Vatican City, Oct 16, 2005 / 22:00 pm
On the day that would have been his 27th anniversary of being elected Pope, Benedict XVI honored the memory of his successor, John Paul II during yesterday’s Angelus prayer, recalling his influence to both Christians and non-Christians.
"On a day like today, 27 years ago," the Pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter‘s Square, "the Lord called Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, archbishop of Krakow, to succeed John Paul I, who died just over a month after being elected."
Benedict recalled that, "John Paul II, 'who came from a far country,' was recognized as a moral authority even by many non-Christians and non-believers, as was clear from the many moving expressions of affection on the occasion of his illness and of profound condolence after his death.”
“At his tomb in the Vatican Grottoes,” the Pope said, “the pilgrimage of the faithful continues uninterrupted, and this too constitutes an eloquent sign of how much the beloved John Paul II entered into people's hearts."