What was the first encyclical written by John Paul II?
Redemptor hominis
Redemptor hominis (Latin: "The Redeemer of Man") is the name of the first encyclical written by Pope John Paul II. It lays a blueprint for his pontificate in its exploration of contemporary human problems and especially their proposed solutions found in a deeper understanding of the human person. The encyclical was promulgated on 4 March 1979, less than five months after his installation as pope.
Pacem in terris
F. Russell Hittinger describes the encyclical "as a kind of magna carta of the Catholic Church’s position on human rights and natural law". Pope John XXIII's 1963 encyclical "Pacem in terris" ("Peace on Earth") radically affected Catholic social teaching not only on war and peace, but on church-state relations, women's rights, religious freedom, international relations and other major issues. Fr. J. Bryan Hehir, called "Pacem in terris" "a pivotal text in [papal] encyclical history" that played a major role in the development of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom and its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, and on Pope John Paul II's encyclical "Centesimus annus" ("The Hundredth Year"), which marked the centennial of Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical on labor, Rerum Novarum. It also influenced the 1965 "Declaration on Religious Freedom" (Dignitatis humanae).
Teachings of Pope John Paul II
John Paul II, as a writer of philosophical and theological thought, was characterized by his explorations in phenomenology and personalism. He is also known for his development of the Theology of the Body.
Christianity in Europe
Historians believe that St. Paul wrote his first epistle to the Christians of Thessaloniki (Thessalonians) around AD 52. His Epistle to the Galatians was perhaps written even earlier, between AD 48 and 50. Other epistles written by Paul were directed to Christians living in Greece (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Philippians, 2 Thessalonians) and Rome (Romans) between the 50s and 70s of the first century.
Humanae vitae
According to George Weigel, Paul VI named Archbishop Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II) to the commission, but Polish government authorities would not permit him to travel to Rome. Wojtyła had earlier defended the church's position from a philosophical standpoint in his 1960 book "Love and Responsibility". Wojtyła's position was strongly considered and it was reflected in the final draft of the encyclical, although much of his language and arguments were not incorporated. Weigel attributes much of the poor reception of the encyclical to the omission of many of Wojtyła's arguments.
Encyclical
Within Catholicism in recent times, an encyclical is generally used for significant issues and is second in importance only to the highest ranking document now issued by popes, an Apostolic Constitution. However, the designation "encyclical" does not always denote such a degree of significance. The archives at the Vatican website currently classify certain early encyclicals as Apostolic Exhortations, a term generally applied to a type of document with a broader audience than the bishops alone.
Reconciliatio et paenitentia
Reconciliatio et paenitentia (Latin for Reconciliation and Penance) is an apostolic exhortation by Pope John Paul II, delivered on 2 December 1984 in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, which grew out of the Sixth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in 1983. The third of John Paul II's apostolic exhortations, it presents Jesus as the Reconciler of a shattered world.
Veritatis splendor
Veritatis splendor (Latin: "The Splendor of the Truth") is an encyclical by Pope John Paul II. It expresses the position of the Catholic Church regarding fundamentals of the Church's role in moral teaching. The encyclical is one of the most comprehensive and philosophical teachings of moral theology in the Catholic tradition. It was promulgated on 6 August 1993. Cardinal Georges Cottier, Theologian emeritus of the Pontifical Household and Cardinal-Deacon of "Santi Domenico e Sisto" the University Church of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas was influential in drafting the encyclical, as was Servais-Théodore Pinckaers a professor of moral theology at the University of Fribourg.
Pope John Paul II
During this period, Wojtyła wrote a series of articles in Kraków's Catholic newspaper, "Tygodnik Powszechny" (""Universal Weekly""), dealing with contemporary church issues. He focused on creating original literary work during his first dozen years as a priest. War, life under Communism, and his pastoral responsibilities all fed his poetry and plays. Wojtyła published his work under two pseudonyms—"Andrzej Jawień" and "Stanisław Andrzej Gruda"—to distinguish his literary from his religious writings (under his own name), and also so that his literary works would be considered on their merits. In 1960, Wojtyła published the influential theological book "Love and Responsibility", a defence of traditional Church teachings on marriage from a new philosophical standpoint.
Personalism
Pope John Paul II was also influenced by the personalism advocated by Christian existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Before his election to the Roman papacy, he wrote "Person and Act" (sometimes mistranslated as "The Acting Person"), a philosophical work suffused with personalism. Though he remained well within the traditional stream of Catholic social and individual morality, his explanation of the origins of moral norms, as expressed in his encyclicals on economics and on sexual morality, for instance, was largely drawn from a personalist perspective. His writings as Roman pontiff, of course, influenced a generation of Catholic theologians since who have taken up personalist perspectives on the theology of the family and social order.
Ad Petri cathedram
Ad Petri cathedram ("To the Chair of Peter") was the first encyclical issued by Pope John XXIII on 29 June 1959. It was promulgated eight months into the pontificate and addresses truth, unity and peace in the spirit of charity. The document makes several references to the planned Second Vatican Ecumenical Council later held during 1962-1965.
Vita Consecrata
Vita Consecrata (Abbreviation: VC) is an apostolic exhortation written by Pope John Paul II, published on 25 March 1996. The exhortation is a post-synodal document. Its sub-title is "On the consecrated life and its mission in the Church and in the world".
