Pope John Paul II
From Wikiquote
Pope John Paul II, né Karol Józef Wojtyła (born 1920-05-18 in Wadowice, Poland, died 2005-04-02 in Vatican City), was Pope — the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on 1978-10-16, becoming the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first pope of Slavic origin in the history of the Church.
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- Increasing reliance on the death penalty diminishes all of us and is a sign of growing disrespect for human life. We cannot overcome crime by simply executing criminals, nor can we restore the lives of the innocent by ending the lives of those convicted of their murders. The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by taking life. Through education, through advocacy, and through prayer and contemplation on the life of Jesus, we must commit ourselves to a persistent and principled witness against the death penalty, against a culture of death, and for the gospel of life.
- 1999 speech, St. Louis. Quoted in "Our Endangered Values" - by Jimmy Carter - 2005
- Faced with today's problems and disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility. Escape in selfishness, escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence, escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. I propose to you the option of love, which is the opposite of escape."
- Said during his first visit to the US in 1979. Source
- "This people draws its origin from Abraham, our father in faith The very people that received from God the commandment Thou shalt not kill itself experienced in a special measure what is meant by killing. It is not permissible for anyone to pass by this inscription with indifference."
- Before the Hebrew inscription commemorating the Jews killed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. (1979)
- My dear ones, I will not make a comparative analysis. I will only say that it is what costs that constitutes value. It is not, in fact, possible to be truly free without an honest and profound relationship with values. We do not want a Poland which costs us nothing.
- Speech made before w:Solidarity members whilst visiting Poland for the third time (1983)
- "The Jewish religion is not extrinsic to us but in a certain way intrinsic to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and, in a certain way, it can be said that you are our elder brothers."
- Visiting a Jewish synagogue in Rome. (1986)
- "Science develops best when its concepts and conclusions are integrated into the broader human culture and its concerns for ultimate meaning and value. Scientists cannot, therefore, hold themselves entirely aloof from the sorts of issues dealt with by philosophers and theologians. By devoting to these issues something of the energy and care they give to their research in science, they can help others realize more fully the human potentialities of their discoveries. They can also come to appreciate for themselves that these discoveries cannot be a genuine substitute for knowledge of the truly ultimate. Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish."
- "All human activity takes place within a culture and interacts with culture. For an adequate formation of a culture, the involvement of the whole man is required, whereby he exercises his creativity, intelligence, and knowledge of the world and of people. Furthermore, he displays his capacity for self-control, personal sacrifice, solidarity and readiness to promote the common good."
- "Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase."
- Evangelium vitae, Introduction, (1995)
- "You applaud, even though you don't understand me."
- Quipped by the pope during a mass in Central Park, New York City after he recited a prayer in Polish to the applauding English-speaking crowd (October, 1995)
- '"... new knowledge has led to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in favor of this theory."
- Truth Cannot Contradict Truth, address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (October 22, 1996)
- An early translation incorrectly rendered the French original plus qu'une hypothèse as "more than one hypothesis" (which in French would be plus d'une hypothèse).
- "Never again war. Never again hatred and intolerance."
- "Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece."
- Papal Letter to Artists (1999)
- "We Christians joyfully recognize the religious values we have in common with Islam. Today I would like to repeat what I said to young Muslims some years ago in Casablanca: 'We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection.'"
- "The exploration of both the micro and the macro cosmos, is a song to God’s glory, which is reflected in everything in the universe."
- "Science shines forth in all its value as a good capable of motivating our existence, as a great experience of freedom for truth, as a fundamental work of service. Through research each scientist grows as a human being and helps others to do likewise."
- "We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think the wide circle of the American Society, or the wide circle of the Christian Community realise this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the antichurch, between the Gospel and the antigospel, between Christ and the antichrist. This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God's Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously."
- From his farewell address in 1976, when as Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow, he attended the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia
- "God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations: We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and, asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the covenant."
- Written prayer, placed by John Paul II into the "Wailing Wall" while visiting Jerusalem. (2000)
- "The twentieth century was the great century of Christian martyrs, and this is true both in the Catholic Church and in other Churches and ecclesial communities."
- From his book 'Memory & Identity' -Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005, p.44.
- "Could I forget that the event [Mehmet Ali Ağca’s assassination attempt] in St. Peter’s Square took place on the day and at the hour when the first appearance of the Mother of Christ to the poor little pesants has been remembered for over sixty years at Fátima, Portugal? For in everything that happened to me on that very day, I felt that extraordinary motherly protection and care, which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet."
- From his book 'Memory & Identity' -Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005, p.184
- "I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you."
- "I am happy and you should be happy too. Do not weep. Let us pray together with joy."
- Amen.
- Let me go to my Father's house.
- Last Words
- "As in the time of the swords and of the spears, so today, in the time of the missiles, before the weapon, the heart of the man kills."
- Where: From the speech to the scientists gathered in the seminars of Erice about nuclear wars,1981
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- We're millions that are crying about John Paul II; his teaching is going to follow us all our life, permanently.
- President of Argentina Nestor Kirchner
- In Argentina all schools were scheduled to observe a moment of silence before each class on April 4.
- Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Pope John Paul should be remembered as a freedom fighter against communism, and a great Christian leader (Transcript ABC Radio interview, Australia, 2005-04-03]]
- For a quarter century, Pope John Paul II served as a symbol of love and faith, peace and compassion.... Our grief today is the grief of the world.
- John Paul II won't stay away from us. His name became part of our history, his thoughts will be an always present inspiration to build a more fair country and a more peaceful world for all of us.
- Chilean President Ricardo Lagos [2]
- This is a man who has carried the moral weight of the world for 26 years... turning himself into the only moral reference for humanity in recent years of wars and difficulties.
- Cuban authorities allowed Jaime Cardinal Ortega to make a rare statement on state television
- Queen Elizabeth II expressed her "deep sorrow" at the death of Pope John Paul II and remembered his efforts at promoting peace throughout the world. Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the world has lost a religious leader who was "revered across people of all faiths and none".
- President of the United States George W. Bush expressed his regret at the loss of a "champion of human freedom", an "inspiration to millions of Americans" and a "hero for the ages".
- My meeting with His Holiness was one of the strongest moments in my life. He was reflecting an incredible force and a charisma admired by all . He was the Pope of the reconciliation and unit among the countries. For that, he was loved, respected and venerated by everyone. I am sad of his departure, but happy knowing that he does not suffer anymore. He leaves us with a message of courage and love. My prayers and my affection accompany him.
- Celine Dion
