Pope St. John Paul II

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Pope St. John Paul II.

The next hundred years of St. John Paul II’s legacy

Apr 2, 2021

By Jonah McKeown

Pope St. John Paul II— who would have turned 100 years old May 18— was a man of great humility,... Read more

Pope John Paul II holds a crucifix carved by Stanisław Trafalski on Good Friday 2005

‘O crux, ave spes unica!’: The story of the crucifix St. John Paul II held on his last Good Friday

Apr 2, 2021

By CNA Staff

Days before his death, Pope John Paul II was pictured holding a crucifix in his private chapel on Good Friday.... Read more

The logo of the Veritas Amoris Project. Screenshot from veritasamoris.org.

International Catholic project launched to promote ‘truth of love’ to 21st-century world

Feb 2, 2021

By CNA Staff

An international group of Catholic academics has launched an ambitious new project to proclaim the “truth of love” to 21st-century... Read more

Pope John Paul II, pictured in 1992.

St. John Paul II: 1,700 professors respond to ‘wave of accusations’ against Polish pope

Dec 12, 2020

Hundreds of Polish professors have signed an appeal defending St. John Paul II following criticism in the wake of the... Read more

Pope John Paul II in 1996.

New book highlights St. John Paul II’s influence amid Cold War

Nov 18, 2020

By Courtney Mares

A new book on St. John Paul II examines the relationship of the Polish pope with Central and Eastern European... Read more

Pope John Paul II at prayer in 1991.

Polish Catholic university defends St. John Paul II against ‘slander’ in wake of McCarrick Report

Nov 17, 2020

A Polish Catholic university rejected Saturday claims that St. John Paul II failed to combat clerical abuse.  Read more

The mural of St. John Paul II in Stalowa Wola, Poland.

Polish city unveils giant St. John Paul II mural in centenary year

Oct 22, 2020

A Polish city has unveiled a giant mural of St. John Paul II in honor of the birth centenary of... Read more

Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, pictured in Kraków, Poland, March 4, 2016.

Cardinal: St. John Paul II foresaw challenges facing world today

Oct 16, 2020

St. John Paul II accurately predicted the problems facing the world today, his longtime personal secretary said Friday, the anniversary of the... Read more

Pope John Paul II in 1996.

International appeal launched to promote St. John Paul II’s teaching

Oct 12, 2020

The rector of a Catholic university in Poland urged academics Monday to sign an appeal committing themselves to promoting the... Read more

Polish President Andrzej Duda meets Pope Francis at the Vatican Sept. 25, 2020.

Polish president discusses ‘promotion of the family’ with Pope Francis

Sep 25, 2020

Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Pope Francis Friday during his first official trip abroad since his narrow election victory in... Read more

Former vice president Joe Biden campaigns in 2016.

Biden cites JPII in speech, despite continued abortion support

Sep 1, 2020

Former vice president Joe Biden invoked Pope St. John Paul II during a campaign speech on Monday, in which he urged... Read more

Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, pictured in Kraków, Poland, March 4, 2016.

Cardinal Dziwisz: heed St. John Paul II’s appeal for peace on World War II anniversary

Sep 1, 2020

The world needs once again to hear St. John Paul II’s appeal for an end to war, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz... Read more

John Paul II rose.

JPII rose added to White House Rose Garden

Aug 22, 2020

A rose named for the late Pope St. John Paul II has been included in a renovation of the White... Read more

Ross Douthat on EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, March 19, 2020.

Douthat: Cardinals should look for 'dynamic orthodoxy' in next pope

Jun 25, 2020

By Christine Rousselle

Catholic columnist Ross Douthat on Wednesday said that the eventual next conclave could produce a leader in the mould of... Read more

The font where St. John Paul II was baptized in Wadowice, Poland. Courtesy of the Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

Polish Catholics celebrate centenary of St. John Paul II’s baptism

Jun 20, 2020

The Church in Poland will celebrate the centenary of the baptism of St. John Paul II Saturday.  Read more

 Poland’s bishops celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wadowice June 15, 2020. Courtesy of the Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

Bishops entrust Polish Church to Mary in St. John Paul II centenary year

Jun 15, 2020

Bishops entrusted the Church in Poland to the Virgin Mary on Monday as they marked the centenary of the birth... Read more

Pope John Paul II celebrates the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception in Rome, December 08, 2004.

How St. John Paul II 'bent the course of history'

May 18, 2020

By Christine Rousselle

Papal biographer George Weigel said that St. John Paul II demonstrated “the power of religious and moral conviction to bend... Read more

Pope John Paul II made Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, a cardinal in St. Peter's Square on Feb. 21, 2001.

Pope Francis: St. John Paul II was an ‘extraordinary gift’ to the Church

May 18, 2020

Pope Francis described St. John Paul II as “an extraordinary gift of God to the Church and to Poland” in... Read more

The tomb of St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) in Łagiewniki, Poland.

Pope Francis adds St. Faustina Kowalska’s feast day to Roman Calendar

May 18, 2020

Pope Francis has decreed that St. Faustina Kowalska’s feast day be added to the Roman Calendar as an optional memorial... Read more

Joan Lewis meets St. John Paul II Dec 10, 1985. Photo courtesy of Joan Lewis

Baking cookies for St. John Paul II and other memories for his 100th birthday

May 18, 2020

By Courtney Mares

“Thirty-nine years ago today I was on my way into St. Peter’s Square when the pope was shot,” Joan Lewis... Read more