Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005)
Topic: In the News
The first non-Italian Pope since 1523, he is already being called John Paul the Great - a humble man who chose the same name as his predecessor. See this Blog entry by, Moniales a Dominican Nun, and the translated poem by Juliusz Slowacki (1809-1849).
The Polish people have asked for his heart to be sent home to Krakow, where Karol Wojtyla was appointed Archbishop in 1964 and Cardinal in 1967 before being elected Pope on 16th October 1978. Apparently, this was one of the Pope's last wishes. I know it has been a tradition of the Church to distribute relics of saints but somehow it seems wrong to me to 'desecrate' a pope's body so soon after death. Why not send some of his hair?
Will Karol Wojtyla become a Saint? Yes, I am absolutely sure he will.
It seems that the Pope's funeral is likely to be held on Friday, 8th April 2005. Was something else scheduled for that day? Oh, yes - a wedding. Perhaps that is God's way of diverting attention away from someone else's sinful past! [Stop being cynical, Tessa, and remember the parable about throwing the first stone.]