Pope John Paul II
During his 2001 travels, John Paul II became the first pope to visit Greece in 1291 years. In Athens, the pope met with Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Church of Greece. After a private 30-minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Catholic Church against the Eastern Orthodox Church since the Great Schism, including the pillaging of Constantinople by crusaders in 1204, and bemoaned the lack of apology from the Catholic Church, saying "Until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon" for the "maniacal crusaders of the 13th century".
Pope John Paul II
He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 and canonised 483 people, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. A key goal of John Paul's papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great religious armada".
Pope John Paul II
In October 1962, Wojtyła took part in the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), where he made contributions to two of its most historic and influential products, the "Decree on Religious Freedom" (in Latin, "Dignitatis humanae") and the "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" ("Gaudium et spes"). Wojtyła and the Polish bishops contributed a draft text to the Council for "Gaudium et spes". According to the historian John W. O'Malley, the draft text "Gaudium et spes" that Wojtyła and the Polish delegation sent "had some influence on the version that was sent to the council fathers that summer but was not accepted as the base text". According to John F. Crosby, as pope, John Paul II used the words of "Gaudium et spes" later to introduce his own views on the nature of the human person in relation to God: man is "the only creature on earth that God has wanted for its own sake", but man "can fully discover his true self only in a sincere giving of himself".
History of Catholic Mariology
Marian devotions were the hallmark of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and he reoriented the Catholic Church towards the renewal of Marian veneration. In March 1987 he went further than Paul VI in extending the Catholic views on Mary beyond Vatican II by issuing the encyclical Redemptoris Mater. Rather than being just a new presentation of the Marian views of Vatican II, "Redemptoris Mater" was in many aspects a re-reading, re-interpretation and further extension of the teachings of Vatican II.
Deus caritas est
The encyclical contains almost 16,000 words in 42 paragraphs. The first half is said to have been written by Benedict in German, his mother tongue, in the summer of 2005; the second half is derived from uncompleted writings left by John Paul II. The document was signed by Pope Benedict on Christmas Day, 25 December 2005. Some reports attribute the delay to problems in translating the original German text into Latin, others to disputes within the Vatican over the precise wording of the document.
Christian naturism
Pope John Paul II began his papacy in 1978, becoming the first non-Italian pope in four and a half centuries. His views on naturism differed substantially from that of his predecessors. Authoring the book Love and Responsibility (1981), he wrote: "Nakedness itself is not immodest... Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person, when its aim is to arouse concupiscence, as a result of which the person is put in the position of an object for enjoyment."
Pope John Paul II
John Paul II has been credited with being instrumental in bringing down Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, by being the spiritual inspiration behind its downfall and catalyst for "a peaceful revolution" in Poland. Lech Wałęsa, the founder of Solidarity and the first post-Communist President of Poland, credited John Paul II with giving Poles the courage to demand change. According to Wałęsa, "Before his pontificate, the world was divided into blocs. Nobody knew how to get rid of Communism. In Warsaw, in 1979, he simply said: 'Do not be afraid', and later prayed: 'Let your Spirit descend and change the image of the land … this land'." It has also been widely alleged that the Vatican Bank covertly funded Solidarity.
Redemptoris missio
John Paul II opens the encyclical with the words:
Deus caritas est
The encyclical was published on the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul and on the last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Pope Benedict led an ecumenical prayer service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, a traditional site for such celebrations, on the evening after the encyclical was published. Presiding at vespers, he said in his homily: "God is love. On this solid rock the entire faith of the church is based."
Pope John Paul II
He travelled to Haiti in 1983, where he spoke in Creole to thousands of impoverished Catholics gathered to greet him at the airport. His message, "things must change in Haiti," referring to the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, was met with thunderous applause. In 2000, he was the first modern pope to visit Egypt, where he met with the Coptic pope, Pope Shenouda III and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. He was the first Catholic pope to visit and pray in an Islamic mosque, in Damascus, Syria, in 2001. He visited the Umayyad Mosque, a former Christian church where John the Baptist is believed to be interred, where he made a speech calling for Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together.
Albert Chmielowski
Pope John Paul II in 1949 - then a simple priest in Poland - wrote a well-received play about the late religious entitled "Our God’s Brother" which was made into sometime later in 1997. John Paul II later said that he found great spiritual support for his own vocation in the life of the Polish saint whom he saw as an example of leaving behind a world of the arts to make a radical choice for the priesthood.
Mariology of the popes
A number of popes have made Marian themes a key part of their papacy, e.g. Leo XIII issued a record eleven encyclicals on the rosary, Pius XII invoked the first (and to date only) case of "ex cathedra" papal infallibility to establish a Marian dogma and John Paul II built his personal coat of arms around the Marian Cross.
Pope John Paul II
John Paul II had good relations with the Church of England. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, in 1982, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. He preached in Canterbury Cathedral and received Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury. He said that he was disappointed by the Church of England's decision to ordain women and saw it as a step away from unity between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.
Pontifical University of John Paul II
The Pontifical Academy of Theology was established by Pope John Paul II on 8 December 1981, when he issued a motu proprio document entitled "Beata Hedvigis" prescribing that the Pontifical Academy be derived from an age-old Faculty of Theology of the Jagiellonian University.
Summi Pontificatus
Summi Pontificatus is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII published on 20 October 1939. The encyclical is subtitled "On the Unity of Human Society." It was the first encyclical of Pius XII and was seen as setting "a tone" for his papacy. It critiques major errors at the time, such as ideologies of racism, cultural superiority and the totalitarian state. It also sets the theological framework for future encyclical letters, such as "Mystici corporis Christi" (1943). The encyclical laments the destruction of Poland, denounces the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and calls for a restoration of independent Poland.
Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body is the topic of a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in St. Peter's Square and the Paul VI Audience Hall between September 5, 1979 and November 28, 1984. It constitutes an analysis on human sexuality, and is considered as the first major teaching of his pontificate. Denis Read, O.C.D. says that, by means of the "Theology of the Body", "John Paul II gave the Church the beginning of a "mystical philosophy of life"." The complete addresses were later compiled and expanded upon in many of John Paul's encyclicals, letters, and exhortations.
Moral theology of John Paul I
After Paul VI issued the encyclical "Humanae Vitae", Luciani defended it publicly. But in a letter to his diocese on July 29, 1968, shortly after publication of the encyclical, he wrote, "I must confess that I hoped in my heart, even though I didn't let it out in writing, that the very serious difficulties could be overcome and that the reply of the Teacher, who speaks with a special charism and in the name of the Lord, might coincide with the hopes raised in so many couples, especially after the establishment of a special pontifical commission to examine the issue." Nevertheless, he added, "I am confident that I have everyone with me in a sincere adherence to the papal teaching."
Robert Sirico
Shortly after the institute's founding Pope John Paul II published his encyclical "Centesimus annus". Some, such as Greg Burke, have claimed that John Paul II gave support to Sirico's economic and moral vision by taking what Sirico calls a "preferential option for liberty," and asserting that economic freedom is essential for a moral society, and makes aid for the poor more effective.
Evangelium vitae
Evangelium vitae, translated in English to "The Gospel of Life", is a papal encyclical promulgated on 25 March 1995 by Pope John Paul II. It deals with issues pertaining to the sanctity of human life, including murder, abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment, reaffirming the Church's stances on said issues in a way generally considered consistent with previous Church teachings.
Vatican City in World War II
"Summi Pontificatus" ("On the Limitations of the Authority of the State"), issued 20 October 1939, was the first papal encyclical issued by Pope Pius XII, and established some of the themes of his papacy. According to Chadwick, "Summi Pontificatus" exemplified both "the hesitancy and the care" of the pontiff. During the drafting of the letter, the Second World War commenced with the Nazi/Soviet invasion of Catholic Poland. Though couched in diplomatic language, Pius endorses Catholic resistance, and states his disapproval of the war, racism, anti-semitism, the Nazi/Soviet invasion of Poland and the persecutions of the Church.
The Rapid Development
The Rapid Development ("Il Rapido Sviluppo") is an apostolic letter written by Pope John Paul II in 2005 to those who are involved in communications. He wrote the letter on January 24, the feast day of Saint Francis de Sales, Patron Saint of Journalists. Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1963 decree "Inter Mirifica" ("The Means of Social Communication"), Pope John Paul II writes about how the message found in "Inter Mirifica" is strengthened by the development of technical inventions. The Jesuit magazine "America" referred to the document as "the most authoritative papal statement on the church and communications in nearly 50 years", and aims to make the Church pay "attention to the culture created by communications media".
Inculturation
John Paul II addressed the issue in several encyclicals and public appearances. The term was used again by the encyclical "Redemptoris Missio" of John Paul II in 1990.Benedict XVI, like his predecessor, placed a high regard on the dialogue between cultures and religions. Though he at one point attempted to move from the notion of "inculturation" to "inter-culturality", he would later state that the inculturation of the faith is necessary, as long as the specificity and the integrity of the "culture of faith" are not compromised.
Pope Pius XII
"Summi Pontificatus" was the first papal encyclical issued by Pope Pius XII, in October 1939 and established some of the themes of his pontificate. During the drafting of the letter, the Second World War commenced with the German/Soviet invasion of Catholic Poland—the "dread tempest of war is already raging despite all Our efforts to avert it". The papal letter denounced antisemitism, war, totalitarianism, the attack on Poland and the Nazi persecution of the Church.
Ecclesia de Eucharistia
Throughout his pontificate, John Paul wrote an annual letter to priests on Holy Thursday. On his 25th Holy Thursday as pope, he issued this encyclical instead, addressed to all Catholics: "to the bishops, priests and deacons, men and women in the consecrated life and all the lay faithful". It was the last of his fourteen encyclicals.
List of encyclicals of Pope Paul VI
This article contains a list of Encyclicals of Pope Paul VI. Pope Paul VI issued 7 Papal Encyclicals during his reign as Pope:
List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II
John Paul II made his first visit to the United States in October 1979. He arrived in Boston on 1 October. The next two days were spent in New York City, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, spoke to students gathered at Madison Square Garden, and conducted Mass at the original Yankee Stadium for 75,000 people as well as at Shea Stadium to an audience of over 52,000. He arrived in Philadelphia on 3 October and Des Moines, Iowa on the next day before arriving in Chicago. There he celebrated Mass in Grant Park, met with civic leaders and Chicago's Polish community. Chicago was the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States at the time and the home of the largest Polish community outside of Poland. He concluded his pilgrimage to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. where he became the first Pope to visit the White House. He was greeted warmly by President Jimmy Carter, and they met privately in the Oval Office.
