Pope John Paul II

Paper Summary:

This paper studies the life and legacy of Pope John Paul II, the first Polish pope and the first non-Italian leader of the Catholic Church in hundreds of years. The paper studies how Pope John Paul II changed history and reshaped the Catholic Church and doctrine. The paper references the Pope's actions, speeches and religious rulings to underscore the author's assertion that he embodied the three Catholic virtues of courage, dignity and faith. The paper cites examples not only from the Pope's life during his papacy, but during his childhood in Poland as well. The paper also discusses the Pope's outspoken stance on several political conflicts, including the war in Iraq and the Cuban embargo.

From the Paper:

"With great courage, in 1979, a year after being elected, this new Polish Pope returned to visit his homeland. Millions of his countrymen flocked to see him wherever he went. He was to become the most traveled Pope, traveling to war zones and places of illness and death. He undertook grueling journeys despite his poor health from Parkinson's disease in his later years. (Walker, 2005) Pope John Paul II's courage inspired his fellow Poles during his first journey there as pope, and in the many subsequent journeys he was to take, back to his native land. Despite the great risk to their own safety, despite the fact that "crowds were only supposed to turn out at state-sponsored rallies, in support of the system and never spontaneously," Poles flocked to hear hum."

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