Pope John Paul II
died age 84, on the Vigil of the 'Feast of Divine Mercy', Saturday,
April 02, 2005
John Paul II died after the Vigil Mass of Divine Mercy Sunday,
the feast that he himself instituted five years earlier for the
universal Church. Bishop Renato Boccardo, secretary-general of
Vatican City State, led the faithful in prayer in St. Peter's
Square after the announcement of the Pope's death. He called John
Paul II "the apostle of mercy". [Pope John
Paul II - Karol Józef Wojtyla 1920-2005 Bio]
At the Mass for John Paul II's eternal rest, a Vatican
official read a message the Pope had prepared for Divine Mercy
Sunday. Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute of the Vatican
Secretariat of State, told the crowd of 130,000 in St. Peter's
Square that he read the text "with much honour and much nostalgia"
and "by the explicit indication" of the Pope himself.
"To humanity, which at times seems to be lost and dominated by
the power of evil, egoism and fear, the risen Lord offers as a gift
his love that forgives, reconciles and reopens the spirit to
hope," affirmed the Pope in his posthumous message.
"It is love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much need
the world has to understand and accept Divine
Mercy!".
John Paul
II proclaimed the feast of Divine Mercy for the universal
Church, when canonising Polish nun and mystic Faustina Kowalska
(1905-1938) on April 30, 2000. In his message for the recitation of
the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father wrote: "Lord, who with your
death and resurrection reveal the love of the Father, we believe in
you and with confidence repeat to you today: Jesus, I trust in you,
have mercy on us and on the whole world." (read on
Zenit)
John Paul
II as an Apostle of Mercy - Interview With Bishop Renato
Boccardo - Vatican City, April 3, 2005 (read this on Zenit) In this
interview with ZENIT, Bishop Boccardo illustrates the transcendence
of the message given by Christ through Sister Faustina Kowalska
Q: At the international priests' retreat you have been
invited to speak about the Pope as an apostle of mercy. In what way
was the Pope an apostle of mercy?
Bishop Boccardo: I think that in the almost 27 years of his
pontificate, the Pope has been an apostle of mercy at two levels.
First of all, through his teaching given in various documents and
in particular done through his encyclical "Dives in Misericordia."
But at the same time, the second dimension is through his gestures.
It is his gestures which remain in the memory and conscience of the
Church beyond his words. I'm thinking of the pardon given to his
would-be assassin and the visit made to him in prison. I'm thinking
of the closeness manifested many times with all those who in a
particular way need Divine Mercy. That is to say, those sick with
AIDS, elderly abandoned people, the sick in general. I'm thinking
of him on Good Friday in St. Peter's Basilica, welcoming pilgrims
with the sacrament of confession, the highest instrument of the
mercy of God. It seems to me that Pope John Paul II linked together
words and gestures of mercy. A mercy which manifests itself right
there through a caress, a listening ear, through the way he looked
intensively at those who suffer. I'm thinking of the example of
mercy -- that of offering the chance of forgiveness during the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Therefore, through his person and
through his teaching, the Pope has recalled the Church to this
fundamental dimension of the Christian life.
Q: John Paul II said: "Mercy, unique hope for the world."
Why did he give so much importance to Divine Mercy for the future
of the world?
Bishop Boccardo: Our postmodern and modern world seems to have
experienced every possible way to try to improve its life through
scientific and technical progress and yet continues to experience a
huge poverty. Let's go back to the words of the Gospel: What worth
is it for man to gain the whole world if he loses his own soul? And
our very modern world, so rich in science and technological
discoveries, finds itself in the end incapable of finding meaning
in its own existence. It finds itself divided within, driven by
hate, war and death and struggles to find the strength and reasons
to live and hope.
And we Christians believe that our reason and our hope for existing
is to be found only in the heart of God. So our postmodern world,
plunged in its own poverty, needs to hear more than ever the
proclamation of the grace and mercy which comes from above. It's in
accepting this greater mystery, which comes to us gratuitously
through mercy, that the world will find the meaning of its
existence.