List of encyclicals of Pope Pius XII
This is a list of encyclicals of Pope Pius XII. Pius XII promulgated 41 papal encyclicals, during his reign as pope for over 19 years, from his election of March 2, 1939, until his death on October 9, 1958. The 41 encyclicals of Pius XII exceed the 32 encyclicals written by all his successors (John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI) during the fifty years that followed (1958–2008).
Pope John Paul II
Dear brothers and sisters, we are saddened at the death of our beloved Pope John Paul I, and so the cardinals have called for a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a faraway land—far and yet always close because of our communion in faith and Christian traditions. I was afraid to accept that responsibility, yet I do so in a spirit of obedience to the Lord and total faithfulness to Mary, our most Holy Mother. I am speaking to you in your—no, our Italian language. If I make a mistake, please " 'corrict' " me ...
Pope John Paul II
The pope responded by saying "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness", to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul II said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of "profound regret" for Catholics. Later John Paul II and Christodoulos met on a spot where Saint Paul had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a 'common declaration', saying "We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved... We condemn all recourse to violence, proselytism and fanaticism, in the name of religion." The two leaders then said the Lord's Prayer together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI was concerned but not surprised by the negative reaction in Western Europe and the United States. He fully anticipated this reaction to be a temporary one: "Don't be afraid", he reportedly told Edouard Gagnon on the eve of the encyclical, "in twenty years time they'll call me a prophet." His biography on the Vatican's website notes his reaffirmations of priestly celibacy and the traditional teaching on contraception that "[t]he controversies over these two pronouncements tended to overshadow the last years of his pontificate". Pope John Paul II later reaffirmed and expanded upon "Humanae vitae" with the encyclical "Evangelium vitae".
Deus caritas est
The encyclical was promulgated on 25 January 2006, in Latin and officially translated into seven other languages (English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish). It is the first encyclical to be published since the Vatican decided to assert copyright in the official writings of the Pope.
Pope John Paul I
It is certain that John Paul I would not have reversed Paul VI's teaching, namely on contraception, since it was a question of sexual ethics and Church doctrine, rather than one of personal opinion. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to assume that John Paul I would not have insisted upon the negative judgment in "Humanae vitae" as aggressively and publicly as John Paul II did. Luciani had mixed feelings in regards to the traditional stance on contraception. In 1968, as Bishop of Vittorio Veneto, he submitted a report to his predecessor as the Patriarch of Venice, Giovanni Urbani, that argued that the contraceptive pill should be permitted. It was agreed on by fellow Veneto bishops and was later submitted to Pope Paul VI. When "Humanae vitae" was released, Luciani defended that document. But he seemed to contradict that defence in a letter he wrote to his diocese four days after the release of the encyclical. In May 1978, Cardinal Luciani was invited to speak at a Milanese conference to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the encyclical. He refused to speak at the event or even attend it.
Pope John Paul II
In 1980, John Paul II issued a Pastoral Provision allowing married former Episcopal priests to become Catholic priests, and for the acceptance of former Episcopal Church parishes into the Catholic Church. He allowed the creation of the Anglican Use form of the Latin Rite, which incorporates the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. He helped establish Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church, together with Archbishop Patrick Flores of San Antonio, Texas, as the inaugural parish for the Anglican Use liturgy.
Roman Triptych
"Roman Triptych: Meditations" is a poem by Pope John Paul II, published in the (Vatican) in March 2003 by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, with the presentation of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. "Roman Triptych" is the only poem John Paul II wrote during his long Pontificate.
Anti-communism
Pope John Paul II was a harsh critic of Communism as was Pope Pius IX, who issued a Papal encyclical, entitled "Quanta cura", in which he called "Communism and Socialism" the most fatal error.
Redemptoris Mater
The seeds of this encyclical may be traced to the statement by Pope John Paul II that as a young seminarian he "read and reread many times and with great spiritual profit" a work of Saint Louis de Montfort and that:
Humanae vitae
John Paul II readdressed some of the same issues in his 1993 encyclical "Veritatis splendor". He reaffirmed much of "Humanae vitae", and specifically described the practice of artificial contraception as an act not permitted by Catholic teaching in any circumstances. The same encyclical also clarifies the use of conscience in arriving at moral decisions, including in the use of contraception. However, John Paul also said, “It is not right then to regard the moral conscience of the individual and the magisterium of the Church as two contenders, as two realities in conflict. The authority which the magisterium enjoys by the will of Christ exists so that the moral conscience can attain the truth with security and remain in it.” John Paul quoted "Humanae vitae" as a compassionate encyclical, "Christ has come not to judge the world but to save it, and while he was uncompromisingly stern towards sin, he was patient and rich in mercy towards sinners".
Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom
On arrival at Victoria Station, the Pope travelled to Westminster Cathedral for the first Mass of the visit. During his first day in Britain he departed from his prepared text on three occasions, calling for peace in the Falklands and in Northern Ireland. Also on that day he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 
On Saturday 29 May John Paul visited Canterbury Cathedral, becoming the first pontiff to do so. In what was an historic occasion he met with Charles, Prince of Wales before attending a ceremony with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie. During the service, the two church leaders renewed their baptismal vows together, knelt in silent prayer at the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, and issued a common declaration, thanking God for "the progress that has been made in the work of reconciliation" between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. He went through Wembley on a procession which was organised and managed by Leslie Sharkey. Later in the afternoon, he celebrated mass at Wembley Stadium, attended by 80,000 people. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, and sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands".
