by Aude and Géraldine (May 9, 2005)

After several stays in hospital these last weeks, Pope John Paul II has passed away.
Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18th 1920 in Wadowice. After several nominations he became pope in 1978 under the name of John-Paul II, the first Polish pope in history. He attempted to give a greater visibility of the Church through his pastoral action. Craftsman of the collapse of the communist system, he undertook many trips in the world, untiring defender of peace and human rights. Endowed with a great charisma, this polyglot will hustle the Vatican, and be untiring in spite of the attack of May 13, 1981 on St Peter’s square and his health problem which do not scare him!

" Open the doors wide with Christ! "he exclaims at the inauguration mass of his pontifical ministry. Apostle of a "new evangelization", he starts old and new movements in the countryside, mobilizes the young people by creating the large periodic gatherings of the World Days of Youth, and strikes the spirits by spectacular initiatives: the meeting of prayer for peace in Assise. True bishop of Rome, anxious to teach, he publishes the Catechism of the Catholic Church on October 11, 1992, writes thirteen encyclicals, many letters and apostolic exhortations, delivers regular catecheses during weekly audiences in Rome. He also tries to continue the oecumenical bringing together. 

Eager to apply the council fully, he multiplies the synods of bishops, requests the college of the cardinals on topical questions, and emphasizes the topics of repentance and reconciliation at the time of the jubilee of the year 2000. During these trips, this untiring defender of human rights was made the defender of religious freedom and social justice, in particular with the platform of international organizations (UNO, UNESCO, the European Parliament). He also intervened a lot to try to prevent conflicts (Lebanon, Gulf, Balkans, Afghanistan) or to condemn the death penalty.

 The new pope : Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI before the celebration of the inauguration mass of his pontificate,
April 24, 2005, St Peter’s square, in the Vatican.

German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, leader of the conservatives, was elected pope on Tuesday, 17 days after the death of John-Paul II, and took the name of Benedict XVI, thus becoming the eighth German pope of History. Benedict XVI starts his pontificate by promising dialogue.
Champion of the preserving camp, outgoing prefect of the congregation for the doctrines of the faith, one of the few to have experienced the two preceding conclaves in 1978, Cardinal Ratzinger was the best candidate to succeed John Paul II who was close to him.
The new sovereign pontiff will have from now on the heavy task to succeed John-Paul II, the first pope of globalisation whose extraordinary charisma masked the brittleness of the catholic Church in a changing world.

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