John Paul II’s fragrance of sanctity
Pope John Paul II made big headlines once again. Not only because of his much anticipated beatification, which showed how deep his cherished memory still is in people’s hearts six years after his death. But also because, through this momentous event,...
Pope John Paul II made big headlines once again. Not only because of his much anticipated beatification, which showed how deep his cherished memory still is in people’s hearts six years after his death. But also because, through this momentous event, people understood all the more the richness of his tireless and courageous Christian witness and missionary spirit, forged as it was in his determination to encourage humanity not to be afraid to look closely at the substance of its redemption.
At the beginning of his pontificate, John Paul II delivered a few memorable words which remained with him all along: “Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!” He himself lived those unforgettable words to the full throughout his mission.
As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out in his beatification homily, what John Paul II asked of everyone he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from God and a tide which appeared irreversible.
John Paul II’s Christian discipleship was radical. He strived to make that commitment shine through his words and actions. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by a distinct human charisma, he encouraged and helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel.
Pope Benedict summerised John Paul II’s great witness as follows. “In a word, he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the thread which runs through all the others.”
John Paul II’s most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions and 45 Apostolic Letters. He also promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church and reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law. However, to many people, his biggest book was his own entire life.
The Cardinals elected Karol Józef Wojtyła’s Pope at the Conclave of October 16, 1978. It was then that he took the name of John Paul II, becoming the 263rd successor to the Apostle Peter.
Driven by a pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II dedicated all his energy to the exercise of his ministry. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy.
He successfully encouraged dialogue with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi. Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000.
He was revered for his painstaking efforts to implement an authentic interpretation of the Second Vatican Council, and for his many theological contributions, particularly through pioneering what is known as the theology of the body. Yet he is perhaps most known for his ardent promotion of the “culture of life,” a term he popularised through his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae.
His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was also expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994.
John Paul II departed this world on April 2, 2005. It was the end of a pontificate of nearly 27 years, the third longest in Church history. From that moment until April 8, the date of his funeral, more than three million pilgrims travelled to Rome to pay homage to his mortal remains. During the funeral, several thousands of people chanted, in Italian, santo subito. They wanted him declared a saint immediately after his death. People knew that his was a strong, generous and apostolic faith, also evidenced in his great suffering. His fragrance of sanctity was perceived right away.