Facts About John Paul II
Posted Friday, April 01, 2005
BASIC FACTS
· Pope John Paul was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920.
· He is 84 years old.
· He has been pope for 26 years. That puts him in the top three longest-serving in history.
· John Paul is the 263rd pope.
Pope John Paul II waves to faithfuls as he leaves the Vatican, in this Aug. 8, 2001 file photo, after his traditional weekly audience.
· He is fluent in Polish, Italian and Latin. He also speaks conversational English, French, German and Spanish.
· He is the first non-Italian pope since 1522. He is the first Slavic pope in history.
HEALTH
· The pope suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
· That's a degenerative nerve disease that makes it hard to control muscles and causes tremors.
· He was sent to Gemelli hospital in Rome February 24 for testing.
· Vatican sources say he was suffering breathing problems.
· His suite at Gemelli hospital includes a chapel, kitchen and sleeping quarters for his aide.
· The pope had spent February 1 - 10 there for problems related to the flu.
· Some medical experts speculate the pope is suffering from some form of pneumonia.
· On Oct. 3, 2003, the Vienna archbishop said the pope was nearing the last months of his life.
· On September 11, 2003, the pope faltered while speaking in Slovakia.
· Someone else finished the speech.
THE POPE'S JOB
· He is the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
· He is also the Bishop of Rome.
· In addition, he is the head of state of Vatican City.
RECORDS AND MILESTONES
· Pope John Paul II has traveled to 170 countries, more than any of his predecessors.
· Some call him the "pilgrim pope."
· He has set the record for the largest Mass ever, with 1.2 million people in Dublin, Ireland on September 30, 1979.
· He has encountered more people than any pope in history. More than 17.6 million people have attended his general audiences alone.
· He's had 737 meetings with heads of state.
· Pope John Paul II has named 482 saints.
· He has created 232 cardinals.
BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
· Karol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice, Poland.
· Both parents were strict Catholics.
· His mother, Emilia, was of Lithuanian descent.
· His father, Karol Wojtyla, Sr., was an army sergeant.
· Karol was the third of three children.
· But his sister, Olga, died as a baby before Karol was born.
· He experienced significant loss as a child. His mother died when he was 9.
· And his older brother, Edmund, died when Karol was about 13 years old. Edmund was a doctor.
· Karol's father died when he was about 21 years old.
EDUCATION
· The young Karol excelled at sports, theater and in his studies.
· In 1938, he enrolled at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland to study literature.
WORLD WAR TWO
· To keep from being deported to Germany, he worked as manual laborer in a quarry 1940-44.
· In the last months of German occupation, he worked in a chemical factory.
· In 1942, Karol secretly began studying to be a priest.
EARLY PRIESTHOOD
· Karol was ordained in Krakow in 1946.
· He was first assigned to work in France with young people and Polish refugees.
· Karol then studied at Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome.
· After that he returned to Poland, teaching ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin.
RISE THROUGH THE CHURCH
· In 1958, he was made an auxiliary bishop of Krakow. He was about 38 years old.
· In 1962, Bishop Wojtyla was put in charge of the archdiocese. In 1964, he was officially appointed as archbishop of Krakow.
· He gained attention after addressing the pivotal Vatican Council II several times.
· He became a cardinal in 1967, appointed by Pope Paul VI.
BECOMING POPE
· Pope Paul VI died August 6, 1978.
· The College of Cardinals then appointed Pope John Paul I. But he died September 28, 1978.
· October 16, 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla was elected pope.
· He accepted the position with tears in his eyes.
· At his first public appearance as pope he said, "I was afraid to receive this nomination, but I did it in the spirit of obedience to Our Lord and in the total confidence in his mother, the most holy Madonna."
· He refused a largescale coronation.
· And on October 22,1978, he was installed as pope in a simple mass in Saint Peter's Square.
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
· On May 13, 1981 (at 5:19 pm) the pope was shot in St. Peter's Square.