Holy Face of Jesus
In the same message John Paul II also related the theme of the contemplation to that of contemplating the Person of Christ as discussed in his first encyclical "Redemptor hominis".
New evangelization
The term was popularized by Pope John Paul II who first used it during an address to the Latin American bishops in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on May 9, 1983. He declared that the fifth centenary of the first evangelization of the Americas (1492–1992) should mark the beginning of a new era of evangelization, "evangelization will gain its full energy if it is a commitment, not to re-evangelize but to a New Evangelization, new in its ardor, methods and expression". Pope John Paul II then expounded on the idea later, including his encyclical, "Redemptoris missio", a "Magna Carta" of the new evangelization, his apostolic letter, "Tertio millennio adveniente", issued for the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 and his apostolic exhortation, "Novo millennio ineunte". In "Redemptoris missio", he wrote:
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. When he called for a Year of Faith from 2012 to 2013 on the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, he opened it with a general assembly of the Synod of Bishops on The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.
John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue
As bishop of Rome, Pope John Paul II was a tireless advocate for interreligious dialogue, and lead the Catholic Church in its implementation of the Vatican Council II documents "Nostra aetate" and "Dignitatis humanae", including profound work for the healing of memories, outreach to the Jewish community, and establishing the Assisi interreligious day of prayer for peace.
Pope John Paul II died on 2 April 2005, after nearly 27 years as bishop of Rome. He was beatified on 1 May 2011 at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, at a ceremony attended by approximately 2 million people, including representatives of the John Paul II Center.
1 Corinthians 2
1 Corinthians 2 is the second chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus.
 recounts Paul's departure from Athens and his arrival in Corinth. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles states that Paul "testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ, but when [the Jews] opposed him and blasphemed, [Paul] shook his garments and said to them, 'Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles'." Lutheran theologian Harold Buls describes Corinth as "was much like the city of Athens. They admired philosophers and orators. They were always sitting around waiting to hear or tell the latest philosophy. Many of them were sophists, teachers of speech and philosophy who came to be disparaged for their oversubtle, self-serving reasoning. Many of them were skilled in devious argumentation." In Paul recalls that he "did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom". He states that he spoke "in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling" and "my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom". Acts reports that
History of the Catholic Church
With the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, the Church has so far seen largely a continuation of the policies of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, with some notable exceptions: Benedict decentralized beatifications and reverted the decision of his predecessor regarding papal elections. In 2007, he set a Church record by approving the beatification of 498 Spanish Martyrs. His first encyclical "Deus caritas est" discussed love and sex in continued opposition to several other views on sexuality.
Pope John Paul II
On 25 January 1983, with the Apostolic Constitution "Sacrae disciplinae leges" John Paul II promulgated the current Code of Canon Law for all members of the Catholic Church who belonged to the Latin Church. It entered into force the first Sunday of the following Advent, which was 27 November 1983. John Paul II described the new Code as "the last document of Vatican II". Edward N. Peters has referred to the 1983 Code as the "Johanno-Pauline Code" ("Johannes Paulus" is Latin for "John Paul"), paralleling the "Pio-Benedictine" 1917 code that it replaced.
Lumen fidei
According to Francis X, Rocca, "Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”), is a celebration of Christian faith as the guiding light of a “successful and fruitful life”, inspiring social action as well as devotion to God, and illuminating “every aspect of human existence”, including philosophy and the natural sciences."
The encyclical focuses on faith and completes what his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI had previously written about charity and hope, the other two theological virtues, in his encyclicals "Deus caritas est" and "Spe Salvi". Francis worked from a first draft completed by Benedict before his resignation and makes the authorship clear: "These considerations on faith — in continuity with all that the Church's magisterium has pronounced on this theological virtue — are meant to supplement what Benedict XVI had written in his encyclical letters on charity and hope. He himself had almost completed a first draft of an encyclical on faith. For this I am deeply grateful to him, and as his brother in Christ I have taken up his fine work and added a few contributions of my own."
Teachings of Pope John Paul II
His first encyclical letters focused on the Triune God; the very first was on Jesus the Redeemer (""Redemptor hominis""). He maintained this intellectual focus on God throughout his pontificate.
Mieczyslaw Malinski
Malinski was chaplain to the University of Krakow. He has also written extensively, authoring well in excess of one hundred published works, several of which are devoted to John Paul II. He also maintained his own website. His published works notably include "Our Daily Bread", a collection of short spiritual texts and a biography of Pope John Paul II, "Pope John Paul II: The Life of My Friend".
Edwin Frederick O'Brien
Archbishop O'Brien expressed his opposition to capital punishment, citing the encyclical Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life) published by John Paul II, although he had previously "thought it served a purpose."
That they all may be one
Pope John Paul II published an encyclical under the Latin Vulgate form of this title, "Ut unum sint".
Lumen fidei
Lumen fidei (English: "The Light of Faith") is the first encyclical of Pope Francis, issued on 29 June 2013, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, and published on 5 July 2013, less than four months after his election to the papacy. It was issued in conjunction with the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI to be observed from October 2012 to November 2013. It was the first encyclical in the history of the Catholic Church written by two popes, being begun by Pope Benedict XVI and finished by Pope Francis.
Divine filiation
According to John Paul II in Redemptor hominis, his first encyclical, at the deepest root of the redemption of the world is the fullness of justice in the heart of Jesus Christ "in order that it may become justice in the hearts of many human beings, predestined from eternity in the Firstborn Son to be children of God and called to grace, called to love."
