KCP - Catholic Diocese of Broome

The world was prepared for the death of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and so was the Holy Father himself. When he finally passed away on the 2nd April, 2005 at 9.37 pm (local time in Rome) sixty thousand people had gathered in an all-night vigil in St. Peter’s Square. They greeted his death not only with tears but with a rousing accolade in accord with local custom – celebrating his life, saluting his departure and giving thanks to Almighty God for the remarkable life we all shared in.
The energy of this Pope, poured out over twenty-six years as the First Bishop of the Catholic Church and its premier Shepherd, was enormous. His life was a cavalcade of pastoral visits abroad and in Italy. It is glowingly recorded in a diary jam-packed with audiences, receptions, synods and meetings. He was responsible for a huge flow of documentation that included fourteen Encyclicals (the most important form of a teaching document), fifteen apostolic exhortations and five books along with scores of Apostolic Letters.
For the majority of people he will be remembered as a Pope for the people. He travelled to be with people, to extend a feeling of solidarity with the poor and downtrodden, to preach a message of hope to those suffering oppression. His attention to Peace and Justice issues including matters related to ecology has earned him the title of “A Pilgrim for Peace and a Champion of Justice”.
Who will forget his journeys to Poland throughout the heady days of the ideological battle between the Solidarity Movement and the Communists. The collapse of the Iron Curtain can largely be credited to him more than any other person. His words of encouragement to the Palestinians in the Holy Land when he proclaimed clearly their rights and pointed out their grievances took the international world by storm. His attempts to intervene at the time of the first Gulf War were rejected but the human family knew that he had exhausted every effort to prevent the conflict. He never flinched from his belief in the Culture of Life and he strenuously opposed the notions of those who peddle the Culture of Death. He was a champion for ecology, consistent with his promotion of the Culture of Life. His many writings on the care of the Planet and life systems earned him the title of “The Green Pope”.
In the face of international conflict and any crises that bore down on human beings, Pope John Paul II became a brilliant beacon of hope and a counsellor for the cause of what is right and just. The deep sadness the Church and the world feels at his death is balanced by the knowledge that the good work he began lives on
just as he lives on in Christ.