· He was severely wounded and doctors operated on him for six hours at Gemelli Hospital.
· The would-be assassin was a young Turk named Mehmet Ali Agca.
· On May 17, the pope prayed "for the brother who shot me, whom I have sincerely forgiven".
· The pope credited Mary with interceding to save his life.
· He was shot on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima.
· On May 13, 1982, the pope made a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal and recited a prayer consecrating and entrusting to world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
· In December, 1983, Pope John Paul visited Ali Agca in prison and prayed with him.
IMAGE AND VIEWS
· Pope John Paul II is credited with revolutionizing the papacy, especially by reaching out across the world.
· He ardently opposes communism and some call him pivotal in the break-up of the Soviet Union.
· While he has had a modern image, he is also known for conservative values.
· He strongly opposes contraception and abortion.
· Pope John Paul II firmly believes priests should remain celibate and should only be men.
· He is a vocal advocate of human rights around the world.
· He's been especially strong in calling on rich nations to share their wealth with the poor.
· The pope openly opposed the U-S invasion of Iraq.
· And he has called for an independent Palestinian state.
· In the sexual abuse scandal, he released a statement calling the abuse a "crime."
· But the 2002 message fell short of saying which priests should be removed.
· In March 2000, the pope visited Israel and said the Catholic Church was to blame for fostering anti-Semitism leading up to the Holocaust.
NOTABLE AWARDS
· The pope was named Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1994.
· In 2004, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush. It's the highest civilian honor in the United States.
WRITING
· He has written five books:
· "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October 1994)
· "Gift and Mystery: On the 50th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination" (November 1996)
· "Roman Triptych - Meditations", a book of poems (March 2003)
· "Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way" (May 2004)
· "Memory and Identity" (2005).
· He's also written 14 encyclicals , 15 apostolic exhortations , 11 apostolic constitutions and 44 apostolic letters
(Sources: http://www.vatican.va/holy-father/john-paul-ii/index.htm.)
BASIC FACTS
· Pope John Paul was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920.
· He is 84 years old.
· He has been pope for 26 years. That puts him in the top three longest-serving in history.
· John Paul is the 263rd pope.
Pope John Paul II waves to faithfuls as he leaves the Vatican, in this Aug. 8, 2001 file photo, after his traditional weekly audience.
· He is fluent in Polish, Italian and Latin. He also speaks conversational English, French, German and Spanish.
· He is the first non-Italian pope since 1522. He is the first Slavic pope in history.
HEALTH
· The pope suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
· That's a degenerative nerve disease that makes it hard to control muscles and causes tremors.
· He was sent to Gemelli hospital in Rome February 24 for testing.
· Vatican sources say he was suffering breathing problems.
· His suite at Gemelli hospital includes a chapel, kitchen and sleeping quarters for his aide.
· The pope had spent February 1 - 10 there for problems related to the flu.
· Some medical experts speculate the pope is suffering from some form of pneumonia.
· On Oct. 3, 2003, the Vienna archbishop said the pope was nearing the last months of his life.
· On September 11, 2003, the pope faltered while speaking in Slovakia.
· Someone else finished the speech.
THE POPE'S JOB
· He is the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
· He is also the Bishop of Rome.
· In addition, he is the head of state of Vatican City.
RECORDS AND MILESTONES
· Pope John Paul II has traveled to 170 countries, more than any of his predecessors.
· Some call him the "pilgrim pope."
· He has set the record for the largest Mass ever, with 1.2 million people in Dublin, Ireland on September 30, 1979.
· He has encountered more people than any pope in history. More than 17.6 million people have attended his general audiences alone.
· He's had 737 meetings with heads of state.
· Pope John Paul II has named 482 saints.
· He has created 232 cardinals.
BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
· Karol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice, Poland.
· Both parents were strict Catholics.
· His mother, Emilia, was of Lithuanian descent.
· His father, Karol Wojtyla, Sr., was an army sergeant.
