On the 8th of April 2005, at the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the crowd had chanted ‘Santo Subito’ which means, “Make him a saint now”. Although Pope John Paul II is the most high profile candidate for sainthood in modern times, his beatification, like any others will have to pass through stringent procedures. According to church rules, ‘opening a cause’ that is the first step towards sainthood cannot be initiated until the lapse of five years after the death of the person. This five year period helps all emotions following the demise of a person to settle down and provides enough time for gathering data and witness supporting the cause of sainthood.
Pope Benedict waiving this rule off chose to ‘fast track’ his predecessor’s path to being a saint. By stating, “The cause for the beatification of John Paul II is open” the current Sovereign of the Vatican initiated the process by which his predecessor will become the Blessed...
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Pope John Paul II: ‘The Splendor of Truth’
By · Comments‘Jesus Christ, the true light that enlightens everyone’…
‘Veritatis Splendor’, (Latin for ‘the Splendor of Truth’), an encyclical by Pope John Paul II was promulgated on 6th August 1993 and was addressed to all Bishops of the Catholic Church. It aims to express the role of the Catholic Church in moral teaching. The latter half of the 20th century witnessed the rise of questions on moral theology. The ‘Veritatis Splendor’ was a response to this issue. This encyclical expresses the authority of the Catholic Church in guiding people through questions about man’s ability to discern ‘good’, existence of ‘evil’, role of human freedom and conscience etc.
According to Pope John Paul II, moral truth is not something that has to disclose with miracles. It s actually knowable, and the choice between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is up to individuals themselves and it has a great...
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Pope John Paul II – Controversies
By · CommentsThe reign of Pope John Paul II as the supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City may have brought him the acclamation of being one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century, it had also got him surrounded with a number of debatable controversies.
The letters between him and Dr. Wanda Poltawska can be mentioned as one of the major controversies that had almost resulted in delaying his beatification. Dr. Poltawska was severely criticized for her decision to publish fifty years of private correspondence between her and the (late) Pope. While Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz claimed that this relationship is purely fictional, Father Adam Boneicki said that the relationship between the Pope and Dr. Poltawska was that of a brother with sister.
Many have linked Pope John Paul II and authoritarianism very closely. It has also been claimed that the Pope is as despotic as Pius XII and that Papal authoritarianism...
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John Paul II & Sexual Abuse
By · CommentsThe Roman Catholic Church had to deal with sexual scandals from time to time that involved charges against priests sexually abusing minors. John Paul II was greatly disturbed by these scandals and his first statement or declaration on the issue involved a deep concern for the image of the church being tarnished by such disgraceful acts. He clearly stated that he, along with other noble priests, was greatly disturbed to hear about the sins committed by some of their brothers. In doing so, these priests have violated their code of honor. He also added that because of these handfuls of priests who are guilty of sexually abusing children, every priest would be viewed with suspicion. This is quite unfortunate since majority of priests is dedicated to their job and perform their duties with integrity and honesty.
This was truly a controversial phase for John Paul 2. There were many who accused him of giving...
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Pope the II and Parkinson’s disease
By · CommentsEveryone is aware of the fact that in his later years, John Paul II became a victim of Parkinson’s disease. It is a kind of ailment that results in the loss of cells from a particular region of the human brain. This region is responsible for the production of dopamine and is known as substantia nigra. The lack of dopamine directly affects the nerves that are responsible for activity and movement so that the patient becomes physically unstable. This disease was first identified by James Parkinson in the year 1817 and that is why the ailment is named so. It was quite unfortunate that such a reverential individual like Pope suffered from this disease in his old age.
The main problem faced by people close to the Pope was that it was a disease which neither had a sure cure method nor did anyone know the actual cause of it. Since it is almost impossible to find out the actual reason behind the death of the...
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