Pope John Paul II

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Lasting Legacy



He was a man of God who the faithful believe is now with God.

Pope John Paul II has died in his apartment at the Vatican after a long illness. He was 84.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls distributed the announcement of the Pontiff's death via email.

"The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37pm (Rome time) in his private apartment. All the procedures outlined in the apostolic Constitution `Universi Dominici Gregis' that was written by John Paul II on Feb. 22, 1996, have been put in motion."

A mass has been scheduled at St. Peter?s Square for Sunday morning.

"Our Holy Father John Paul has returned to the house of the Father," Archbishop Leonardo Sandri told some 60,000 gathered to wait outside the Pope's residence.

A hushed silence greeted the not unexpected news, before applause - an Italian sign of respect - broke out amongst the multitude. Tears streamed down the faces of thousands of the faithful, who knew what was coming but never wanted to hear the words.

The Pope had been on the decline for some time. But his health took a major and irreversible turn for the worst in February, when he came down with flu-like symptoms.

That forced doctors to perform a tracheotomy, and insert a breathing tube. That was followed by a feeding tube, when the Pontiff had difficulty swallowing.

On Thursday, the end was near, as he developed blood poisoning and a urinary infection, which led to heart failure and septic shock. On Saturday the Vatican announced he had developed a high fever.

Weakened by years of battling Parkinson?s disease, the Pope simply had no more strength to hang on, and despite clinging to life until Saturday, he finally succumbed to his maladies.

The man the world knew as John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in the city of Wadowice, Poland back in May of 1920. He lost his mother when he was a child, awakening deep spiritual feelings within the youngster that blossomed as the years went by.

He became a priest in 1946, and it didn?t take long before parishioners and Church officials took notice.

By 1958, he?d ascended to the post of the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow, and less than a decade later, was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

His final honour came in October 1978, when, at the age of 58, he became the leader of millions of Catholics around the world, being chosen as Pope, and choosing the name John Paul.

He was history?s first Polish Pontiff, and the first non-Italian to command the post in 455 years. His home country idolized the man, but it quickly became clear others elsewhere felt the same way.

The Pope was a charming man with a great sense of humour, which he never lost, even during his final days.

He was fluent in 11 languages, and one of the highlights of his Christmas services was when he addressed the faithful around the world in dozens of different tongues.

And he wasn?t content just to speak their language ? he wanted to see their countries for himself. He became the most travelled Catholic leader of all time, regularly visiting far-flung areas of the world. He made more than 100 trips as Pope.

He came to Toronto twice, the last time making an appearance at World Youth Day attended by hundreds of thousands at Downsview Park in July 2002.

Few who were there will forget the experience, as the man who was clearly ill came alive at the response of the massive crowd.

But not everyone was a fan. In 1981, Mehmet Ali Agca approached the Pontiff with a gun and opened fire. John Paul was wounded and almost died, but made an inspirational recovery. And in the true spirit of his religion, he wound up meeting with and forgiving his would-be assassin.

It was shortly after this incident that a new word was added to the world?s lexicon ? the Popemobile, a bulletproof, enclosed vehicle that allowed him to travel safely while still seeing the faithful.

But many believe the Pope?s health never recovered from the incident, and the world watched in shock as the vigourous man they knew deteriorated into illness and old age.

John Paul leaves behind a mostly positive legacy, although some of his positions angered detractors. His stand on gay marriage, while not surprising, was condemned by activists.

He opposed ordaining women or allowing priests to marry, and was against divorce and abortion. And he was criticized for his failure to acknowledge the sexual abuse of children by priests, only to publicly criticize the offense in his annual letter in 2002.

A meeting with Yasser Arafat at the Vatican also drew criticism from Jewish groups. But he also earned their praise when he apologized for the Vatican?s action during World War II.

His attempts to modernize the church while keeping its traditional values were hailed by most, and his fierce stand against Communism helped free not only his native nation, but others in the former Soviet bloc.

He was a man of iron will but a velvet glove and even those who disagreed with him had to admit they admired him.

He likely changed the Papacy forever, which may he his greatest legacy. His successor will have a lot to live up to the standards he set.

And one thing is clear. Whoever is chosen will have very big Shoes of the Fisherman to fill.





