge crowds. Many Poles attribute the peaceful uprising and fall of Polish communism to John Paul II’s visit and his leadership as Pope.
John Paul II cared for every person no matter how small or meaningless society saw them. In the early 1980s, a time when AIDS was not well understood but rather was looked down upon due to its association with homosexuality, John Paul II kissed an early victim. This compassionate act sent the message of Christ’s love for all of His creatures, and set an example for all Christians to treat victims with compassion rather than contempt.
John Paul II taught the world to share wealth with those in the Third World – warning of the consequences of materialism and egotism. John Paul II was always vocal about the immorality of birth control and abortion saying, “A nation that kills its own children has no future.” John Paul II was honest; he admitted to the past failings of the Church and actually made change. He emphasized the importance of reading the Bible and the truth that only prayer and faith, as he said, “This world is not capable of making man happy.” John Paul II was a true believer and carried this over and epitomized forgiveness when he visited the cell of his attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, in 1981 to forgive him of his attack. John Paul II demonstrated his concern for forgiveness and understanding as well as for inclusion and peace between all denominations when he altered services when he visited Harvard in 1979 to represent a variety of beliefs and denominations.
If you visit Messiah’s homepage you will see the following statement “At Messiah College our mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.” If I were to pick one individual in our time that has epitomized this mission, it would be John Paul II. John Paul II did what was right all throughout his life and was a man of integrity and prayer. He was a strong Christian who stood up for what was right regardless of what people believed. He stood for peace, justice, and love. He took an interest in those that we are called to help but whom we often forget. The countless millions that have seen him will remember him. I hope we at Messiah, Catholic or not, do not forget this great leader and witness of our time along with his Christian message.