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Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
Vice President Richard Cheney with His Holiness Pope John Paul II on the occasion of awarding him the Medal of Freedom.
Pope John Paul II: 25th anniversary
Hardly failing
Despite ill health, pontiff shines as a beacon of humanity, peace
The Vatican has devised a grand chair on wheels that allows John Paul II to celebrate Mass. His health has not diminished his stands against violence. -- Massimo Sambucetti / Associated Press
Papal events
Here are plans to mark the 25th anniversary of the start of John Paul II's papacy:
Thursday: An anniversary day Mass is expected to attract tens of thousands of people to St. Peter's Square. There also will be a concert in his honor and a luncheon with all the cardinals.
Oct. 19: Beatification of Mother Teresa, the Calcutta nun who devoted her life to the poor and so impressed John Paul that he put the woman who died six years ago on the fast track to sainthood.
Oct. 21: Installation of 30 cardinals, whose nomination last month was a sign the pope intends to influence selection of a successor.
Papal reign
John Paul's pontificate is closing in on the third-longest -- Pope Leo XIII's reign about a century ago lasted 25 years and five months, from 1878 to 1903. Next is Pope Pius IX (1846 to 1878).
The first pope, St. Peter, led the church for at least 34 years and is considered the longest-serving pontiff, from A.D. 30 to about 64.
Source: The Associated Press
By John J. Shaughnessy October 12, 2003
He has traveled more than 700,000 miles, toured nearly 130 countries, reached out to lepers and AIDS patients, knelt at the site of the Auschwitz death camps and become the first pope to visit a mosque and to pray with Jews in their synagogue since St. Peter. Yet of all the remarkable journeys Pope John Paul II has made in his 25 years as the spiritual leader of the 1 billion members of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the most poignant happened when he stopped at a prison to visit the Turkish extremist who tried to assassinate him in 1981. The pope placed his hand on the would-be killer's shoulder, looked him in the eyes and told him he forgave him. "It was a highly symbolic, very generous act on his part," says Lawrence Cunningham, theology professor at the University of Notre Dame. "It's very hard to think of anyone over the past three decades who has been such a conspicuous moral voice, whether you agree with him or not." As the 83-year-old pontiff prepares to mark his 25th anniversary Thursday -- the fourth-longest tenure in the 2,000-year history of the church -- the focus has turned to his legacy, especially as reports of his failing health circulate. This is a pope who will be remembered for helping end communist rule in Eastern Europe by sparking what amounted to a peaceful revolution in his homeland; for seeking to heal divisions between Christians and Jews; and for being a constant voice for peace. In 1984, he mediated a territorial dispute between Chile and Argentina when the two mainly Catholic South American neighbors were on the brink of war. John Paul was less successful in opposing the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq this year. Still, he has been persistent: In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the pope repeatedly has denounced violence committed in the name of religion. He also has tried to develop warmer relations with Jews, extending the Vatican's full diplomatic recognition to Israel, repeatedly denouncing anti-Semitism and issuing a statement of Christian contrition over the Holocaust. Twenty-five years of spiritual leadership by John Paul, the first Slavic pope, also have led to criticism. He has drawn fire for his stands on prohibiting priests from marrying, banning same-sex unions and barring women from the priesthood. "His emphatic way of stating and enforcing this teaching has contributed in some measure to the sense of alienation many Catholic women have felt toward the institutional church and toward John Paul II's pontificate," notes the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, author of "Lives of the Popes." Cunningham also believes the pope never fully recognized the terrible effect the clergy's sexual abuse crisis had in the United States, where Catholics number more than 66 million, including about 231,000 in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The pope has said that the "harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame." Still, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years receives universal appreciation for his unwavering desire to connect with youths. "He's the only world leader I know who's called young people together to inspire them to work for peace," says Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a former member of the Vatican press corps who edited the book "John Paul II: A Light for the World." He has been an inspiration to Jocelyn Dinkel, a 23-year-old Indianapolis resident who attended a World Youth Day with the pontiff in Denver in 1993. She also saw the pope several times as a college student when she studied in Italy for a semester in 2000. "I've definitely been touched by him," Dinkel says. "He's the closest to a saint my generation has witnessed. His presence floors you. He makes you feel comfortable and safe. Young Catholics need some kind of teacher, and he's excellent at it." Rabbi Jon Adland of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation has been impressed by the pope's efforts to connect with other faiths. "He's been incredible in his desire to reach out to people beyond his religious community," Adland says. "When he prayed in synagogue, the whole Jewish community was in awe and very appreciative. All in all, I think this pope has been very good for the world and for Jews." Indianapolis Archbishop Daniel Buechlein has witnessed that humanity personally. One of Buechlein's treasured items is a photograph of