( www.zenit.org )
Holy Father in the Father’s House . John Paul II, the 263 rd successor of the Apostle Peter in the Episcopal See of Rome, died on 2 April at 9:37 p.m. His pontificate, of almost 27 years, was the third longest in the history of the Church. Karol Józef Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his election to the papacy in October 1978, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers from Kraków, on 18 May 1920. He was ordained to the priesthood on 1 November 1946 in Kraków. He received a doctorate in theology in 1948 in Rome, under the direction of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange. On 4 July 1958, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków by Pius XII. He received episcopal ordination on 28 September 1958 in the Cathedral of Wawel (Kraków), from the hands of Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak. On 13 January 1964, he was named Archbishop of Kraków by Paul VI, who made him cardinal on 26 June 1967. He participated at Vatican Council II (1962-1965), with an important contribution in the drafting of the Constitution, Gaudium et Spes , and took part in all the Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops. From the beginning of his pontificate on 16 October 1978, Pope John Paul II made 104 pastoral trips outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As Bishop of Rome, he visited 317 of the 333 Roman parishes. Among his principal documents are: 14 Encyclicals, 14 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions and 45 Apostolic Letters. The Pope published five books: Crossing the Threshold of Hope (October 1994); Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination (November 1996); The Poetry of John Paul II — Roman Triptych: Meditations (March 2003); Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way (May 2004); and Memory and Identity (February 2005). John Paul II presided 147 beatification ceremonies and 51 canonizations, with a total of 482 saints. He celebrated nine Consistories, during which he created 231 Cardinals (as well as one “in pectore”). He presided six Plenary Assemblies of the College of Cardinals. He presided 15 Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops (six Ordinary; one General Extraordinary and eight Special). He has been defined as a “tireless advocate for peace,” a “great promoter of the values of humanity,” a “spiritual guide of more than a thousand million people,” a “pioneer of dialogue among the various beliefs and a critical force of the Church’s self-evaluation,” and a “spiritual leader and statesman … with a moral authority for the world,” a man who “labored tirelessly to promote peace and unite peoples of all races, nations and religions,” a “man of great courage and humility,” a “servant of peace and justice,” a “man of faith, a “man of faith, passionate for the cause of Jesus Christ,” an “example of priestly fidelity,” a “friend,” a “spiritual father,” a “witness of the love of God for the poor,” … an “angel of God among us.” May he rest in peace!
