Pope John Paul Ii Biography free essay sample

Karol’s mother died when he was just 9 years old in 1929 and in 1932 his brother Edmund died at the age of 26 to scarlet fever. Though his parents were extremely strict and devoted Catholics they were not the normal anti-Semitic Catholics of that time. Many of Karol’s lifelong friends were Jews growing up and he stayed in touch with them throughout his life; he attended school and constantly played with them as a child. Karol was a very active and athletic child growing up, as he loved to play soccer, ice hockey, hike, ski and swim. Karol was also very interested in theatre and poetry as evident here, â€Å"There was no school production in which he didn’t take part, and it was usually the leading part† (Renehan 28). This quote gives us an idea how passionate and exicted Karol was about theatre as it also explains that many of the plays he took part in were produced by himself. We will write a custom essay sample on Pope John Paul Ii Biography or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When Karol graduated secondary school in 1938 him and his father moved to Krakow where he would attend Jagiellonian University to study literature and Philosophy. While he was there he founded an underground theater, as said here, â€Å"There, with Nazism on the rise in Europe, Wojtyla founded an underground theater company for which he wrote and acted in plays that frequently dealt with oppression. † (Renehan 28). He had to start this underground theater so the Nazis would not detect him; this also shows how serious he was about acting and theater. Through all of his acting and literature studies he still served as an active and devout member of the Catholic community. A year into his studies at Jagiellonian, the German Nazis invaded Poland and all forms of schools were closed. In 1940 he was forced to take a job as a â€Å"stonecutter in a quarry owned by a chemical plant, an industrial conglomerate thought vital to the Nazi war effort†(Renehan 28). Though this work was an industry that helped the Nazi’s, he had to take the job to avoid being deported or imprisoned by the Germans. In 1941 his father Karol died at the age of 61, merely missing his son entering the priesthood. Becoming the Pope During the World War Karol began studying at an underground seminary in Krakow while he continued his job at the quarry. He provided vast effort to protect the Jews who were being oppressed at the time by joining a Catholic group dedicated to keeping Jews safe during the Holocaust. After the war ended he continued his studies at the major seminary in Krakow and the theology Department of Jagiellonian University. He was first ordained as a priest in November 1946. He was then sent to Rome where he finished his Doctorate in Theology in 1948. He would then return to Poland and would serve as vicar of several different parishes over a span of few years, he was then advised to continue his studies in Theology and Philosophy. While continuing his latest studies he began teaching at Catholic University of Lublin and was made chair of ethics there. In 1958 Pope Pius XII made him the auxiliary Bishop of Krakow, which he would serve as for 6 years, until in 1964 Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Krakow. And In 1967 Pope Paul VI appointed him a cardinal. As a Cardinal he would constantly honor the Catholic faith and tradition while attempting to calm the communist party. He would use an approach that avoided open conflict with the communist party, and would â€Å"wear down the Communists with personal or written protests over any violation of what he considered to be Church rights or human rights in general, including the freedom of Catholic education and catechism. † (Renehan 41). On October 16, 1978 his fellow Cardinals elected him Pope. As The Pope Being elected in 1978 made him the, â€Å"first non-Italian pope in 455 years†(Renehan 45). He was elected after the unexpected death of Pope John Paul I who reigned only briefly. It took eight ballots for the College of Cardinals, or â€Å"Conclave†, to finally make an agreement to select Karol Wojtyla as the 264th and first Slavic pope in history. Pope John Paul II had many achievements, but I consider his most important success the role he played in ending communism. Shortly after his nomination of pope he would take a 9-day journey back through his home country Poland where he would emphasize human rights during a speech in front of a million people, saying, â€Å"You are men. You have dignity. Don’t crawl on your bellies† (Renehan 45). This was a direct aim at the communist party and is said to be the beginning of the end for Soviet communism. He preached about Polish history and theology, and it is said that his visit was the inspiration for all to begin an end to communism. His visit and the events following started to bring worry to communist leaders in Poland and The Soviet. Soviet Satellite communist countries began revolting and falling out of communism until finally in 1991, The Soviet Communism came to an end. Pope John Paul II was very instrumental in his preaching and leadership in the fall to communism and will forever be remembered for it. John Paul preached a sense of unity for the entire world, as he made â€Å"104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy† and â€Å"had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations†(Holy See Press Office). He was a unlike any other Pope in terms of his missionary spirit and dedication. In 1981 he was shot multiple times in St. Peter’s square and nearly died, and a year later another assassination was attempted, he then always rode in a protected vehicle. He later met with and forgave the man who shot him, Mehmet Ali Agca. He was a strong advocate for human rights and constantly preached unity and equality in the world as he spoke out against suffering. John Paul brought a sense of discipline to the Vatican and is credited with being instrumental in many political changes, including communism. In his later years as his health began to visibly decline he still traveled and preached often, it is even speculated that he had Parkinson’s disease in his later years, but was never officially announced. On April 2, 2005 the 84-year-old leader of more than a billion Catholics died in his bed. His life was celebrated and death mourned by many, there were over 300,000 people in attendance to his funeral including many political and religious leaders. Newly appointed pope, Pope Benedict the XVI beatified Pope John Paul II, forgoing the rule of a five-year wait before beatifying. His Body now rests in a grave where his life began, in Poland. 1246 words