Many Catholic (and also some non-Catholic and non-Christian) consumers paid their respects for Pope John Paul II, who died April 2 at the age 84. He was buried early this morning following a Funeral Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. The Pope, born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920, lived with arthritis and Parkinson’s Disease during the final years of his life. Here is one of his writings, “Every Life is a Gift,” from the book Lessons for Living: “Stand up for the rights of the aged and the handicapped; stand up against attempts to promote assisted suicide and euthanasia. Stand up for marriage and family life. Stand up for purity. Resist the pressures and temptations of a world that often tries to ignore a fundamental truth: that every life is a gift from God our Creator and that we must give an account to God of how we use it, either for good or evil.”
The Pope also addressed the needs of people with disabilities in a homily delivered in 2000, titled “Everyone Has a Right to a Dignified Life.” Pope John Paul II is the third longest-reigning pontiff in Catholic Church history, serving a term lasting over 26 years (Oct. 1978-April 2005).
CILT
