KNOWING THE CHURCH I POPE JOHN PAUL II Born May 18, 1920. Died April 2, 2005. Pope John Paul II, born Karol Jósef Wojtyla, known as Blessed John Paul II since his beatification on 1 May 2011, reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, @ 84yrs and 319 days of age. He was the second-longest documented pontificate which lasted 26 years and 168 days; only Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) who served 31 years, has reigned longer. Pope John Paul II is the only slavic (polish) Pope till date and was the first non-italian Pope since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523). John Paul II has been acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. It is widely held that he was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. Conversely, he denounced the excesses of capitalism. John Paul II is widely said to have significantly improved the Catholic Churchs relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Though criticised by progressives for upholding the Churchs teaching against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, he was also criticised by traditionalists for his support of the Churchs Second Vatican Council and its reform of the Liturgy, as well as his ecumenical efforts. He was one of the most travelled world leaders in modern history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. He spoke Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Croatian and Latin, as well as his native Polish, which made him a multi-linguist. 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 last five- centuries. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 23:10:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015