The Passing of a Pope

With all the attention the spiritual leaders of Islam have been receiving in recent times, the April 2 death of Pope John Paul II has reminded the world there are other religions, and other spiritual leaders, of equal import.

He was born Karol Josef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in Poland. His mother died when he was only eight years old. Two years later he lost his only sibling to scarlet fever. Raised by his father in humble conditions, the young Karol involved himself in athletics, and the theatre. In 1938, at the age of eighteen, he entered University in Krakow. The following year his country was occupied by the Nazis, who closed the University, and for the next two years, he worked in a quarry and a chemical factory.

In 1941 his father died, and finding himself without family, Karol turned to the church. His father had always encouraged him to enter the priesthood, and now, at the age of twenty-one, he decided to honour his father's wishes. Although it was strictly forbidden by the occupying Nazis, he risked death by joining an underground seminary.

Five years later he was ordained as a priest, with his country now occupied by the Russians, who were as oppressive as the Nazis. For the next thirty-two years, Karol bravely spoke out against the Russian occupation and championed human rights, becoming the Archbishop of Krakow in 1963, and Cardinal in 1967. On October 16, 1978, he was elected the 265th Pope (from the Greek papas, for father) of the Catholic Church, continuing a tradition began when Jesus appointed his first Apostle, Peter, to the post in 32 AD.

For the next 27 years, Pope John Paul II guided the spiritual and moral lives of 1.1 billion Catholics world wide. He was considered instrumental in the downfall of communism by his tireless efforts to promote human rights. He was criticized for contributing to overpopulation and the ensuing poverty and suffering through his unwavering opposition to artificial birth control of any kind. He learned eight languages and wrote two books.

On May 13, 1981, he was shot in an assassination attempt and almost killed. After three months in the hospital he visited his attacker in prison, and forgave him.

In 1994 he was voted Time's Man Of The Year.

May he rest in peace.

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