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Tributes to Pope John Paul II |
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Karol Jozef Wojtyla
Pope John Paul II
Born: May 18, 1920
Died: April 2, 2005
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"When the moment of our
definitive 'passage' comes, grant that we may face it with
serenity, without regret for what we shall leave behind. For in
meeting You, after having sought You for so long, we shall find
once more every authentic good which we have known here on
earth, in the company of all who have gone before us marked with
the sign of faith and hope." ~Pope John Paul II
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Pope John Paul II's Words to Those Who Have Had Abortions "A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer
which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in
daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of
life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from
every family and from the heart of every believer.”
~
Evangelium
Vitae |
"To claim the right to abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia, and to
recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse
and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against
others. This is the death of true freedom: 'Truly, truly I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.'" John 8:34
~ Evangelium Vitae 20.3 |
At the conclusion of the 1998 ad limina visits of the bishops of the
United States, Pope John Paul II spoke these words:
"Today I believe the Lord is saying to us all: do not hesitate, do
not be afraid to engage the good fight of the faith (cf. I Tim
6:12). When we preach the liberating message of Jesus Christ we are
offering the words of life to the world. Our prophetic witness is an
urgent and essential service not just to the Catholic community but
to the whole human family."
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"Every human person - no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no
matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped
or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society - is a
being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of
God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the
condition for her survival - yes, the ultimate test of her
greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest
and most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn... At the center
of the moral vision of your founding documents is the
recognition of the rights of the human person, and especially
respect for the dignity and sanctity of human life in all
conditions and at all stages of development. I say to you again,
America, in the light of your own tradition: love life, cherish
life, defend life, from conception to natural death." -
Pope John Paul II at the Detroit Airport on 19 September, 1987 |
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