Benedict pays tribute to Pope John Paul II on birthday

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has recalled John Paul II as a harbinger of mercy and hope on the 100th anniversary of the late Pontiff’s birth.

Pope John Paul II saluting the crowd in St Peter square at the Vatican in 2003. Picture: AFP

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has recalled his close friend and chief Saint John Paul II as a harbinger of mercy and hope.

In a statement released to mark the 100th anniversary of the late Pontiff’s birth on Monday, Benedict, who served John Paul II for 25 years as the Church’s head of doctrine and faith, recalled his influence in the collapse of Soviet and eastern-bloc communism.

In February 1945, Benedict wrote, during discussions about the future shape of post-war Europe, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin asked: “How many divisions does the Pope have?”

John Paul II had no military divisions. “However, the power of faith turned out to be a force that finally unhinged the Soviet power system in 1989 and made a new beginning possible,’’ Benedict wrote.

Karol Wojtyla was born in the small Polish town of Wadowice 18 months after Poland regained independence after being divided by three neighbouring powers of Prussia, Russia, and Austria.

“It was a historic event that gave birth to great hope; but it also demanded much hardship as the new state, in the process of her reorganisation, continued to feel the pressure of the two powers of Germany and Russia,’’ Benedict wrote.

“In this situation of oppression, but above all in this situation marked by hope, young Karol Wojtyła grew up. He lost his mother and his brother quite early and, in the end, his father as well, from whom he gained deep and warm piety.

“The young Karol was particularly drawn by literature and theatre. After passing his final secondary school exams, he chose to study these subjects.’’

Pope John Paul II, left, in 1979 with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected Pope on April 19, 2005, and chose Benedict XVI as his papal name. Picture: AP

To avoid deportation to Germany in 1940, he went to work in the quarry of a chemical plant.

As a factory worker, the young man began studying theology from old textbooks and was ready to be ordained a priest in November 1946.

“Of course, Karol not only studied theology in books but also through his experience of the difficult situation that he and his country found itself in,’’ Benedict wrote. “This is somewhat a characteristic of his whole life and work. He studied books but the questions that they posed became the reality that he profoundly experienced and lived.’’

When Cardinal Wojtyła was elected Pope in 1978, the Church was in a “dramatic situation’’. Confusion and uncertainty were rife.

“An almost impossible task was awaiting the new Pope,’’ Benedict said. “Yet, from the first moment on, John Paul II aroused new enthusiasm for Christ and his Church. His words from the sermon at the inauguration of his pontificate: ‘Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors for Christ!’ This call and tone would characterise his entire pontificate and made him a liberating restorer of the Church.’’

John Paul II made 104 pastoral voyages around the world. “In his 14 Encyclicals, he comprehensively presented the faith of the Church and its teaching in a human way,’’ Benedict said. “By doing this, he inevitably sparked contradiction in Church of the West, clouded by doubt and uncertainty.’’

Before John Paul II’s death on Saturday, April 2, 2005, Benedict recalled, “St Peter’s Square was filled with people, especially many young people, who wanted to meet their Pope one last time”.

“I cannot forget the moment when Archbishop Sandri announced the message of the Pope’s departure. Above all, the moment when the great bell of St Peter’s took up this message remains unforgettable,” he wrote.

The epithet “great’’, popularly but not officially applied to John Paull II was difficult to define, Benedict said. It had only been applied to two previous popes in 2000 years, both of whom were political. Leo I (440 – 461) had been able to convince Attila the Hun to spare the city of Rome from attack and Gregory I (590 – 604) had protected the city from the Lombards.

“If we compare both stories with that of John Paul II, the similarity is unmistakeable,’’ Benedict wrote.

“Let us leave open the question of whether the epithet “the great” will prevail or not. It is true that God’s power and goodness have become visible to all of us in John Paul II. In a time when the Church is again suffering from the oppression of evil, he is for us a sign of hope and confidence.’’