him and Pope John Paul II laughing together. "I said, 'Thanks for being a good pope,' " Buechlein recalls. "He laughed and said, 'Not everybody thinks that.' " Buechlein believes the pope's greatest legacy is promoting the dignity of the human person, from conception until death. The archbishop even sees the pope setting an example for others as he continues with his duties despite his health concerns. "The sparkle in his eyes is still there," Buechlein says. "I think he sees himself as the father of his family -- and the father doesn't quit." John Paul learned that lesson in his own family, growing up in Poland. Born Karol Wojtyla, he was 9 when his mother died. Three years later, his only brother died. "The future pope would sometimes wake in the middle of the night and find his father praying on his knees," notes John Thavis, the Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service. "At his (father's) death, friends say Karol knelt for 12 hours in prayer at his father's bedside." That commitment to family transferred to humanity for the pope, Walsh says. "He's the greatest moral voice in the world," she says, "and he's not been afraid to make that voice heard far and wide." Important dates in papacy of John Paul II
Oct. 16, 1978: Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland, is elected pope by cardinals, the first Pole ever and the first non-Italian in 455 years. He succeeds Pope John Paul I, who died after a 34-day papacy. Jan. 25, 1979: First trip abroad, to the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Bahamas. June 2, 1979: First trip back to Poland as pope. Sept. 29, 1979: Travels to Ireland and the United States. May 13, 1981: Shot in the abdomen by a Turkish extremist in St. Peter's Square. Dec. 1, 1989: Meets with Mikhail Gorbachev. Establishes diplomatic ties between the Vatican and the Kremlin. July 15, 1992: Operation for benign tumor on his colon. Oct. 31, 1992: Formally declares the church erred in condemning Galileo. Oct. 5, 1993: Issues encyclical "Splendor of Truth," a major statement defending absolute morals against liberal theologians. Dec. 30, 1993: Agreement is signed establishing formal ties between the Vatican and Israel. April 29, 1994: Breaks a leg in a fall and undergoes hip replacement surgery. Oct. 19, 1994: His book "Beyond the Threshold of Hope" is published. Oct. 8, 1996: Undergoes surgery to remove his appendix. March 20-26, 2000: Makes first trip to the Holy Land and expresses sorrow for the suffering of Jews at Christian hands in a note left at Jerusalem's Western Wall. Sept. 11, 2001: Condemns "unspeakable horror" of terrorist attacks. April 23, 2002: Meets with U.S. cardinals to discuss a sex abuse scandal; says there is no place in the priesthood for clerics who abuse the young. Feb. 14, 2003: Receives Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz on the eve of war. June 5-9, 2003: Makes 100th foreign trip, visiting Croatia. July 31, 2003: Vatican launches global campaign against gay marriages. Possible successors
The man elected pope by his fellow cardinals is often a surprise, but following are the names most often mentioned as successors to John Paul II: Dionigi Tettamanzi, 69: archbishop of Milan, Italy. Considered a moderate. Viewed as an attractive candidate for those seeking an Italian pope. Angelo Sodano, 75: Vatican's secretary of state, No. 2 in the church hierarchy after the pope. An Italian, he speaks several languages. He has taken a more visible role, including celebrating the funeral Mass for Mother Teresa in India in 1997. Christoph Schoenborn, 58: archbishop of Vienna, Austria. Multilingual, polished, highly educated. His relative youth could be a handicap, since electors might hesitate over a long pontificate. Jan Schotte, 75: Vatican-based Belgian conservative. Has close contacts with bishops and cardinals around the world as secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops. Miloslav Vlk, 71: archbishop of Prague, Czech Republic. Keeps close contacts with the Italian church. He speaks several languages. Francis Arinze, 70: Nigerian and a leading figure among churchmen in Africa. President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, a sensitive role of handling church relations with Muslims. John Paul refuses to yield to infirmities
By Victor Simpson
The image is familiar: Pope John Paul II confidently descends from a plane, kneels and kisses the tarmac. But globetrotting increasingly has become harder for the pontiff since the mid-1990s. At 83, John Paul is stooped, suffering from Parkinson's disease and crippling knee and hip ailments. The Vatican has devised a thronelike chair on wheels that allows him to celebrate Mass while seated. He has referred more and more to his own mortality. While visiting Poland last year -- a trip many Poles feared would be his last to his homeland -- John Paul made a stop outside a Krakow church where he was pastor from 1948 to 1950 and asked for prayers "for the pope during his lifetime and after his death." John Paul has brushed aside any suggestion he step down, declaring he wants to continue his mission "until the end." The Vatican, long reluctant to acknowledge the Parkinson's disease, now cites John Paul as an example of how people can battle their physical weaknesses. "It is very moving how he has incorporated the physical limitations into the way he performs his ministry," said John Paul's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls. "Parkinson's is quite variable, and people can function for quite a long time, meaning 10, 20 years with good treatment," said Dr. Cheryl Waters, professor of neurology at Columbia University in New York. Already, the pope has outlived many men once considered possible successors, and on Sept. 28, he announced the latest group of bishops he'll elevate to cardinal, further putting his mark on the body that will elect his successor. The Associated Press contributed to this report
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