John Paul II For Dummies®, Special Edition
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ISBN 978-0-471-77382-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-89547-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-89549-8 (ebk)
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In the 20 centuries since Jesus Christ called Simon Peter to follow Him, there have been many popes. Some have been saintly and most others very ordinary men. A very few have been infamously notorious and guilty of every sin under the sun. Some of Peter’s successors have imitated that humble fisherman’s shame and awe in the face of his miraculous Lord and Savior. Others, filled with Peter’s faith, have bravely endured anguish and martyrdom to follow their Master to the last. Some pontiffs convened Ecumenical Councils to fight heresy and clarify doctrine. Some have worked for peace and been condemned for it. Some bishops of Rome have courageously saved their flock from destruction. Others have wielded Peter’s sword against the enemies of the Church. Some Holy Fathers made lasting contributions of insight and understanding to moral and doctrinal teachings. Others courageously corrected those who might have led Catholics astray. Some inspired magnificent works of art and architecture that continue to uplift the hearts of all human beings of good will.
In almost 2,000 years of popes, not many people have been so fortunate as to have lived during the papacy of one who would have a major influence on the history of the world and take his place among those who are called great even by those outside the Church. After all his dynamic pilgrimages and lucid encyclicals, his honored accomplishments in art and philosophy, his restoration of unity by strongly shepherding the manifold members of God’s people, Pope John Paul II, like St. Peter, ended his earthly journey having his belt tied by others who led him where he did not want to go. At the end of all this glory, we witnessed the sagging eyes and the drooping head of one who was led by illness and pain to endure the cross that his Master had predicted.
I commend Fathers Brighenti, Toborowsky, and Trigilio for their thorough, fair, honest, and candid look into the life, times, thought, and person of Pope John Paul II. This book is not a definitive biography like George Weigel’s Witness to Hope, but it is a wonderful introduction and appetizer to such a main course. These authors have done a terrific job in summarizing, analyzing, and explaining the man, Karol Wojtyła, and the pope, John Paul II, without resorting to myth and legend. Other books may expose some of his faults and shortcomings or actually sensationalize them by blowing them out of context. John Paul II For Dummies, Special Edition, is not a sanitized or saccharin product of propaganda; rather, it is a respectful, intelligent, and sensitive journey into the life, the mind, and the heart of a man who shaped history. Too often, modern biographers feel the need to “humanize” their subject by disclosing embarrassing details, highlighting rare acts of imprudence, or imputing motives. These prolific authors, by no means naïve, present just the facts of what John Paul said and did, leaving judgment where it belongs, with God and with history.
Glory, praise, and gratitude to Almighty God for this precious gift to the Church and to the world, whom we were blessed to have known as Pope John Paul II!
Rev. Monsignor James Cafone, STD
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey
When he died on April 2, 2005, three million people came throughout the next week to pay their respects by visiting his body. Six days after his death, 4 kings, 5 queens, at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, more than 14 leaders of other religions, as well as 157 cardinals, 700 bishops, and 3,000 priests were present at the funeral Mass along with another quarter million faithful crammed into St. Peter’s Square. No other person in recent history has had such a tremendous display of respect, honor, and mourning over his life and death as was given to Pope John Paul II. Not only did the more than one billion members of the Catholic Church, which he shepherded for 26 years, grieve his death, but over 200 heads of state sent representatives or went themselves to his funeral.
You don’t get such a spectacular exit from this world unless you’ve done something during your life to merit the admiration and respect of so many. The fact that so many non-Catholics honored the man known as John Paul II attests to his effect on the world — and not just within his own religion.
Here are just few of the statistics that reinforce Pope John Paul II’s popularity:
The first non-Italian pope in 450 years and the first Polish pontiff ever, Karol Wojtyła was elected Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church on October 16, 1978, and took the name Pope John Paul II. He was one of the youngest popes elected, at the age of 58, and had the third longest reign (26 years) from the long list of 266 people (from St. Peter to Benedict XVI) who have held that office.
Just the fact that so many people in the world knew who he was and what he stood for, even if some of them disagreed with him or did not share his principles and convictions, is a testimony to his influence on the world. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin once dismissively remarked, “How many divisions does the pope have?” Both Stalin and Hitler had no time for and showed no respect for Pope Pius XII during World War II, for either the man or the office. Though Pope John Paul II was not able to convert Mikhail Gorbachev or Fidel Castro, he did have the Communist leader of the U.S.S.R. visit him at the Vatican, and he was greeted by the Communist leader of Cuba when he landed in his country for a pastoral visit. Uncle Joe Stalin must have been spinning in his grave.
