Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla, May 18, 1920. He reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005, more than 26 years. He was the first, and only Polish Pope and the first non-Italian Pope since the 16th century.
He is often credited as one of the forces which contributed to the fall of Communism, and his early reign was marked by his opposition to it and his support of the Polish Solidarity movement. During his reign, the pope travelled to more than 100 countries, more than any previous pope. He is said to have canonized more people than all popes before him put together. His reign is characterized as a time in which Catholicism’s influence declined in developed countries but expanded in the Third World.
Pope John Paul II was extremely popular worldwide, attracting the largest crowds in history. When crowds of millions would chant “John Paul Two, We love you!” he would often respond “John Paul Two… he loves you.” John Paul II was fluent in numerous languages: his native Polish and also Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Latin.
Pope John Paul II. Photo courtesy of the American Bible Society
In 1992, he was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s disease. On 2 April 2005, Pope John Paul II died as a vast crowd kept vigil in St Peter’s Square below.
The last years of his reign had been marked by his fight against the various diseases ailing him, provoking some concerns that he should abdicate.
John Paul II directed the moral emphasis of the Roman Catholic Church and the larger christian community. He emphasized what he called the “universal call to holiness.” He spoke out against ideologies and politics of communism, socialism, feminism, imperialism, materialism, racism and unrestrained capitalism. At the heart of it, his understanding of his role was to lead the fight against oppression, secularism and poverty.
He struggled against the corrosive spiritual effects of modern Western consumerism and the widespread secular and hedonistic orientation of Western populations. to do this, John Paul II affirmed traditional Catholic teachings by opposing abortion, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and unjust wars. He also defended traditional teachings on marriage and gender roles by opposing divorce, same-sex marriage and the ordination of women. His conservative views were sometimes criticized as regressive. John Paul II called upon followers to vote according to Catholic teachings.
John Paul II became known as the “Pilgrim Pope.” According to John Paul II, the trips symbolized bridge-building efforts between nations and religions, attempting to remove divisions created through history.
He beatified 1,340 people, more people than any previous pope. The Vatican asserts he canonized more people than the combined tally of his
predecessors during the last five centuries, and from a far greater variety of cultures. The abolition of the office of Promotor Fidei (”Promoter of the Faith” and the origin of the term Devil’s Advocate) streamlined the process and allowed for the great increase in beatifications.
In February, 2004 Pope John Paul II was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize honoring his life’s work in opposing Communist oppression and helping to reshape the world. The last years of his reign had been marked by his fight against the various diseases ailing him, provoking some concerns that he should abdicate.
Pope John Paul II died on 2 April 2005 after a long fight against Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses. Both L’Osservatore Romano and Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II’s successor, referred to John Paul II as “Great”.
John Paul II was succeeded by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany, the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who had led the Funeral Mass for John Paul II.
Qualities of Organizational Leadership:
Charisma
From “The Making of Popes 1978,” (Andrew M. Greeley) offers a close-up of the pope working a crowd: “His moves, his presence, his smile, his friendliness, his gestures …have pleased everyone… He is great with crowds — shaking hands, smiling, talking, kissing babies.”
Organizational Expertise
We can see how in the beatification process, his understanding of the organization allowed him to streamline it, so that a backlog of decades was cleared up in the system for certifying “saints.”
Succession Planning
It seems clear that John Paul II groomed Cardinal Ratzinger to become his successor so that the reforms he undertook could be continued and solidified as sources of the future strengths of the Catholic Church.
See also:
- The Wikipedia page on John Paul II from which much of the factual information was excerpted.
- CNN Biography of Pope John Paul II