The Canonization of Pope John Paul II

Are you a Roman Catholic? If you are, are you familiar with Pope John Paul II? For me, he was the most popular Pope because he is close to the hearts of many.

Who is Pope John Paul II?

Saint John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II), sometimes called John Paul the Great, born Karol Józef Wojtyła  18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), was Pope from 16 October 1978 to his death in 2005. He was the second longest-serving pope in history and, as a Pole, the first non-Italian since Pope Adrian VI, who died in 1523.

John Paul II was one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He is recognized as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, he supported the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reform, and he held firm orthodox Catholic stances. He is known for his implementation of several papal documents pertaining to the role of the Church in the modern world.

He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonized] 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. A key goal of his papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great [religious] armada."

John Paul II's cause for canonization commenced in 2005 shortly after his death with the traditional five year waiting period waived. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed Venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011 after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to him, the healing of a French nun from Parkinson's disease. A second miracle, attributed to the late pope, was approved on 2 July 2013 and confirmed by Pope Francis two days later. John Paul II was canonized on 27 April 2014, alongside Pope John XXIII. Like John XXIII, his feast day is not celebrated on the date of his death as is usual, but on the anniversary of his papal inauguration, 22 October 1978.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines celebrates with the whole world as the Vatican declares popes John XXIII and John Paul II as saints on Sunday, April 27.

The twin canonization is seen by Vatican watchers as an attempt to breach a traditional left-right divide in the Church.

As the Vatican welcomes pilgrims from all over the world to witness the ceremony, relics and images are being shown in the Philippines for those who couldn't make it to Vatican.

The country has a lot of reasons to celebrate the canonization of the two popes because they established a connection with Filipinos.

Pope John XXIII

POPE JOHN XXIII. PHLPost will issue 5,000 copies of stamps bearing the image of Pope John XXIII

•           The Pontificio Collegio Filippino, which serves as residence of priests studying in Rome, was established in 1961 under his watch. He blessed both the cornerstones for the building in 1959, and the constructed edifice in 1961.

•           During the inauguration of the building, the pope said: "These buildings destined for the formation of your students of sacred sciences will be like channels by which the catholic life will be promoted among you and the bond by which the Philippines, a nation so very dear to us, will more intensely be linked with the supreme magisterium of the Church."

•           Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes recalled saying "many rivers and plenty of rains will not extinguish my love for the Philippine Islands [and] for the Filipino people."

•           The pope installed the very first Filipino cardinal, Rufino Cardinal Santos, in 1953. It was Santos who proposed establishing the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, which the pope approved. Santos served as cardinal until his death in 1973.

•           Among the dioceses created in the country under his watch are the Dioceses of Imus and Malolos in 1961, and the Dioceses of Nueva Ecija and Tarlac in 1963.

•           In 1959, the pope sent a message to the Pax Romana Assembly, a gathering of Catholic intellectuals, which happened in Manila in 1959. In letter, which was written in Spanish, stated: "We, through this message, not only to give you our greetings and our warmest wishes for the success of this meeting and our living breath, but also to express the deep joy of knowing that your common meetings are held for the first time in Asia."

 Reference:

http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/56515-popes-john-xxiii-john-paul-ii-pinoys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II