Pope John Paul II: His Essential Wisdom

By Fall River Press

Pope John Paul II has been called the most influential moral leader of the last 100 years, and for a good reason. With a papacy that lasted over a quarter century, Pope John Paul II led the world’s more than one billion Catholics into the third millennium, and all the while remained a steadfast presence on the world stage. During his papacy, he made 104 trips abroad and inspired, enlightened, and challenged millions of people all over the world with his words and his wisdom.

This book gathers together hundreds of resonant quotations from Pope John Paul II. The selections are taken from his homilies, encyclicals, speeches, books, and other statements made—both formal and spontaneous—during the course of his papacy. In these excerpts, he speaks passionately about the need for social justice, the importance of family, the value of prayer, the meaning of suffering, the way to peace, and the equality of all human beings. Also included are quotations in which the Pope recalls his early years, life in war-torn Poland, and his calling to the priesthood. Finally, there is a selection of quotations from world leaders and dignitaries remembering Pope John Paul II, and speaking about his remarkable and enduring legacy on the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fall River Press
• Release date: Aug 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781435133105

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To Mom and Dad with love—

for your lifelong example of faith.

The editor wishes to extend a special thanks to Gwen and Howard Kelly, Marianne Kelly, and Beverly Lindh for all of their efforts and support, and especially to Barbara Kelly-Vergona for her valuable contributions.

Contents

Introduction

Early Years

A Call to Serve

A New Pope

God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Love

Social Justice

Family Life

Peace in the World

Speaking to Youth

Prayer, Faith, and Holiness

Morality

Hope, Truth, and Freedom

The Equality of Human Beings

Suffering and Death

Sin and Forgiveness

The Church

The Blessed Mother

Priests

Women

World Religions

The Modern World

Remembering Pope John Paul II

Chronology of Pope John Paul II

Introduction

ON OCTOBER 16, 1978, WHEN KAROL WOJTYLA was elected pope, he gave his first address to the audience and declared that he had been called from a far-away country. Indeed, many in the crowd who had been anxiously awaiting news of the newly elected pope were, upon hearing Wojtyla’s name, unsure of exactly who he was. Few on that day could have imagined that this kind-faced man from Poland would vigorously lead the world’s more than one billion Catholics for close to twenty-seven years, into the third millennium, and become the third longest serving pope in the history of the Catholic Church.

From his humble beginnings in the town of Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla had lived through tremendous personal loss. His mother died when he was nine years old, and his older brother succumbed to scarlet fever only three years later. In 1941, when Karol was not yet twenty-one, his beloved father died, leaving the young man to find his own way in the world. Up until that time, his passion in life had been the theater, acting, and literature. But the horrors of the war and the devastating losses he had suffered paved the way for Karol’s vocation.

From his ordination to the priesthood in 1946, Wojtyla began his meteoric rise in the Catholic Church. Studying in Rome and at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, he was awarded two doctorate degrees, and he taught standing-room only courses in philosophy and ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin. In 1958, Wojtyla was named auxiliary bishop of Kraków by Pope Pius XII; at thirty-eight years of age, he was the youngest bishop in Poland. He was named Archbishop of Kraków by Pope Paul VI in 1963. And after his key participation in all four sessions of Vatican II, Wojtyla was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1967.

From the beginning of his papacy, Pope John Paul II embraced his mission to bring the message of Christ to the world. He crisscrossed the globe and made an astounding 104 trips abroad despite failing health in the last decade of his life. During his travels, he spoke to and connected with millions of people in venues as diverse as cathedrals, universities, mosques, baseball stadiums, racetracks, and airports. Whether on his travels, at the Vatican, or on holiday, Pope John Paul II remained deeply committed to prayer. He devoted time to prayer every day, and viewed each person he met as someone entrusted to him by Christ. In 1981, he survived an assassination attempt, and later met with his would-be assassin in prison and offered his forgiveness. He had a special relationship with the youth of the world. In 1984, he established World Youth Day, which became a recurring event where millions of young people gathered together to hear the words of the Holy Father and to celebrate their faith.

A champion of ecumenism, Pope John Paul II worked tirelessly to find common ground among Christians of different sects as well as with the other world religions, particularly with Judaism and Islam. He was the first modern pope to visit a synagogue, the first to visit Auschwitz concentration camp, and in an historic trip to Jerusalem in 2000, he prayed at the Western Wall, and placed a prayer there for forgiveness. In fact, during the course of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II made public apologies for more than one hundred wrongs committed by the Catholic Church throughout its history. He lobbied continually for peace, was instrumental in the fall of the iron curtain, and a tireless advocate for the poor, leading a successful campaign for global debt relief as part of the Jubilee Year 2000.

Despite criticism, Pope John Paul II remained steadfast in professing his beliefs. He was uncompromising in his commitment to human life. He viewed abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia as a part of what he called the culture of death that permeated life in the modern world, and he warned against the dangers of unrestrained materialism and consumerism.

This book offers readers hundreds of quotations from Pope John Paul II. In these excerpts, he speaks passionately about the message of Christ, the quest for social justice, the importance of family, the meaning of suffering, the power of prayer, the way to peace, and the dignity and equality of every human being. In other selections, Pope John Paul II vividly recalls his early years, life in war-torn Poland, and his call to serve God.

When Pope John Paul II died on April 2,