This was Pope John Paul’s second visit to his native Poland after becoming the Pope. Besides addressing various religious gatherings Pope John Paul II also held a private meeting with Lech Walesa, the founder and leader of Solidarity, Poland's independent trade union movement. Solidarity was been banned since December 1981 when martial law was declared following social tensions in Poland.
It is the second time Pope John Paul II - who was formerly Archbishop of Krakow - returned to his native Poland since he became head of the Roman Catholic Church in 1978.
Pope
John Paul II born Karol
Józef Wojtyła (18
May 1920 – 2 April 2005), served as Pope from
1978 to 2005. He was elected by the second Papal conclave of 1978, which
was called after Pope John Paul I, who was elected in August after
the death of Pope
Paul VI, died after thirty-three days. Then-Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the
third day of the conclave and adopted his predecessor's name in tribute to him. In
the years since his death, John Paul II has been declared
a saint by
the Roman Catholic Church. He is referred to by Roman Catholics as Pope
Saint John Paul II or Saint John Paul the Great, for
example as a name
for institutions.
John Paul II is recognised as
helping to end Communist
rule in
his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John
Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam,
the Eastern
Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the
Church's teachings on such matters as artificial contraception and
the ordination
of women, but also supported the Church's Second Vatican Council and
its reforms.
He was one of the most travelled world
leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part
of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified
1,340 people and canonised 483 saints,
more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five
centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of
Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world's bishops,
and ordained many priests. A key goal of his papacy was to
transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his
Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews,
Muslims and Christians in a great religious armada".
He was the second
longest-serving pope
in modern history after Pope Pius IX, who served for nearly
32 years from 1846 to 1878. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the
first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Pope
Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523. John Paul II's cause for canonisation
commenced in 2005 one month after his death with the traditional five-year
waiting period waived. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed Venerable by
his successor Pope
Benedict XVI and
was beatified on
1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed
one miracle to his intercession, the healing of a French nun from Parkinson's
disease. A second miracle attributed to John Paul II's intercession was
approved on 2 July 2013, and confirmed by Pope Francis two
days later (two miracles must be attributed to a person's intercession to be
declared a saint). John Paul II was canonised on 27 April 2014 (again Divine
Mercy Sunday), together with Pope John XXIII. On 11 September 2014, Pope Francis
added John Paul II's optional memorial feast day to
the worldwide General
Roman Calendar of
saints, in response to worldwide requests. It is traditional to celebrate
saints' feast days on the anniversary of their deaths, but that of John Paul II
(22 October) is celebrated on the anniversary of his papal inauguration.
This was Pope John Paul’s second
visit to his native Poland after becoming the Pope. Besides addressing various
religious gatherings Pope John Paul II also held a private meeting with Lech Walesa, the founder and leader of
Solidarity, Poland's independent trade union movement. Solidarity was been banned since December 1981 when martial law was
declared following social tensions in Poland.
It is the second time Pope John Paul II - who was formerly Archbishop of Krakow -
returned to his native Poland since he became head of the Roman Catholic Church
in 1978.
Thank you Merja.
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