John Paul II - A Great Leader and Statesman

John Paul II - A Great Leader and Statesman
April 8, 2005

I was grateful for the opportunity to vote for House Resolution 190, which honors the life and achievements of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and expresses the House of Representatives' profound sorrow on his death. The resolution passed unanimously.

John Paul was a great man not only because of his role as a spiritual leader to the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, but also because of his ability as a statesman. The Pope is also the head of state for the world's smallest sovereign nation, Vatican City. Pope John Paul II made more effective use of his role as a head of state than any Pope in centuries.

John Paul II has an endless list of firsts, including "technological firsts," such as the Vatican's first web site. In March, 2001, The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center opened to the public in Washington, D.C., amidst considerable fanfare. It is a high-tech museum with four-levels and 100,000 square-feet.

During the recent spring break, my family, like many others, visited Washington, D.C. As the Pope's health declined, we visited the Cultural Center so my two school-aged daughters could comprehend the accomplishments of this great man. There are many impressive displays. In particular, the original 500 year old model of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica created by Michelangelo, is awe inspiring. The Polish Heritage Room is the only area devoted exclusively to Pope John Paul II. I highly recommend seeing the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center if you visit Washington. My girls said it drove home the reasons why this Pope is such an important historic figure.

At the Cultural Center you will learn about the Pope, who grew up Karol Josef Wojtyla, in Krakow, Poland. There he witnessed the evil of fascism. In 1938 Karol enrolled in Krakow's university and a school for drama. In 1939 Nazi occupation forces closed the university and he had to work in quarry and then a chemical factory to avoid being deported to Germany but continued his studies clandestinely at night. After the defeat of the Nazis, his native Poland was controlled by the Soviets who marginalized the church. Although he was a professor at the only Catholic University in Eastern Europe that the communists allowed to operate, atheism was the policy of the state.

Among the greatest moments of John Paul II's Pontificate was his first return to Poland. Everywhere he was met by chants of "We want God!" The Pope, who during his installation sermon said, "Be not afraid!" stared down the communists and started religious tolerance behind the Iron Curtain. Simultaneously he became an ally of Lech Walesa, the leader of the Polish Solidarity movement, and he encouraged the powerful force that brought freedom to the Pontiff's homeland.

To create more religious tolerance and openness, John Paul II was the first Pope to visit the Synagogue of Rome; visit the memorial for the victims of the Holocaust at Auschwitz; and pray at the Wailing Wall in Israel. He was also the first Pope to visit a mosque. He was the first Pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism, and Greece in nearly 1300 years. John Paul expressed sorrow for prior transgressions by the Church to other groups including apologies for anti-Semitism, the Inquisitions, wars following the Protestant Reformation, and more. After welcoming in the church's Jubilee year, he became the first Pope of the third millennium, a new era of religious tolerance.

In 1979, John Paul II was the first Pope to visit the White House. The Pope met with all five U.S. Presidents that served during his Pontificate. Of all the U.S. Presidents, perhaps he worked most closely with Ronald Reagan. The two men had a special bond. They came to power at approximately the same time; both were trained actors; both were athletic and had a great ability to connect with others; both survived assassination attempts in 1981 and felt they had been spared for a special purpose. Both understood the evils of oppression and wanted to free people living under Soviet oppression. Together, the two men were instrumental in causing the collapse of communism and bringing down the Iron Curtain. Pope John Paul II once remarked that, communism was a rotten tree; all he had to do was shake it.

The world will miss a great leader and a great man, John Paul II.

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/press.rel/4.8.05.shtml