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Key Dates In John Paul II's Life

May 18, 1920: Karol Jozef Wojtyla born in Wadowice, Poland, second son of retired army sergeant and a mother of Lithuanian origin.

1942: Having lost all immediate family, commences secret studies for priesthood during Nazi occupation.

Nov 1, 1946: Ordained in Krakow, completes studies at pontifical universities in Rome and returns to Poland.

Sept 28, 1958: Consecrated assistant Bishop of Krakow.

Jan 13, 1964: Named Archbishop of Krakow.

June 26, 1967: Created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

Oct 16, 1978: Elected the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. Pontificate begins officially six days later.

June 2-10, 1979: Returns to his communist-ruled homeland, a trip seen as a factor in the rise of the Solidarity movement.

May 13, 1981: Shot by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca in St Peter's Square. Surgery saves his life.

May 12, 1982: Rebel Spanish priest Juan Fernandez Krohn tries to stab Pope in Fatima, Portugal. He is not hurt.

June 8-14, 1987: In his third visit to his homeland, Pope strongly defends the banned Solidarity trade union.

June 25, 1987: Receives Austrian President Kurt Waldheim, angering Jews who accuse Waldheim of Nazi war crimes.

Dec 1, 1989: President Mikhail Gorbachev invites Pope to Soviet Union, though he never takes up offer.

April 21, 1990: Flies to Czechoslovakia to hail collapse of communism with President Vaclav Havel.

Oct 18, 1990: At synod, Pope rules out married priesthood.

July 15, 1992: Intestinal tumour size of orange removed.

Oct 31, 1992: After 359 years, Pope rehabilitates Galileo, condemned by the Church for saying earth turns around the sun.

Nov 11, 1992: Anglican Church's decision to allow women priests brings relations with the Vatican to a new low.

Dec 7, 1992: Issues the Roman Catholic Church's new universal Catechism:- the first in nearly five centuries.

Dec 28, 1993: Vatican and Israel forge full diplomatic ties after 2,000 years of Christian-Jewish hostility.

April 28, 1994: Slips in bath and breaks right thigh.

Oct 17, 1994: Becomes best-selling author with publication of the book "Crossing the Threshold of Faith."

May 17, 1995: On the eve of 75th birthday, rules out suggestions he should retire as other bishops do at that age. Says he will remain in the job for as long as God wants.

Dec 25, 1995: Influenza forces Pope to miss Christmas Mass for first time in his pontificate.

Sept 9, 1997: Frailty keeps
Pope from attending funeral of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Oct 31, 1997: In a major speech, says Christians failed during the Holocaust.

Jan 1, 2000: Opens Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica to usher in Christianity's third millennium.

March 13, 2000: Asks pardon for the Church's sins, including against Jews, heretics, women and minorities.

March 20-26, 2000: Visits Holy Land, calls for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

May 8, 2001: Ending visit to Syria, makes history by becoming the first Pope in history to enter a mosque.

Nov 22, 2001: Apologizes to victims of sexual abuse by priests.

April 2002: Summons U.S. cardinals after scandal there over Church's handling of sexual abuse of children by priests.

August 2002: Makes last poignant visit to Polish homeland, visiting Krakow, and talking about death.

Oct 2002: Marks 24th jubilee by changing the way rosary prayers are said for the first time in nine centuries.

Jan-March 2003: Pope at forefront of campaign to avert U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Oct 19, 2003: Beatifies Mother Teresa before a crowd of 300,000, calling her an "icon" of charity.

Dec 18, 2004: Condemns same-sex marriage as an attack on fabric of society.

Feb 1, 2005: Taken to hospital in Rome with acute breathing problems and stays for 10 days.

Feb 24, 2005: Rushed to hospital for tracheotomy, opening windpipe to cure acute breathing difficulties.

March 13, 2005: Speaks to faithful for the first time since throat surgery and returns to Vatican.

March 20, 2005: For the first time in the papacy, Holy Week services begin without the Pontiff.

March 24, 2005: Cardinal
says Pope "serenely abandoning" himself to God's will."

March 27, 2005: Appears at Vatican window on Easter Sunday. Tries to speak but fails to address the faithful.

March 30, 2005: Nasal feeding tube inserted.

March 31, 2005: Suffers
heart attack and develops very high fever from urinary infection. Refuses to return to hospital.

April 2, 2005: Dies at 2:37pm EST.


April 2, 2005

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