Pope Francis
On 29 June 2013, Pope Francis published his first encyclical, titled "Lumen fidei". It is a collaborative writing with Benedict XVI and talks about faith, complementing Benedict's previous encyclicals on charity and hope. He published his second one, entitled , on 18 June 2015, concerning care for the planet. On 24 November 2013, he published his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii gaudium", with his views on faith and evangelization. On 8 April 2016, Pope Francis published his second apostolic exhortation, "Amoris laetitia", remarking on love within the family. Controversy arose at the end of 2016 when four cardinals formally asked Pope Francis for clarifications, particularly on the issue of giving communion to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.
Encyclical
Although the term "encyclical" originally simply meant a circulating letter, it acquired a more specific meaning within the context of the Catholic Church. In 1740, Pope Benedict XIV wrote a letter titled "Ubi primum", which is generally regarded as the first "encyclical" in a modern sense. The term is now used almost exclusively for a kind of letter sent out by the Pope.
Ecclesia Dei
Ecclesia Dei is the document Pope John Paul II issued on 2 July 1988 in reaction to the consecration of four bishops despite an express prohibition by the Holy See. It said that the two consecrating bishops and the four priests they consecrated were excommunicated. John Paul called for unity and established the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" to foster a dialog with those associated with the consecrations who hoped to maintain both loyalty to the papacy and their attachment to traditional liturgical forms.
Pope John Paul II
During his pontificate, Pope John Paul II made trips to 129 countries, travelling more than while doing so. He consistently attracted large crowds, some among the largest ever assembled in human history, such as the Manila World Youth Day, which gathered up to four million people, the largest Papal gathering ever, according to the Vatican. John Paul II's earliest official visits were to the Dominican Republic and Mexico in January 1979.
While some of his trips (such as to the United States and the Holy Land) were to places previously visited by Pope Paul VI, John Paul II became the first pope to visit the White House in October 1979, where he was greeted warmly by then-President Jimmy Carter. He was the first pope ever to visit several countries in one year, starting in 1979 with Mexico and Ireland. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, in 1982, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. While in Britain he also visited Canterbury Cathedral and knelt in prayer with Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the spot where Thomas à Becket had been killed, as well as holding several large-scale open air masses, including one at Wembley Stadium, which was attended by some 80,000 people.
Humanae vitae
After he became pope in 1978, John Paul II continued on the Catholic Theology of the Body of his predecessors with a series of lectures, entitled "Theology of the Body", in which he talked about an "original unity between man and women", purity of heart (on the Sermon on the Mount), marriage and celibacy and reflections on "Humanae vitae", focusing largely on responsible parenthood and marital chastity.
Pope John Paul II in popular culture
As one of the best known and well-travelled persons of the 20th century, there are many cultural references to Pope John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), who reigned as the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City from 16 October 1978, until his death in April 2005, making his the second-longest pontificate after Pius IX's 31-year reign. In addition to his own extensive writings, many films, television programs, books, and journal articles have been written about John Paul II.
Pope John Paul II
He was elected pope by the second Papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days.
Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted his predecessor's name in tribute to him. John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings on such matters as artificial contraception, the ordination of women, and a celibate clergy, and although he supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation.
Teachings of Pope John Paul II
John Paul II also wrote extensively about workers and the social doctrine of the Church, which he discussed in three encyclicals and which the Vatican brought to the fore through the recently published "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church". Through his encyclicals, John Paul also talked about the dignity of women and the importance of the family for the future of humanity.
Catholic Church and slavery
In 1993, in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor, John Paul II took, from Vatican II's pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world, a long list of social evils: “homicide, genocide, abortion, euthanasia and voluntary suicide ... mutilation, physical and mental torture and attempts to coerce the spirit; whatever is offensive to human dignity, such as sub-human living conditions, arbitrary imprisonments, deportation, slavery, prostitution and trafficking in women and children; degrading conditions of work which treat laborers as mere instruments of profit, and not as free responsible persons.” Where Vatican II had called these practices “shameful” (probra), John Paul II calls them “intrinsically evil.” In the same encyclical the pope teaches that intrinsically evil acts are prohibited always and everywhere, without any exception.
List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II
He was the first Catholic Pope to visit and pray in an Mosque, in Damascus, Syria. He visited the Umayyad Mosque, where John the Baptist is believed to be interred.
Dominum et vivificantem
In 1986, Pope John Paul II was already anticipating the new millennium, with its new challenges, as well as the new graces the Holy Spirit would bestow upon the Church as she celebrated the Great Jubilee beginning the third millennium of Christianity. Wishing to prepare the Church for these things by giving the people of God an increased awareness and knowledge of the Holy Spirit, he issued the encyclical on May 18, the Solemnity of Pentecost.
Catholic Church and capital punishment
On 25 March 1995, Pope John Paul II affirmed the church's stance towards capital punishment in his 1995 encyclical titled "Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)".
Pope John Paul II
On 23–27 June 2001, John Paul II visited Ukraine, another heavily Orthodox nation, at the invitation of the President of Ukraine and bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Pope spoke to leaders of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, pleading for "open, tolerant and honest dialogue". About 200 thousand people attended the liturgies celebrated by the Pope in Kiev, and the liturgy in Lviv gathered nearly one and a half million faithful. John Paul II said that an end to the Great Schism was one of his fondest wishes. Healing divisions between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches regarding Latin and Byzantine traditions was clearly of great personal interest. For many years, John Paul II sought to facilitate dialogue and unity stating as early as 1988 in "Euntes in mundum", "Europe has two lungs, it will never breathe easily until it uses both of them."
