In deference to Pope John XXIII, Pope John Paul I and Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II combined the names of his predecessors for his own while demonstrating supreme humility, nobility and generosity.
Tragedy struck early in his life: he lost his mother when he was nine; his older brother when he was 12; his father when he was 21. Karol Wojtyla, a priest said, was truly in search of a family he had not quite known, and as a boy, he had already chosen the Virgin Mary for his mother. A Jew, reminiscing on the boyhood he spent with Karol, confessed to him the guilt he felt over a Jew and a Catholic fraternizing: "We are all brothers under one God," Karol, then 11, told him.
Poet, actor, playwright, sportsman (mountain-climber and skier) – successively priest, bishop, archbishop and cardinal – mystic, communicator, teacher, comforter of the sick and the old, philosopher and theologian, he is now regarded one of the world’s three greatest theologians, the other two being St. Agustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Becoming one of the youngest popes at 58, and having been one of three serving the papacy the longest, Pope John Paul II changed the face of the world by weakening the hold of communism in Russia, East Germany and in his own country where he defied authoritarianism by building a new cathedral in the communist stronghold. Not less significantly for us, he condemned in no uncertain terms the conjugal dictatorship during his first visit here in 1981.
A conservative throughout his reign, he determinedly went all out against abortion, homosexual marriage, euthanasia, women priests and bishops. The most widely-travelled pope, he visited 21 countries – the unprecedented distance from the earth to the moon – (the Philipppines in 1981 and 1995), and proclaimed his great and enduring love for the young by instituting World Youth Day in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The Pope had a deep, abiding affection for Filipinos – the four (or five) million at the Luneta in 1995 was the largest on record for any papal visit, hundreds having travelled for miles overnight to get a glimpse of Pope John Paul II. (The closest look I had of him was across the street from a friend’s house which was just opposite the Apostolic Nuncio’s residence. It was 1995 and the Pope who had just arrived was being welcomed by the Nuncio and the rest of the household while we were peering through opera glasses!)
When the Pope finally had to fly back, he went up the plane hesitatingly, seemingly loathe to board it as he repeatedly looked back to wave to those who were seeing him off. For our part, our affection for the Pope, the political analysts now claim, was merely for show, there having been no tangible improvement in the overall conduct of official affairs nor in our public or private behavior since the Pope’s visit. (Columnists like Conrado de Quiros have expressed the same sentiment in searing terms.) Indeed, are we not the second most corrupt country in Asia?
Those who worked closely with the late Pope remember most his overwhelmingly winning personality, charisma and magnetism. Others remember his tremendously compassionate nature.
The following reminiscences seemingly combined all these characteristics. One who had been covering the Pope for decades recalled that when he was to meet the Pope for the first time, he became so confused he could only say, "It is a pleasure meeting you." He had wanted to say something far more meaningful but words failed him. The Pope understood and told him, "It’s all right."
A 14-year-old, on his first and only encounter with the Pope, got confused likewise and offered his hand to the Pope instead of kissing his ring. Forthwith, they shook hands. Again, the Pope understood and in response gave the boy a broad smile and an affectionate tap on the shoulder.
A young American priest recounted that he had met the Pope when he served at mass in Rome for three hours, with the Pope as celebrant. When asked, "What do you remember most about the Pope, he replied, "The Pope made me feel as though I were somebody very special, as though I could make a difference in the world."
Imaginably, that is how all who had met the Pope were made to feel by him. And even the thousands standing at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican to whom the Pope had waved and blessed time and again from his room, they, the young particularly, must have felt a close bond with this great communicator as they kept vigil during his final hours, sleeping on the cold pavement of the Square on a chilly night (many without blankets) while waiting for the final goodbye that never came.
What the tearful throng did not know then was that while the Vicar of Christ lay dying, he was lovingly blessing them from his bed! He had proclaimed more saints during his reign than at any other time in the history of the papacy. Now the grieving millions are praying to Johannes Paulus II rather than for him.