Pope John Paul II Dies
On this day in 2005 John Paul II historys most well-traveled pope and the first non-Italian to hold the position since the 16th century dies at his home in the Vatican.Six days later two million people packed Vatican City for his funeral said to be the biggest funeral in history.John Paul II was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice Poland 35 miles southwest of Krakow in 1920.After high school the future pope enrolled at Krakows Jagiellonian University where he studied philosophy and literature and performed in a theater group.
During World War II Nazis occupied Krakow and closed the university forcing Wojtyla to seek work in a quarry and later a chemical factory.By 1941 his mother father and only brother had all died leaving him the sole surviving member of his family.Although Wojtyla had been involved in the church his whole life it was not until 1942 that he began seminary training.When the war ended he returned to school at Jagiellonian to study theology becoming an ordained priest in 1946.
He went on to complete two doctorates and became a professor of moral theology and social ethics.On July 4 1958 at the age of 38 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow by Pope Pius XII.He later became the city s archbishop where he spoke out for religious freedom while the church began the Second Vatican Council which would revolutionize Catholicism.
He was made a cardinal in 1967 taking on the challenges of living and working as a Catholic priest in communist Eastern Europe.Once asked if he feared retribution from communist leaders he replied I m not afraid of them.They are afraid of me.Wojtyla was quietly and slowly building a reputation as a powerful preacher and a man of both great intellect and charisma.
Still when Pope John Paul I died in 1978 after only a 34-day reign few suspected Wojtyla would be chosen to replace him.But after seven rounds of balloting the Sacred College of Cardinals chose the 58-year-old and he became the first-ever Slavic pope and the youngest to be chosen in 132 years.A conservative pontiff John Paul IIs papacy was marked by his firm and unwavering opposition to communism and war as well as abortion contraception capital punishment and homosexual sex.He later came out against euthanasia human cloning and stem cell research.
He traveled widely as pope using the eight languages he spoke (Polish Italian French German English Spanish Portuguese and Latin) and his well-known personal charm to connect with the Catholic faithful as well as many outside the fold.On May 13 1981 Pope John Paul II was shot in St.Peter s Square by a Turkish political extremist Mehmet Ali Agca.After his release from the hospital the pope famously visited his would-be assassin in prison where he had begun serving a life sentence and personally forgave him for his actions.
The next year another unsuccessful attempt was made on the popes life this time by a fanatical priest who opposed the reforms of Vatican II.Although it was not confirmed by the Vatican until 2003 many believe Pope John Paul II began suffering from Parkinsons disease in the early 1990s.He began to develop slurred speech and had difficulty walking though he continued to keep up a physically demanding travel schedule.In his final years he was forced to delegate many of his official duties but still found the strength to speak to the faithful from a window at the Vatican.
In February 2005 the pope was hospitalized with complications from the flu.He died two months later.Pope John Paul II is remembered for his successful efforts to end communism as well as for building bridges with peoples of other faiths and issuing the Catholic Churchs first apology for its actions during World War II.He was succeeded by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who became Pope Benedict XVI.
Benedict XVI began the process to beatify John Paul II in May 2005.