Pope John Paul II bibliography
The following is a list of books written by John Paul II both before and after becoming pope, although pre-papacy his name was Karol Wojtyla.The following is a list of plays written by Pope John Paul II.
Pope John Paul II
On 15 January 1995, during the X World Youth Day, he offered Mass to an estimated crowd of between five and seven million in Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in Christian history. In March 2000, while visiting Jerusalem, John Paul became the first pope in history to visit and pray at the Western Wall. In September 2001, amid post-11 September concerns, he travelled to Kazakhstan, with an audience largely consisting of Muslims, and to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of 1,700 years of Armenian Christianity.
Marian year
In 1987, Pope John Paul II initiated a Marian year in preparation of the forthcoming millennium. He published the encyclopedic Marian encyclical "Redemptoris Mater", which constitutes the longest Marian encyclical ever written by a Pontiff. It represents the status of Marian belief and Mariology for the beginning of the 21st century. For the beginning of the Marian year, a large copy of the "Madonna della Colonna" was completed for outside Saint Peter's Square. Pope John Paul II had been approached by a student who told him that Saint Peter's Square was cold and incomplete without the portrait of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In both Marian years, Marian devotion, Marian pilgrimages and Marian meetings were promulgated.
Redemptoris missio
Redemptoris missio (Latin: "The Mission of the Redeemer"), subtitled "On the permanent validity of the Church's missionary mandate", is an encyclical by Pope John Paul II published on 7 December 1990. The release coincided with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Vatican II’s Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad gentes. It is devoted to the subject of "the urgency of missionary activity" and in it the pope wished "to invite the Church to renew her missionary commitment."
Ad gentes
"Redemptoris Missio", subtitled "On the permanent validity of the Church's missionary mandate", is a papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II published on 7 December 1990, devoted to the subject of "the urgency of missionary activity" and in which he wished "to invite the Church to renew her missionary commitment.
Papal primacy
John Paul II invited, in "Ut Unum Sint", his 1995 encyclical on commitment to ecumenism, the "pastors and theologians" of Churches and Ecclesial Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church to suggest how to exercise papal primacy in ways that would unite rather than divide.
Populorum progressio
Twenty years later Pope John Paul II issued another encyclical, "Sollicitudo rei socialis", in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of "Populorum progressio".
Ut unum sint
Ut unum sint (Latin: 'That they may be one') is an encyclical by Pope John Paul II of 25 May 1995. It was one of 14 encyclicals issued by John Paul II. Cardinal Georges Cottier, Theologian emeritus of the Pontifical Household, was influential in drafting the encyclical.
Dives in misericordia
Dives in misericordia (Latin: "Rich in Mercy") is the name of the second encyclical written by Pope John Paul II. It is a modern examination of the role of mercy—both God's mercy, and also the need for human mercy—introducing the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son as a central theme. The original text was written in longhand in Polish. The encyclical was promulgated on 30 November 1980.
Culture of life
The expression "culture of life" entered popular parlance from Pope John Paul II in the 1990s. He used the term in his 1991 encyclical "Centesimus annus", and then more fully expanded upon it in the 1995 encyclical "Evangelium vitae" ("Gospel of Life"):
Dionigi Tettamanzi
John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Genoa on 20 April 1995. He helped John Paul draft his 1995 encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" (1995).
Pope John Paul II
The first miracle attributed to John Paul was his healing a case of Parkinson's disease, which was recognised during the beatification process. According to an article on the Catholic News Service (CNS) dated 23 April 2013, a Vatican commission of doctors concluded that a healing had no natural (medical) explanation, which is the first requirement for a claimed miracle to be officially documented.
The second miracle was deemed to have taken place shortly after the late pope's beatification on 1 May 2011; it was reported to be the healing of Costa Rican woman Floribeth Mora of an otherwise terminal brain aneurysm. A Vatican panel of expert theologians examined the evidence, determined that it was directly attributable to the intercession of John Paul II, and recognised it as miraculous. The next stage was for Cardinals who compose the membership of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to give their opinion to Pope Francis to decides whether to sign and promulgate the decree and set a date for canonisation.
Ancient Corinth
Paul wrote at least two epistles to the Christian church, the First Epistle to the Corinthians (written from Ephesus) and the Second Epistle to the Corinthians (written from Macedonia). The first Epistle occasionally reflects the conflict between the thriving Christian church and the surrounding community.
Pope Pius IX
On 7 February 1862 he issued the papal constitution "Ad universalis Ecclesiae," dealing with the conditions for admission to religious orders of men in which solemn vows are prescribed. Unlike popes in the 20th century, Pius IX did not use encyclicals to explain the faith, but to condemn what he considered errors. Pius IX was the first pope to popularize encyclicals on a large scale to foster his views.
St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School
John Paul II is considered by some authorities to have helped to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II worked to improve the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He was criticised by progressives for upholding the Church's teachings against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, and by traditionalists for his support of the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reforms.
