8/3/2019 Venerable John Paul II

1/3

Venerable John Paul

IIKarol Jzef Wojtyla, known as John Paul II

since his election to the papacy in October1978, was born in Wadowice, a small town 50

kms.Krakow (Poland) on May 18, 1920.It wasthe second of two children of Karol Wojtyla

and Emilia Kaczorowska.His mother died in1929.His elder brother Edmund (medical) diedin 1932 and his father (army officer) in 1941.At 9, he made his First Communion and was

confirmed at 18.Upon graduation from highschool in Wadowita Marcin school in Wadowice,

he enrolled in 1938 at the Jagiellonian

University in Krakow and a drama school.When the Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939 and young

Karol had to work in a quarry and then a chemical factory (Solvay) to earn a

living and avoid deportation to Germany.Since 1942, when he felt a vocation to the priesthood, he began courses in theclandestine seminary of Cracow, run by the Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal

Adam Stefan Sapieha.At the same time, was one of the pioneers of the"Rhapsodic Theatre," also clandestine.After WWII, he continued his studies at the major seminary of Krakow, newly

opened, and the Faculty of Theology of the Jagiellonian University, until his

priestly ordination in Krakow on November 1, 1946.She was then sent by Cardinal Sapieha to Rome, where, under the direction ofthe French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange, a doctorate in theology in 1948 with

a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of San Juan de la Cruz.At thattime, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish

immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland.In 1948 he returned to Poland and was vicar of various parishes in Krakow as

8/3/2019 Venerable John Paul II

2/3

well as chaplain to university students until 1951, when he resumed his studies

in philosophy and theology.In 1953 the Catholic University of Lublin a thesison "evaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the basis of

the ethical system of Max Scheler."Later he became professor of moraltheology and social ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the Facultyof Theology of Lublin.On July 4, 1958 by Pope Pius XII named auxiliary bishop of Krakow.He wasordained a bishop on September 28, 1958 in Wawel Cathedral (Krakow), from

the hands of Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak.On January 13, 1964 was appointed archbishop of Krakow by Pope Paul VI, who

made him a cardinal on June 26, 1967.Besides participating in the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), with a

significant contribution in drafting the constitution Gaudium et spes, Cardinal

Wojtyla participated in all meetings of the Synod of Bishops.Since the beginning of his Pontificate on October 16, 1978, Pope John Paul II

completed 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy.As Bishop ofRome he has visited 317 of the 333 parishes.On 13 May 1981, John Paul II was attacked.The Turk Ali Agca shot him in thePlaza de San Pedro.However, he could survive and recover after spending timein the hospital.The bullet with which he was injured, was enshrined in thecrown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, who heads the Shrine of Cova da

Iria.The Pope himself gave the ball to Bishop Alberto Cosme, Bishop of Leiria.Among its principal documents include 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic

exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions and 45 apostolic letters.The Pope hasalso published five books: "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October 1994),

"Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination"

(November 1996), "Roman Triptych - Meditations", book of poems (March2003), "Arise!Come on! "(May 2004) and" Memory and Identity "(2005).John Paul II presided at 147 beatification ceremonies in which he has

proclaimed 1338 Blessed and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints.He hasheld 9 consistories, during which he created 231 (+ 1 in pectore) cardinals.Hehas also presided 6 plenary meetings of the College of Cardinals.

8/3/2019 Venerable John Paul II

3/3

From 1978 to 2005, the Holy Father has presided at 15 Synods of Bishops: sixordinary (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, 2001), 1 Extraordinary General

(1985), and 8 special (1980, 1991, 1994 , 1995, 1997, 1998 [2] and 1999).No other Pope has encountered so many individuals like John Paul II: to date,

more than 17,600,100 pilgrims have participated in more than 1160 General

Audiences held on Wednesdays.That number does not include other specialaudiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the

Great Jubilee of 2000] and the millions of faithful that the Pope hasencountered during pastoral visits made in Italy and the rest of the world .We must also remember the numerous government personalities that have

been encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings with

heads of state and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.On 2 April 2005, at 21:37 pm, died in Vatican City.while finishing on Saturday,and we had already entered the octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday.From that evening until April 8, the day that held the funeral of the late

Pontiff, more than three million pilgrims paid tribute to John Paul II, even 24

hours in line to gain access to the basilica of San Pedro.