This book is written for anyone and everyone, whether you are Catholic or Protestant; Christian, Jewish, or Muslim; Hindu, Buddhist, or Taoist; whether you are of the Shinto, Jainist, Sikh, Confucian, or Baha’i faiths; even if you are agnostic or atheist. Pope John Paul II may not have been the leader of your religion and you may not have agreed with every one of his positions, statements, policies, or decisions, but despite his philosophy and theology, he had an enormous impact on the entire world, and this book explains the impact he had.
Not only do you not have to be Catholic to appreciate or even just to be curious about John Paul II, you can read this book regardless of your faith affiliation or the religion you profess. We don’t sanitize the life of John Paul II — as others have done in the past with other historical figures, so that their lives are more myth than reality. Nor do we sensationalize his weaknesses and shortcomings, attacking the integrity and honor of a person who is no longer alive to defend himself. Instead, we give you an objective, concise, and pertinent overview of his life and the effect he had on the world, on history, and on the church he governed for more than a quarter-century.
This book will help you appreciate the background and roots of the man born and baptized as Karol Wojtyła, as well as his personal struggles and tragedies. We look at what shaped and formed the man, what he did and said before he became pope and as Pope John Paul II — including his numerous visits to foreign nations, his frequent World Youth Days, the prolific number of saints he canonized, the multitude of documents and letters he issued, and the impact his papacy had on the world, from the dissolution of the Soviet Union to defending life in the womb, in the hospital and nursing home, in the battlefield, and even in prison.
That said, this book is a reference, which means you don’t have to read it from beginning to end. You can use the table of contents and the index to find the information you’re most interested in at the moment, dipping into the book as you want to over time. Of course, if you want to read the book cover to cover, that’s no sin either!
In this book, you’ll find different names referring to the same person. Karol Wojtyła was the name given to the man about whom this book is written. He was baptized with that name as an infant. We use the proper name Karol Wojtyła to refer to him in the days before he was pope. We refer to him as Pope John Paul II, John Paul, or JP2 when we’re referring to him during his pontificate, because that’s how he was known at that time.
Every pope of the Catholic Church is simultaneously the Bishop of Rome. The two offices are inseparable. But to keep it simple, we just refer to John Paul as pope. We don’t use his other titles — Vicar of Christ, Successor of St. Peter, Servant of the Servants of God, Patriarch of the West, Prince of the Apostles, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of Vatican City, Supreme Roman Pontiff, Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church, and His Holiness — to prevent confusion.
Catholic custom is to use the first two words of the original Latin text for any official document, whether a papal letter or a decree from an ecumenical council. We use that same convention and list Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letters as they can be found on the Internet or in any library or reference book. For example, Veritatis Splendor is Latin for “Splendor of Truth”; it’s also the name of a papal encyclical on morality and ethics. When we use these Latin titles, we usually include the English equivalent in parentheses.
Sacred Scripture and the Bible are synonymous terms in Catholicism, so either one refers to the same thing. We also alternate the use of adjectives like scriptural or biblical, but both mean the same thing: anything found in either the Old Testament or the New Testament.
To help you navigate through this book, we use the following conventions:
This book is a reference book, so as we mention earlier, you don’t have to read everything. Sidebars, which are text enclosed in a shaded gray box, give you information that’s interesting to know but not necessarily critical to your understanding of the chapter or section topic. You can skip them if you’re pressed for time, and still get the most important information. You can also skip any text marked by a Technical Stuff icon (see “Icons Used in This Book,” later in this Introduction for more information).
In writing this book, we made some assumptions about you:
This book comes in six parts, consisting of 23 chapters and 2 appendixes, but you can read any one you like and not have to worry if you didn’t read the previous chapters. We refer you to other parts of the book to make it easy for you to get a better appreciation and understanding, but each part and each chapter in those parts can work on its own.
