Pope John Paul II has died

[Tonichelle]

He is now resting in the Lord.




I am not catholic as you all know... I'm almost the anti-catholic (for some reasons catholics and baptists rarely get along *shrugs* no one can explain it to me on either side) but this is still a moment of history... another "first" in my life...

 

[Piel]

Another Catholic here. The Holy Father suffered from illness with dignity and grace. I can remember when he became Pope but for lots of people he is the only Pope they have known.

 

[KwanFan1212]

God bless him and may he rest in peace.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

I'm not Catholic (not particularly religious at all) but I saw the Pope speak in St. Peter's Square twice. Once when I was 12 and again in my mid 20s. While I don't agree with him on everything, I did admire his convictions regarding bringing peace to the world. I hope the next Pope follows in his footsteps.

 

[sk8tngcanuck]

My grandmother was a devout catholic until her passing last month. My mom was brought up as a Catholic, but chose not to practice in her adulthood, thus none of us kids were raised in the Church. In my teens, I opted to go to church on Sundays, and was part of a youth group. I immensely enjoyed the teachings of the church, and one of the things I always wanted to do was to go to the Vatican City, particularily at Easter.

That said, my dear grandmother passed away last month, and one of her most prized possessions was a blessing from the Pope on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. Many may not know this, but when a practicing Catholic couple celebrates 50 years of marriage, it is possible to have your parish Priest apply to the Vatican for a blessing from the Pope. It is not an easy process, and there is much paperwork that must be completed and affidavits to be signed by Priests, bishops, etc. My aunt applied for the blessing, and it was received, complete with postage stamps from the Vatican City. My Grandmother cherished this item until her passing.

I am not sure why I am sharing this, but just felt that given this day of sadness for Catholics everywhere, I would share this story.

Canuck

 

[show 42]

Lovely story, Canuck..........I am also a Catholic and am saddened by the Pope's passing. He will be remembered, I'm sure, for strong leadership qualities and a strong sense of the "people"..........an odd note here. I am nearly finished reading Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". If you're not familiar with the novel, it is a suspense-mystery about the passing of a Pope............and other things....42

 

[bronxgirl]

As a Jew, I wish to extend my condolences to the Catholics (and others) who mourn for their Holy Father. I respected him for his outreach to all religions, and for his respect for all people of the world. May he rest in peace.

 

[Yazmeen]

I am lapsed Catholic at best; however, I will greatly miss the Holy Father, John Paul II. He was a great man, a peacemaker. May he rest in the peace he so cultivated in this world. I will truly miss him, his good works, and his wonderful smile.

 

[RealtorGal]

I am nearly finished reading Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". If you're not familiar with the novel, it is a suspense-mystery about the passing of a Pope............and other things....42

I just finished it a few weeks ago, too. I was really fascinated by the descriptions of the procedure for selecting a new Pope and other interesting details about The Vatican.

My sincere condolences to all my Catholic friends for your loss. I have very strong memories of the election of John Paul II and believe it was a very successful choice.

 

[CzarinaAnya]

I'm not catholic either, but a Christian just the same. I loved him and had the utmost respect for him. My nickname for him is Popie, because he was just so precious. I wish he could have been cloned. You know what I mean? He did alot of great things before he even came to the papalcy. I had a good cry yesterday, but I don't know if I'm done yet.
I hope and pray that the voters(cardinals, etc..) pick the one that they feel God would have them pick. God bless them.

 

[Dee4707]

Pope John Paul fought to the end!!! Yesterday, I watched MSNBC quite a bit because they were doing quite a bit of coverage throught the whole world and how people were reacting to the pope's death. MSNBC gave quite good coverage on his early life and in his younger days and as a young man he was quite a "looker." It talked a lot about his early life where his parents and brother died at early ages, some of his best friends were Jewish and how he had to hide during the war, how he was outraged and incensed at the way the Jewish people were treated. Some of the most touching moments were with the children. As a Catholic, I am saddened at his passing but happy that his isn't suffering any more.

Dee

 

[curious]

Pope John Paul fought to the end!!! Yesterday, I watched MSNBC quite a bit because they were doing quite a bit of coverage throught the whole world and how people were reacting to the pope's death. MSNBC gave quite good coverage on his early life and in his younger days and as a young man he was quite a "looker." It talked a lot about his early life where his parents and brother died at early ages, some of his best friends were Jewish and how he had to hide during the war, how he was outraged and incensed at the way the Jewish people were treated. Some of the most touching moments were with the children. As a Catholic, I am saddened at his passing but happy that his isn't suffering any more.

Dee

Great spiritual man who devoted his life to god. He will be missed

 

[brad640]

I have appreciated reading everyone’s words of kindness on this thread. I have found the news coverage of the pope’s passing very touching, and it has been very interesting to see the process. In particular, it has been very memorable to see the sights of people filling public spaces around the world to pay tribute. I think St. Peter’s Square is one of the most beautiful public spaces in the world, and the town square in Krakow is also amazing. It has been comforting to see the that the pope has brought people together in death as he did in life.

Side Note: Did anyone notice in Desperate Housewives that one of Bree’s lines was dubbed over during the Mama Solis funeral scene? She is walking with the funeral possession and she says something like “no one does grief better than Gaby and Carlos” but her lips are saying something different. I watched this back and I think she actually says “Catholics” but it was apparently changed out of sensitivity.