John Paul II is blessed

Source: www.maganews.com.br

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Religion

John Paul II is blessed

Pope Benedict XVI declared Pope John Paul II “blessed” yesterday (May 1)  at a Mass attended by an estimated 1 million people

      John Paul II moved a major step closer to sainthood yesterday (May 1) at a ceremony that drew the largest crowd to the Vatican since his funeral six years ago. “John Paul II is blessed because of his faith -- a strong, generous and apostolic faith," Pope Benedict XVI said  just minutes after formally beatifying his predecessor. Italian police said that for the Mass more than 1 million people were gathered in and around the Vatican and in front of large video screens in several parts of the city.

       Polish Sister Tobiana Sobodka, who ran Pope John Paul's household, and French Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, whose cure from Parkinson's disease was accepted as the miracle that paved the way for his beatification, carried a relic to Pope Benedict and then to a stand near the altar. The relic was a clear glass vial of Pope John Paul's blood held in a reliquary of silver olive branches.

The life and work of the Pope

     John Paul II has gone down in history as one of the most popular Popes in the entire history of Christianity.  His history as the Pontiff  began on 16th October 1978, when he was nominated Pope (the first non-Italian in 455 years). In 1981 he was seriously hurt in an attempt on his life. But two years later, in 1983, he went to the prison to embrace and forgive the attacker (the Turk, Mehmet Ali Agca). During the 26 years in which he was the leader of the Catholic Church, John Paul visited about 130 countries and was the first Pope to enter a synagogue and a mosque. John Paul II will be remembered mainly for trying to bring Catholicism closer to other religions and for having helped defeat communism in Eastern Europe.

     People from the most diverse religions admired John Paul II, but he was also criticized for being against abortion, euthanasia and contraception. In 1980, he became the first Pope to visit Brazil. At that time, Brazilians sang “A benção João de Deus.” Afterwards, the Pope returned another three time to Brazil: in 1982, 1991 and 1997.

Love for sports and the theater

     Karol Wojtyla was born on 18^th May 1920 in a small Polish city called Wadowice, but he lived most of his young life in Krakow. Karol loved sports, such as soccer, swimming, athletics, and skiing. He also liked literature and the theater a lot – he even worked as an actor. However, his life in Poland was marked more by difficulties and suffering than leisure and culture. At just 21 years old, Karol had already lost his parents and brother. In 1939 he saw his country invaded by the Nazis. In the 1940s he worked as an line-worker and later decided to begin his studies to become a priest.

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