· Karol was the third of three children.
· But his sister, Olga, died as a baby before Karol was born.
· He experienced significant loss as a child. His mother died when he was 9.
· And his older brother, Edmund, died when Karol was about 13 years old. Edmund was a doctor.
· Karol's father died when he was about 21 years old.
EDUCATION
· The young Karol excelled at sports, theater and in his studies.
· In 1938, he enrolled at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland to study literature.
WORLD WAR TWO
· To keep from being deported to Germany, he worked as manual laborer in a quarry 1940-44.
· In the last months of German occupation, he worked in a chemical factory.
· In 1942, Karol secretly began studying to be a priest.
EARLY PRIESTHOOD
· Karol was ordained in Krakow in 1946.
· He was first assigned to work in France with young people and Polish refugees.
· Karol then studied at Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome.
· After that he returned to Poland, teaching ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin.
RISE THROUGH THE CHURCH
· In 1958, he was made an auxiliary bishop of Krakow. He was about 38 years old.
· In 1962, Bishop Wojtyla was put in charge of the archdiocese. In 1964, he was officially appointed as archbishop of Krakow.
· He gained attention after addressing the pivotal Vatican Council II several times.
· He became a cardinal in 1967, appointed by Pope Paul VI.
BECOMING POPE
· Pope Paul VI died August 6, 1978.
· The College of Cardinals then appointed Pope John Paul I. But he died September 28, 1978.
· October 16, 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla was elected pope.
· He accepted the position with tears in his eyes.
· At his first public appearance as pope he said, "I was afraid to receive this nomination, but I did it in the spirit of obedience to Our Lord and in the total confidence in his mother, the most holy Madonna."
· He refused a largescale coronation.
· And on October 22,1978, he was installed as pope in a simple mass in Saint Peter's Square.
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
· On May 13, 1981 (at 5:19 pm) the pope was shot in St. Peter's Square.
· He was severely wounded and doctors operated on him for six hours at Gemelli Hospital.
· The would-be assassin was a young Turk named Mehmet Ali Agca.
· On May 17, the pope prayed "for the brother who shot me, whom I have sincerely forgiven".
· The pope credited Mary with interceding to save his life.
· He was shot on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima.
· On May 13, 1982, the pope made a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal and recited a prayer consecrating and entrusting to world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
· In December, 1983, Pope John Paul visited Ali Agca in prison and prayed with him.
IMAGE AND VIEWS
· Pope John Paul II is credited with revolutionizing the papacy, especially by reaching out across the world.
· He ardently opposes communism and some call him pivotal in the break-up of the Soviet Union.
· While he has had a modern image, he is also known for conservative values.
· He strongly opposes contraception and abortion.
· Pope John Paul II firmly believes priests should remain celibate and should only be men.
· He is a vocal advocate of human rights around the world.
· He's been especially strong in calling on rich nations to share their wealth with the poor.
· The pope openly opposed the U-S invasion of Iraq.
· And he has called for an independent Palestinian state.
· In the sexual abuse scandal, he released a statement calling the abuse a "crime."
· But the 2002 message fell short of saying which priests should be removed.
· In March 2000, the pope visited Israel and said the Catholic Church was to blame for fostering anti-Semitism leading up to the Holocaust.
NOTABLE AWARDS
· The pope was named Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1994.
· In 2004, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush. It's the highest civilian honor in the United States.
WRITING
· He has written five books:
· "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October 1994)
· "Gift and Mystery: On the 50th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination" (November 1996)
· "Roman Triptych - Meditations", a book of poems (March 2003)
· "Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way" (May 2004)
· "Memory and Identity" (2005).
· He's also written 14 encyclicals , 15 apostolic exhortations , 11 apostolic constitutions and 44 apostolic letters
(Sources: http://www.vatican.va/holy-father/john-paul-ii/index.htm.)
posted by MaximumBob | 5:00 PM
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