Karol Józef Wojtyła, Pope John Paul II, was also a saint. Karol Józef Wojtyła may have been responsible for the fall of communism. He was one of the most influential Popes in the last five hundred years. He was also the most well-traveled pope in history. In his youth, he was an actor and mountain climber. Near the end of his life, when he was the Pope, Karol Józef Wojtyła inspired the world with his suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The disease severely limited his ability to talk and travel, and eventually ended his life. Has there been a more influential person than Karol Józef Wojtyła in our time?
Karol Józef Wojtyła Biograhy
The Biography of the life of Karol Józef Wojtyła is inspirational and straightforward. Karol Józef Wojtyła graduated with excellent grades from an all-boys high school in Wadowice, Poland, in 1938. During World War Two, to avoid being kidnapped and sent to a German forced labour camp, he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. He eventually took up acting and developed a love for the profession, and participated in a local theatre.
Karol Józef Wojtyła was linguistically skilled and wanted to study Polish at university. He decided, instead, to study theology and become a priest. That was a good decision for the world. Eventually, he rose to the position of Archbishop of Kraków and then a cardinal. He was elected pope at the second papal conclave of 1978 and became one of the youngest popes in history.
Karol Józef Wojtyła was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history. His long tenure as the head of the Catholic church led to many accomplishments. He tried to improve relationships with the world’s major religions. He pioneered the annual World Youth Days. He is credited with ending communism. That is difficult to establish, but there is no doubt he gave a powerful anti-communist witness. He visited 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, John Paul II beatified 1,344 people and canonised 483 saints.
The end for Karol Józef Wojtyła was long, painful, and public. John Paul II was hospitalised with breathing problems caused by a bout of influenza on February 1, 2005. He left the hospital on February 10, but was subsequently hospitalised again with breathing problems two weeks later and underwent a tracheotomy.
On March 31, 2005, following a urinary tract infection, he developed septic shock, a form of infection with a high fever and low blood pressure, but was not hospitalised. On Saturday, April 2, 2005, John Paul II spoke his final words in Polish, “Pozwólcie mi odejść do domu Ojca” (“Allow me to depart to the house of the Father”), to his aides, and fell into a coma about four hours later, He died a few hours later.
The Requirements to be a Saint
The requirements to be a saint are simple to list, but hard to do. They are
- Wait five years after death, unless the Pope sets aside this waiting period.
- Become a “servant of God.”
- Show proof of a “heroic virtue.”
- Verify a miracle attributed to the individual, except in the case of a martyr.
- Canonization requires a second miracle, unless an individual is a martyr.
Conclusion
Karol Józef Wojtyła was an exemplary human being. We are fortunate he lived in our time. It is amazing that his life played out on television for all to see. He is creited with some lofty accomplisments and his long tenure as pope he made more saints and cardinals than almost every other Pope in history. He also liked to travel and before his ilness he visited 129 countries. He was easily the most well-traveled Pope in history.
