On 2nd of April 2005, at 9:37 p.m., John Paul II, the Polish Pope, died in Rome.
John Paul II - Polish Pope, photo: YouTube
A brief description of the Pontificate of John Paul II
The conclave on 16th of October, 1978 elected Karol Wojtyła as the new pope. At 6:18 p.m., white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel, causing cries of joy from the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. The election interrupted the centuries-old tradition of appointing Italian clergy to the Throne of Peter. The inauguration of the pontificate took place on 22nd of October. During his homily, he said the famous words: "Do not be afraid! Open the door to Christ.”
John Paul II's pontificate lasted 26 years and 5 months (the third longest in history). The Polish Pope led the Church into the new millennium, contributed to the overthrow of the communist system, traveled around the world with a message of peace, defended the rights of the family and unborn children, cared for the poor, sick and elderly, initiated World Youth Day, announced a new Code of Canon Law and The Catechism of the Catholic Church, entrusted the entire world to Our Lady and Divine Mercy, met with followers of various denominations and religions.
John Paul II held:
104 foreign apostolic journeys (outside Italy), visited 129 nations
146 trips within Italy (outside Rome and Castel Gandolfo)
748 visits to Rome and the Roman diocese and to Castel Gandolfo
He published numerous documents:
14 encyclicals
14 apostolic exhortations
11 Apostolic Constitutions
45 Apostolic Letters
31 Motu Proprio
Moreover, during his apostolic journeys he had 3,288 planned speeches.
He beatified and canonized Servants of God from all over the world:
Number of beatified people – 1 338;
Number of canonized people – 482 canonizations.
He initiated important events for the life of the Church:
World Youth Days - 19 took place during his pontificate, including 7 International Days.
World Days of Prayer for Peace - announced 5 times, for the first time on 27th of October 1986 in Assisi with the participation of 47 delegations representing Christian Churches and communities and 13 non-Christian religions.
Jubilee years: Holy Year of Redemption (March 1983 - April 1984), Marian Year (June 1987 - July 1988), Year of the Family (1994), Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 (preceded by three years of preparation), Year of the Rosary (October 2002 - October 2003), Year of the Eucharist (October 2004 – October 2005)
World Meetings of Families – 4 of them took place during his pontificate; the first in 1994 (Year of the Family) in Rome, then in Rio de Janeiro (1997), Rome (2000) and in Manila, Philippines (2003).
He held meetings and audiences with various people:
Official and unofficial meetings with heads of state and prime ministers – over 1 600
Number of general audiences – 1 164, attended by 17 665,800 people from all over the world
Data from www.vatican.va
PILGRIMAGES TO POLAND AND THE WORLDJohn Paul II made eight trips to his homeland. He came to Poland for the first time on 2nd of June 1979. The pilgrimage coincided with the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Stanisław. Then he uttered these memorable words at Victory Square in Warsaw (now Piłsudski Square): "Let your spirit descend Let your spirit descend And renew the face of the earth, The face of this land.”Third pilgrimage to Poland, military airport in Gdynia Babie Doły, 11th of June 1987The next two pilgrimages in 1983 and 1987 took place during the times of the Polish People's Republic. They contributed to the creation of "Solidarity" and the deconstruction of the then system.John Paul II based the message of the first pilgrimage to free Poland in 1991 on the Decalogue. He urged his compatriots to make good use of their regained freedom. He made further visits in 1995, 1997, 1999. During his last pilgrimage to his homeland in 2002, he entrusted the whole world to God's Mercy in the sanctuary in Krakow - Łagiewniki.During his numerous trips abroad, John Paul II often visited nations that had experienced war. Many trips were ecumenical in nature. He spoke twice at the UN headquarters in New York, visited communist Cuba, and in 2000 made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Then he prayed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
He died on 2nd of April 2005 at 9:37 p.m. The world plunged into mourning. The Pope's funeral took place on 8th of April. During the funeral ceremony at St. Peter's Square. Peter's Basilica was attended by 300,000 believers. Two billion people watched the event on television. The coffin with the body rested in the basement of St. Basilica. Peter.
On 13th of May 2005, the beatification process of John Paul II began. In response to the cry of the faithful "Santo subito!" during the Pope's funeral, the new Pope Benedict XVI granted a dispensation from the five-year waiting period for the initiation of the beatification process.
Beatification was performed on 1st of May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI. In Holy Mass on St. Square Peter's Square was attended by approximately 1.5 million people, including three hundred thousand Poles. On the date of the liturgical commemoration of Blessed The day chosen for John Paul II was 22nd of October, which falls on the anniversary of the solemn inauguration of the pontificate of the Polish Pope.
John Paul II was canonized by Pope Francis on Divine Mercy Sunday, 27th of April, 2014 in Rome.
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