REMEMBERING: JOHN PAUL II

CHILDHOOD

Karol Jósef Wojtyla was born on May 18 in 1920.

He died in 2005 .

CHILDHOOD He was born in a Polish city Wadowice. Suffered two totalitarian regimes the nazism and communism. In childhood he suffered the death of his two brothers. In his youth was unable to consider because the nazi invasion prevented him from doing it.

YOUTH

Their hobbies were the theater and poetry and remained at the theater group. In fact belonged to a theater group called "Rapsody".

Working in a quarry and a chemical factory called "Solvay”.

YOUTH

The death of his father and the influence of "Sastre mystical“ and "Intuition" of archbishop Sapieha, were signs that helped him to take the decision to join the seminar. At first I wanted to be a committed layman .

YOUNG PRIEST AND BISHOP

He made a thesis on San Juan de la Cruz and Santa Teresa He was a teacher in several Polish universities. With 38 years was consecrated auxiliary bishop. In 1964, he was the titular bishop to defend the religious rights of the poles to the communist authorities

POPE On 16 October 1978 he was elected Pope

and he chose the name of John Paul II, to honour his predecessor.

He was the first Polish Pope

THE ATTACK

On 13 May 1981, John Paul II was shot down in St Peter's Square by Ali Agca.

“I had the live premonition that I would survive”

THE ATTACK The first thing he did as soon as he

recovered was visiting Ali Agca in jail. He said: “There will be those who do not

understand ... But it is the logic of the Christian love: love even our enemies.”

THE POPE TRAVELLER

100 trips outside Italy. He visited more than 130 nations and was in 609 cities in the world.

“To say to all the people

that God loves them”

HE MET CROWDS

POLAND IN HIS HEART… Poland was the most country visited by John Paul II,

with 10 visits. We cannot understand Poland without the figure of

John Paul II.

“You have applauded for 20 minutes the name of Christ"

…AND SPAIN FIRST TRIP TO SPAIN  1982. Unforgettable were the mass of

the Plaza de Lima and the meeting at the Bernabeu with young people.

SECOND TRIP TO SPAIN 

1984: Scale in Zaragoza when he was heading to the Dominican Republic

THIRD TRIP TO SPAIN1989: Third World Youth Day in Santiago.

FOURTH TRIP TO SPAIN1993: Closing the Eucharistic Congress in

Seville and blessing the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid.

FIFTH TRIP TO SPAIN2003: Meeting with young people and a

canonization ceremony.

"Do not be afraid to be holy.  In 2003 beatified Mother Teresa

Beatified to nearly 1,300 Christians and canonized