The Life and Legacy of Pope John Paul II Read Online Free Page B
Author: Wyatt North
Tags: Religion & Spirituality, Biographies & Memoirs, Religious, Leaders & Notable People, Christian Books & Bibles, Catholicism, Popes & the Vatican
was African. “Who is he?” the people congregating in St. Peter’s Square wanted to know.
The content of the conclave’s deliberations was, of course, confidential, but this is what most experts believe occurred: It seems a deadlock had arisen between two popular Italian choices. Unable to find another suitable Italian candidate, the cardinals began to look farther afield. The Church at the time was experiencing discord, partially due to difficulty in implementing Vatican II and partially due to the general moral malaise of modern culture. Cardinal Wojtila was known to have successfully negotiated this challenging course within his own diocese. Moreover, he had managed to do it behind the Iron Curtain. If he had shortcomings as an administrator, he was a brilliant pastor. In addition, his star had been steadily rising among his fellow bishops.
And so Karol Wojtila became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, and the first Slavic pope in history. Catholic Poland, especially, rejoiced.
After twenty years as bishop, fourteen of them as the successful leader of a major metropolitan cultural center under extraordinarily challenging circumstances, the cardinal felt thoroughly comfortable with his new role as pope. He was confident that if the Holy Spirit had led him here, he must have the attributes that were needed for the job. From the beginning, he signaled to the Roman Curia that things were going to change: they would not control him. He broke with the etiquette of precedence at every turn, always doing things his way. If this made the Curia nervous, Pope John Paul II was not overly troubled by it. His management style as bishop had always been to pursue and accomplish his goals. The bureaucracy could take care of itself. When Pope John XXIII had called for a Second Vatican Council, he famously declared that it was time to open the windows of the Vatican to let in fresh air. Now, Pope John Paul opened the doors as well.
While the world celebrated the new pope, or at least waited to see what it would all mean, the Communist regime in Poland was horrified. Karol Wojtila had long been a thorn in their side, and he quickly made it clear that relocation wouldn’t alter his outspokenness. The new pope made frequent references to oppressed churches, the lack of liberty in some parts of the world, and the need for religious freedom in all societies. What’s more, he was able to address the various nationalities comprising the Soviet Union and its orbit in their own languages. Not just Catholic Poland was at stake, but also heavily Catholic Lithuania, the Ukraine, Belorussia, and Czechoslovakia. (As archbishop, Wojtila had already been engaged in the clandestine ordination of Czechoslovak priests.) The Soviet Union made it clear to Poland that it wasn’t amused by this Polish export. The KGB opened a dossier. Changes were indeed coming.
Pope John Paul’s Vision for the Church
As pope, John Paul looked to the words of Jesus to Peter, his predecessor, for guidance: “And when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). Toward that end, John Paul’s first and ongoing efforts were to strengthen the members of the Church.
One of his first aims was to strengthen the family. Towards that end, at the beginning of his papacy, he organized his Wednesday general audiences into a series of 129 lectures organized around a single theme. This took place between September 1979 and November 1984. These homilies were later compiled and published as The Theology of the Body , which was, in part, an extended attempt to purge any residue of Gnostic distain for the human body. In these talks, he presented very carefully his view of family relations, elaborating what he had said earlier in his book, Love and Responsibility. Marriage was a vocation, just as the priesthood was a vocation, and fidelity was the core of both.
He included his explanation for why natural sexual relations,
The content of the conclave’s deliberations was, of course, confidential, but this is what most experts believe occurred: It seems a deadlock had arisen between two popular Italian choices. Unable to find another suitable Italian candidate, the cardinals began to look farther afield. The Church at the time was experiencing discord, partially due to difficulty in implementing Vatican II and partially due to the general moral malaise of modern culture. Cardinal Wojtila was known to have successfully negotiated this challenging course within his own diocese. Moreover, he had managed to do it behind the Iron Curtain. If he had shortcomings as an administrator, he was a brilliant pastor. In addition, his star had been steadily rising among his fellow bishops.
And so Karol Wojtila became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, and the first Slavic pope in history. Catholic Poland, especially, rejoiced.
After twenty years as bishop, fourteen of them as the successful leader of a major metropolitan cultural center under extraordinarily challenging circumstances, the cardinal felt thoroughly comfortable with his new role as pope. He was confident that if the Holy Spirit had led him here, he must have the attributes that were needed for the job. From the beginning, he signaled to the Roman Curia that things were going to change: they would not control him. He broke with the etiquette of precedence at every turn, always doing things his way. If this made the Curia nervous, Pope John Paul II was not overly troubled by it. His management style as bishop had always been to pursue and accomplish his goals. The bureaucracy could take care of itself. When Pope John XXIII had called for a Second Vatican Council, he famously declared that it was time to open the windows of the Vatican to let in fresh air. Now, Pope John Paul opened the doors as well.
While the world celebrated the new pope, or at least waited to see what it would all mean, the Communist regime in Poland was horrified. Karol Wojtila had long been a thorn in their side, and he quickly made it clear that relocation wouldn’t alter his outspokenness. The new pope made frequent references to oppressed churches, the lack of liberty in some parts of the world, and the need for religious freedom in all societies. What’s more, he was able to address the various nationalities comprising the Soviet Union and its orbit in their own languages. Not just Catholic Poland was at stake, but also heavily Catholic Lithuania, the Ukraine, Belorussia, and Czechoslovakia. (As archbishop, Wojtila had already been engaged in the clandestine ordination of Czechoslovak priests.) The Soviet Union made it clear to Poland that it wasn’t amused by this Polish export. The KGB opened a dossier. Changes were indeed coming.
Pope John Paul’s Vision for the Church
As pope, John Paul looked to the words of Jesus to Peter, his predecessor, for guidance: “And when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). Toward that end, John Paul’s first and ongoing efforts were to strengthen the members of the Church.
One of his first aims was to strengthen the family. Towards that end, at the beginning of his papacy, he organized his Wednesday general audiences into a series of 129 lectures organized around a single theme. This took place between September 1979 and November 1984. These homilies were later compiled and published as The Theology of the Body , which was, in part, an extended attempt to purge any residue of Gnostic distain for the human body. In these talks, he presented very carefully his view of family relations, elaborating what he had said earlier in his book, Love and Responsibility. Marriage was a vocation, just as the priesthood was a vocation, and fidelity was the core of both.
He included his explanation for why natural sexual relations,
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