Saturday, April 2, 2005
POPE JOHN PAUL II DIES IN VATICAN
Renowned For
His Extraordinary Willpower, Stand On Conservative Issues
By Michael Ireland
 THE VATICAN, ROME (ANS) -- Pope John Paul II, one of the
longest serving pontiffs in history, has died at the age of 84. He died
on Saturday evening (April 2) following a series of worsening health
problems including heart failure, news agencies including the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Reuters report.
The BBC said Pope John Paul II died at 2137 local time (1937 GMT) after
suffering from heart and kidney problems and unstable blood pressure.
His condition deteriorated suddenly on Thursday night with a high fever
caused by an infection of the urinary tract.
The infection brought on "septic shock and a cardio-circulatory
collapse," the Vatican said in a statement. The Pope then received the
Saint Viaticum, a Catholic rite for the sick and dying.
The Vatican had announced on Friday that though he was gravely ill he
had been conscious, lucid and serene, the BBC said.
"Millions of Catholics across the world gathered in churches and in the
open air joined those in St. Peter's Square in Rome to pray for the
Pope," the BBC reported.
The pontiff had been suffering from breathing troubles, exacerbated by
the progress of Parkinson's Disease, an incurable condition from which
he had been suffering for nearly a decade. He appeared briefly at the
window of his Vatican apartment on Easter Sunday to bless the faithful,
but was not able to speak.
It was the first time during his 26-year pontificate that the Pope had
delegated the main Easter ceremonies to his cardinals. He tried again
to speak to the faithful a few days later -- a sign of his
extraordinarily strong will, correspondents say.
CONTRIBUTED TO THE FALL OF COMMUNISM
According to the BBC, the Polish-born Karol Wojtyla became Pope in
1978, taking a conservative stand on issues such as abortion,
contraception and women's rights. He was the most widely-traveled
pontiff and visited more than 120 countries during his 26-year papacy.
John Paul's papacy nearly ended in 1981 when he was shot and seriously
wounded as he toured St Peter's Square in Rome. After a long period of
recovery he visited and forgave the would-be assassin, the BBC said.
John Paul's reign saw radical changes in the world including the
collapse of communism and the spread of Aids.
He is known to have said in 'Memory and Identity': " I... know that it
would be equally ridiculous to believe that it was the Pope who brought
down communism with his own hands."
Although plagued by ill health throughout the latter part of his papacy
he maintained his international schedule and in 2000 made a poignant
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the BBC said.
He also made a final, nostalgic return to his homeland in 2002.
Born Karol Wojtyla in 1920 near Krakow, Poland, John Paul was an
excellent sportsman in his youth.
Reuters news agency published a Vatican statement which said: "The Holy
Father died this evening at 21.37 in his private apartment." The news
was immediately announced to huge crowds gathered in St Peter's Square.
"John Paul will be remembered for his role in the collapse of communism
in Europe and his unyielding defense of traditional Vatican doctrines
as leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics," Reuters reported.
Huge crowds had staged a tearful vigil in St. Peter's Square, praying
for a man already being dubbed by some Catholics as "John Paul the
Great."
The Pope's health had deteriorated steadily over the past decade and
earlier this year took a sharp turn for the worse, the news agency
reported.
The Pontiff, once a lithe athlete and powerful speaker, was already
racked by arthritis and Parkinson's Disease, his voice often reduced to
a raspy whisper.
The Pope was rushed to hospital twice in February and had to have a
tracheotomy to ease serious breathing problems. But he never regained
his strength from the operation and failed dramatically on two
occasions to address crowds at St. Peter's Square.
On Wednesday doctors inserted a feeding tube into his stomach to try
boost his energy levels. A day later he developed a urinary infection
and high fever that soon precipitated heart failure, kidney problems
and ultimately death.
Reuters said that according to pre-written Church rules, the Pontiff's
mourning rites will last 9 days and his body is likely to be laid to
rest in the crypt underneath St Peter's Basilica.
"The conclave to elect a new Pope will start in 15 to 20 days, with
almost 120 cardinals from around the world gathering in the Vatican's
Sistine Chapel to choose a successor," the agency said, adding: "There
is no favorite candidate to take over. Karol Wojtyla was himself
regarded as an outsider when he was elevated to the papacy on Oct. 16,
1978."
"Few would have predicted then that the first non-Italian Pope in 455
years would throw off the stiff trappings of the papacy, travel the
globe and leave an indelible mark on history," Reuters commented.
The agency report stated: "In over a quarter century on the world
stage, he was both a champion of the downtrodden and an often-contested
defender of orthodoxy within his own church. Historians say one of the
Pope's most lasting legacies will be his role in the fall of communism
in Eastern Europe in 1989."
"Behold the night is over, day has dawned anew," the Pope said during a
triumphant visit to Czechoslovakia in 1990.
A decade after witnessing the fall of communism, he fulfilled another
of his dreams, visiting the Holy Land in March 2000, and, praying at
Jerusalem's Western Wall, asked forgiveness for Catholic sins against
Jews over the centuries.
"But while many loved the man, his message was less popular and he was
a source of deep division in his own church," Reuters said.
The agency report added: "Critics constantly attacked his
traditionalist stance on family issues, such as his condemnation of
contraception and homosexuality, and hope the next Pope will be more
liberal.
"However, he has appointed more than 95 percent of the cardinals who
will elect his successor, thus stacking the odds that his controversial
teachings will not be tampered with."
| ** Michael Ireland is an
international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a
London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News
Service of Garden Grove, CA. Michael immigrated to the United States in
1982 and became a US citizen in Sept., 1995. He is married with two
children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a
British Christian radio station. |
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