In this part, we paint the landscape of Pope John Paul II — the background, context, and climate (social, political, and theological) of the place and time he lived. Before we look at the man and the pope, we examine the religious, philosophical, and historical scenery on which the portrait of the life of Karol Wojtyła would be painted. No one is born into an empty, sterile world with no past behind it; likewise, this man from Poland, who would one day become pope and leader of more than a billion Catholic Christians around the globe, was in a sense painted onto an already existing canvas we call life in the real world. This part gives you the origin of the man himself, especially before his ecclesiastical career as a priest, bishop, cardinal, and finally pope.
Karol Wojtyła, the churchman, was unique but at the same time was like other popes, cardinals, bishops, and priests before him and after him as well. This part looks at his pontificate, as a whole, from the beginning of his vocation and seminary training to his priestly career and eventual papal ministry.
Like all popes, he was Supreme Pastor and shepherd of the Universal Church. That meant his job was to be the representative of Christ (literally, Christ’s vicar on Earth) to the Church and to the world. The priestly work of sanctifying the people of God with divine grace, the prophetic work of teaching them the faith, and the kingly office of governing and providing sound leadership are expected in the person who has been chosen to this awesome task.
This part examines the role of pope as teacher and as shepherd as he maintains connection and continuity with the past, while addressing the needs and concerns of the present and looking to the promise of the future.
What distinguishes Pope John Paul II from other popes, like Paul VI, John XXIII, and Pius XII? This part looks at how JP2 injected his own flavor into the papacy and wore it like a tailor-made suit. We examine his unique contributions and perspectives, his policies and programs, and other aspects that made an impact on the Church and the world, specifically because of his style and his leadership during his 26-year pontificate.
Although his theology, philosophy, and ethics were considered mainstream and orthodox (that is, consistent with what the official Roman Catholic Church has taught and held for ages), some have erroneously labeled John Paul II doctrinally conservative, morally traditional, and socially progressive. This part examines his use of the modern world, not in embracing its values but in using its technology to communicate his message. A man of his era, John Paul II utilized modern media, modern travel, and modern approaches (like appealing to the younger generation) in fulfilling his role as teacher and pastor of the Universal Church. Finally, we look at his legacy and what lies ahead for his successors, the popes who follow him.
In this part, you see ten reasons that Pope John Paul II was considered the “people’s pope,” discover ten fascinating and fun facts about him, understand ten of his important papal encyclicals and letters, and identify ten of his notable canonizations. You see the philosopher-theologian in John Paul II show his colors when he writes to the Church around the world about issues of faith and morals. You find out about the missionary and evangelical vein in him that prompted pastoral trips around the world to see the people of his parish — which, as pope, meant the entire planet. You discover little-known facts about this famous man of history and his diverse repertoire of talents, experience, and knowledge. In this part, you get four short chapters that are long on his accomplishments and his influence.
If you have a propensity for statistics, you’ll enjoy the appendixes, which include a chronological timeline of pertinent events in the life of Pope John Paul II, as well as the details of his travel itinerary throughout his papacy.
Icons are the fancy little pictures in the margins of this book. Here’s a guide to what they mean and what the icons look like:
This icon marks interesting information that helps you get the inside scoop on JP2.
You can start right in with Chapter 1 and read to the end, or you can use the table of contents and index to find just the bit of information you’re looking for.
If you want even more information on JP2, we highly recommend a visit to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., or a virtual trip to www.jp2cc.org, where you’ll find a vast amount of material on the person and the papacy of JP2. The exhibits and displays are fantastic and are rivaled only by the Vatican Museums themselves in Rome.
If you can’t make a trip to the Eternal City (otherwise known as Rome) to visit the Vatican in person, you can go to its Web site and find plenty of information on Pope John Paul II, especially his official writings. Check it out at www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/index.htm.
Many good biographies on Pope John Paul II are available, but we personally and highly recommend Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, by George Wiegel. Also very informative are John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father, by Peggy Noonan, and John Paul II: A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man, by Ray Flynn. Even though we don’t share or agree with all their opinions, interpretations, or inferences, you may also find interesting Pope John Paul II, by Tad Szulc, and His Holiness, by Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi.
Part I
In this part…
We look at the personal history, background, landscape, and major influences that shaped and formed the early life of Pope John Paul II. Besides his fascinating story of where, when, and how he grew up into the man called Karol Wojtyła, we also examine the cultural, historical, intellectual, and spiritual forces that contributed to his formation. This will give a glimpse into the person — the human being, the world would later know as John Paul II.