Centesimus annus
Written in 1991, during the last days of the Cold War, "Centesimus annus" specifically examines contemporaneous political and economic issues. The encyclical is partially a refutation of Marxist/communist ideology and a condemnation of the dictatorial regimes that practiced it. The particular historical context in which it was written prompted Pope John Paul II to condemn the horrors of the communist regimes throughout the world. However, the Pope also reserved condemnation for reactionary regimes that persecuted their populations, ostensibly to combat Marxism/communism.
Mediator Dei
Mediator Dei, a papal encyclical, was issued by Pope Pius XII on 20 November 1947. It was the first encyclical devoted entirely to liturgy. The encyclical suggested new directions and active participation instead of a merely passive role for the faithful in the liturgy, in liturgical ceremonies and in the life of their parish. The encyclical also emphasized the importance of the Eucharist. "Mediator Dei" is one of the more important encyclicals of Pope Pius XII. The encyclical condemned certain excesses of liturgical reform and stressed the importance of the union of sacrifice and altar with communion, which greatly directed the reforms undertaken during and after Vatican II. It was written in part in response to the liturgical movement under way since early in the 20th century.
Pope Benedict XVI bibliography
The following is a list of Papal encyclicals written by Pope Benedict XVI. A Papal encyclical is a letter usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine sent by the Pope and addressed to Catholic bishops.The following is a list of apostolic exhortations written by Pope Benedict XVI. An apostolic exhortation is a type of communication from the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church that encourages a community of people to undertake a particular activity, but does not define Church doctrine. It is considered lower in formal authority than a papal encyclical, but higher than other ecclesiastical letters.The following is a list of books written by Pope Benedict XVI arranged chronologically by German first edition. The English title is included in parentheses.
Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust
"Summi Pontificatus" was the first encyclical of Pope Pius XII published on 20 October 1939. The encyclical is subtitled "On the Unity of Human Society". During the drafting of the letter, the Second World War commenced with the Nazi/Soviet invasion of Catholic Poland. Couched in diplomatic language, Pius endorses Catholic resistance, and states disapproval of the war, racism, the Nazi/Soviet invasion of Poland and the persecutions of the Church. Following themes addressed in "Non abbiamo bisogno" (1931), "Mit brennender Sorge" (1937) and "Divini redemptoris" (1937), Pius wrote of a need to bring back to the Church those who were following "a false standard ... misled by error, passion, temptation and prejudice, [who] have strayed away from faith in the true God". He wrote of "Christians unfortunately more in name than in fact" showing "cowardice" in the face of persecution by these creeds, and endorsed resistance:
Encyclical
Pope Pius XII held that papal encyclicals, even when they are not of "ordinary magisterium", can nonetheless be sufficiently authoritative to end theological debate on a particular question:
Encyclicals indicate high papal priority for an issue at a given time. Pontiffs define when, and under which circumstances, encyclicals should be issued. They may choose to issue an apostolic constitution, bull, encyclical, apostolic letter or give a papal speech. Popes have differed on the use of encyclicals: on the issue of birth control and contraception, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical "Casti connubii", while Pope Pius XII gave a speech to midwives and the medical profession, clarifying the position of the church on the issue. Pope Paul VI published an encyclical "Humanae vitae" on the same topic. On matters of war and peace, Pope Pius XII issued ten encyclicals, mostly after 1945, three of them protesting the Soviet invasion of Hungary in order to crack down on the Hungarian Revolution in 1956: "Datis nuperrime", "Sertum laetitiae" and "Luctuosissimi eventus". Pope Paul VI spoke about the war in Vietnam and Pope John Paul II, issued a protest against the war in Iraq using the medium of speeches. On social issues, Pope Leo XIII promulgated "Rerum novarum" (1891), which was followed by "Quadragesimo anno" (1931) of Pius XI and "Centesimus annus" (1991) of John Paul II. Pius XII spoke on the same topic to a consistory of cardinals, in his Christmas messages and to numerous academic and professional associations.
Early centers of Christianity
Pope Victor I (189–198) was the first ecclesiastical writer known to have written in Latin; however, his only extant works are his encyclicals, which would naturally have been issued in both Latin and Greek.
Ecclesia de Eucharistia
Ecclesia de Eucharistia is an encyclical by Pope John Paul II published on April 17, 2003. Its title, as is customary, is taken from the opening words of the Latin version of the text, which is rendered in the English translation as "The Church draws her life from the Eucharist", with the first words of the Latin translating as "The Church from the Eucharist". He discusses the centrality of the Eucharist to the definition and mission of the Church and says he hopes his message will "effectively help to banish the dark clouds of unacceptable doctrine and practice, so that the Eucharist will continue to shine forth in all its radiant mystery." He explored themes familiar from his earlier writings, including the profound connection between the Eucharist and the priesthood. It drew as well on his personal experiences saying Mass.
Fides et ratio
Fides et ratio ("Faith and Reason") is an encyclical promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 14 September 1998. It was one of 14 encyclicals issued by John Paul II. Georges Cardinal Cottier, Theologian emeritus of the Pontifical Household and later Cardinal-Deacon of "Santi Domenico e Sisto" the University Church of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Angelicum", was influential in drafting the encyclical. The encyclical primarily addresses the relationship between faith and reason.
Teachings of Pope John Paul II
His last Encyclical is on the Holy Eucharist, which he says "contains the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself." Building on his master plan further, he emphasised the need to "rekindle amazement" on the Eucharist and to "contemplate the face of Christ."
Teachings of Pope John Paul II
His encyclical "Redemptoris Mater" further emphasizes his focus on Mariology.