John Paul II
(Karol Wojtyla; Wadowice, Krakow, 1920-Rome, 2005) Pope of the Catholic Church (1978-2005).Elected to the throne of Peter in October 1978, when he held the post of Cardinal-Archbishop of Krakow, the Polish prelate Karol Wojtyla was the first non-Italian pontiff in more than four centuries.
John Paul II
The son of a Polish Army administration officer and a school teacher, as a young man he practiced athletics, football and swimming; He was also an excellent student and chaired various student groups.He also developed a great passion for the theater, and for some time aspired to study literature and become a professional actor.
During the Nazi occupation of Poland he combined his studies and his work as an actor with working as a factory worker, to support himself and avoid his deportation or imprisonment.He was an active member of UNIA, a clandestine democratic organization that helped many Jews find refuge and escape Nazi persecution.
Among his exhortations and apostolic letters are Catechesi tradendae (On catechesis, today, 1979), Familiaris consortio (The family, 1981), Salvifici doloris (Salvific pain, 1984), Reconciliato et paenitentia (Reconciliation and penance, 1984), Mulieris dignitatem (The dignity of women, 1988), Christifidelis laici (The Christian faithful, 1988) and Redemptoris custos (The Custodian of the Redeemer, 1989).In Evangelium vitae (1995) he addressed the issues of abortion, assisted reproductive techniques and euthanasia. Ut unumsent (Let them all be one, 1995) was the first encyclical in history dedicated to ecumenism.In 1994 he published the book Crossing the Threshold of Hope .
The pontificate of John Paul II was not without controversy.His traditional spirit led him to support some characteristic approaches of conservative Catholicism, especially in relation to the prohibition of abortion and contraceptives, the condemnation of divorce and the refusal to let women join the priesthood.However, he was also a great defender of social and economic justice, advocating at all times for the improvement of living conditions in the poorest countries of the world.
After a process of intense physical deterioration that prevented him from repeatedly complying with the usual public appearances in Saint Peter's Square, John Paul II died on April 2, 2005.His disappearance meant for some the loss of one of the most charismatic leaders in recent history; for others it implied the possibility of imagining a Catholic Church more in line with modern society.In any case, his death occurred at a time of revisionism within the institution, of an evaluation of the prominence it must have in the contemporary world and the one it intends to have in the future.His successor, Benedict XVI, announced that same year the start of the process for the beatification of John Paul II, which took place on May 1, 2011.On April 27, 2014, he was canonized, along with John XIII, in an officiated ceremony.By Pope Francis, who had been elected pontiff in March 2013, following the resignation of Benedict XVI.
Comments
Post a Comment