100th anniversary of the birth of Pope John Paul II

18th May marks the anniversary of the birth of pope John Paul II, a leading international figure in his day.

Roxana Vasile, 18.05.2020, 13:50

For Christian Catholics and
perhaps other denominations as well, 18th May is a special day. St. Peter’s
Basilica in the Vatican, which, like many churches across Europe, had been closed
because of the coronavirus pandemic, opened its doors for the celebration of
Mass at John Paul II’s tomb to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth
of the former pope. From heaven
he continues to intercede for the People of God and peace in the world,
said the current pontiff Francis about the most popular pope in history.

John Paul II was born Karol
Josef Wojtyla in 1920 near Cracow, in Poland. He was ordained in 1946 after finishing
his university theological studies. In 1948 he was awarded a doctoral title in
theology from the Angelicum University in the Vatican and in 1964 was appointed
archbishop of Cracow, before being made a cardinal three years later. On 16th
October 1978, after the death of John Paul I, the papal conclave elected Karol
Josef Wojtyla as the 263rd successor of Saint Peter, making him the
first Polish pope in history and the first non-Italian pope since 1522. His tenure
as head of the Catholic Church and bishop of Rome began officially on 22nd
October 1978.

An outstanding figure, Pope John Paul II dedicated his
reign to campaigning for a better world and promoting understanding between people
and peace. He advocated for closer relations between the sister churches, the
Orthodox and the Catholic Churches, and was the first pontiff in history since
the Great Schism of 1504 to visit a majority Orthodox country, Romania. This extraordinary
ecumenical event took place between 7th and 9th May 1999
in response to an invitation from the then head of the Romanian Orthodox Church,
patriarch Teoctist. Pope John Paul II was also the first head of the Catholic
Church to travel to Israel and visit a synagogue, as well as the first to enter
a mosque. He was vocal against totalitarian regimes and also got involved in
causes and conflicts with political connotations from across the world.

He made over 100 pastoral trips outside of Italy and
almost 150 in Italy, he saw almost 18 million believers during general
audiences and as head of state made 38 official visits. He was chosen The Personality
of the Year by Radio Romania International’s listeners twice. After 27 years in
office, John Paul II died on 2nd April 2005 and was buried six days
later in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica. He was beatified in 2011 and
canonised in 2014. His famous words Be not afraid are still very much topical
today. (CM)