Q: What impact, if any, has the feast of Divine Mercy had on
the life of the Church?
Bishop Boccardo: Above all, I believe that this feast of Divine
Mercy is a gift that the Pope John Paul II has made to the Church,
establishing it on the first Sunday after Easter -- a gift which
probably responds to an expectancy in our world which more than
ever experiences the need for mercy and goodness. And we know that
the source, the fountain of mercy and goodness is in the heart of
God. It is important that the Church becomes ever more, as the Pope
said several times, minister of this mercy and goodness of God. So
now, by declaring a day specifically set aside for the celebration
and proclamation of the mercy of God, which through the sacrifice
of Christ reaches all mankind, this day becomes a work of
evangelization.
Q: Why did the Holy Father place the feast of Divine Mercy
so close to Easter?
Bishop Boccardo: Celebrating Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after
Easter makes for, I would say, a reaffirmation of the greatness of
the Easter mystery. God the Father wanting to save humanity sent
his Son. And his Son gave his life for humanity. What is this,
then, if not the mercy of God?
But of course, Divine Mercy Sunday cannot remain a private
devotion. It's a feast that redresses and encompasses the whole of
the life of the Church. It is strictly linked to the Easter
mystery. The same Easter mystery reveals the mercy of God and the
goodness of God with regard to humanity.
Q: Why have two cardinals and two bishops decided to propose
this retreat to priests?
Bishop Boccardo: I just have to say that I was present with the
Pope in the celebration of the dedication of the sanctuary in
Lagiewniki. And I was really struck by what the Pope said during
the celebration: "Who would have thought that the young man with
wooden clogs on his feet coming home from work every evening and
stopping here in the Chapel of Divine Mercy to pray, would one day
be coming back as Pope to consecrate this sanctuary."
That's to say, the mysterious story that Divine Providence writes
in the life of men -- intensive moments of great emotion.
Then, we also know that from that place, from that shrine the
devotion of Divine Mercy radiates throughout the world. Certainly,
a richness of grace and blessing. Therefore, I hope and think that
this international retreat will be an effusion of grace, a blessing
for those who participate in it and through them for
Church.
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Beatification of Pope John
Paul II on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday 2011
Announcement of the Beatification of the Venerable Servant of God,
Pope John Paul II
Statement from the General Secretary of
the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. "The
Catholic Bishops of England and Wales welcome with great joy the
news that the Venerable Servant of God, Pope John Paul II will be
beatified by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, in May this year. The
choice of the First Sunday after Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, for
the Beatification ceremony in Rome has much significance. Pope John
Paul II put Divine Mercy at the centre of his spiritual life, his
apostolic testimony and his teaching. It was also on the eve of
this Sunday in 2005 that he surrendered his soul to the infinite
mercy of his Lord and Saviour." "The Catholic Bishops of England
and Wales welcome with great joy the news that the Venerable
Servant of God, Pope John Paul II will be beatified by His Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI, in May this year. The choice of the First Sunday
after Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, for the Beatification ceremony
in Rome has much significance. Pope John Paul II put Divine Mercy
at the centre of his spiritual life, his apostolic testimony and
his teaching. It was also on the eve of this Sunday in 2005 that he
surrendered his soul to the infinite mercy of his Lord and
Saviour." "The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales welcome with
great joy the news that the Venerable Servant of God, Pope John
Paul II will be beatified by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, in May
this year. The choice of the First Sunday after Easter, Divine
Mercy Sunday, for the Beatification ceremony in Rome has much
significance. Pope John Paul II put Divine Mercy at the centre of
his spiritual life, his apostolic testimony and his teaching. It
was also on the eve of this Sunday in 2005 that he surrendered his
soul to the infinite mercy of his Lord and Saviour." ~ Fr Marcus
Stock General Secretary - Catholic Bishops' Conference of England
and Wales - 14 January 2011
On
Divine Mercy Sunday, 27 April 2014, Pope Francis presided
over the Holy Mass for the Canonisation of
Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in St. Peter's Square.
YouTube Vatican Channel | www.karol-wojtyla.org