http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/johnpaulii/ en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:49:30 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2392801/posts Sister Sobodka said: "Several times he (Pope John Paul) would put himself through bodily penance. "We would hear it – we were in the next room at Castel Gandolfo. You could hear the sound of the blows when he flagellate himself. He did it when he was still capable of moving on his own." The flagellation is also confirmed by another bishop who has given testimony. Emery Kabongo was a secretary for Pope John Paul. "He would punish himself and in particular just before he ordained bishops and priests," he said. "I never actually saw it myself but several people... Telegraph UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2392801/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:49:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2315668/posts Once again, the Catholic world has been rocked by yet more allegations of sexual impropriety by Legionnaires of Christ founder, the late Fr. Marcial Maciel. It seems the now-disgraced founder-cum-pervert fathered more children than previously suspected; the latest claimants to his paternity purport to have evidence that the late Pope John Paul II knew of Maciel's sexual dilettantes, and turned a blind eye to them. (If true, it would confirm the prior journalistic scholarship of author Jason Berry.) The allegations highlight what for all too many Catholics is the elephant-in-the-room when discussing the ills which beset the modern Church: the... Renew America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2315668/posts#comment Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:07:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2284385/posts The cause for beatification of Pope John Paul II has moved a step forward, according to a report by Andrea Tornielli of the Italian daily newspaper Il Giornale. Tornielli-- who has accurately predicted several recent developments inside the Vatican-- says that theological consultors working with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints have delivered a positive verdict on the positio, the full case in favor of a pronouncement that the life of John Paul II was marked by "heroic virtue." The positio will now be forwarded to the full Congregation for the Causes of Saints for a vote later this... Catholic Culture http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2284385/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:23:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2251788/posts O Mary Bright Dawn of the New World O Mary! Bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life: Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our... Vatican: Encyclical Evangelium Vitae http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2251788/posts#comment Fri, 15 May 2009 19:21:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247402/posts Sex Sermonist's Heroes: Pope John Paul II and Hugh Hefner Devout Catholic Christopher West Lays Out Unexpected Vision of What Sex Can Mean for Christians Christopher West is not your average sex therapist. He's a devout Catholic who believes one of the most important ways we can get closer to God is through great sex.   "As Christians, we are desperately in need of a renewed vision of our sexuality," West has sermonized. "The union of man and woman itself is meant to be here on planet Earth an image, a foretaste, a little glimmer of the eternal ecstasy that... abc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247402/posts#comment Sat, 9 May 2009 04:20:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2225602/posts   Shortly after World War II was over, a young Polish priest who was studying in Rome, Fr. Karol Wojtyla, visited Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo. This encounter took place around 1947 or 1948. At that time in post-war Italy, it was possible to have access to Padre Pio, since travel was difficult and great crowds were not besieging the Friary. The young priest spent almost a week in San Giovanni Rotondo during his visit, and was able to attend Padre Pio’s Mass and make his confession to the saint.   Apparently, this was not just a casual... Half the Kingdom blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2225602/posts#comment Thu, 9 Apr 2009 14:40:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165583/posts As a young boy in Poland before World War II, Karol Jozef Wojtyla possessed an uncommon warmth for an often reviled group of outsiders – Jews.  Like most others in his hometown, Wojtyla was Catholic. But he counted Jewish children among his friends – attending school with them, even playing goalie on their soccer team.  Wojtyla was speechless when one of them, a fellow actor in drama club, informed him that she was leaving to escape looming anti-Semitism.  Decades later, those early experiences and friendships would have a dramatic influence on Wojtyla – the future Pope John Paul II.The Jewish threads of John... la times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165583/posts#comment Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:49:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2147345/posts Russian Orthodox-Vatican Thaw May Depend On Vote The late Pope John Paul used to read the Bible in Russian, preparing for a trip he never got to take. Hopes of a further thaw between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox church may depend on the choice of a successor to the late Patriarch Alexiy II in an uncertain procedure that could leave the outcome ultimately to chance. The world's largest church and the biggest of the Orthodox churches have stepped up contacts in recent years and inched towards holding the first summit of their leaders in history. The late Pope... www.javno.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2147345/posts#comment Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:38:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2146201/posts But Reagan and the Pope spent only a few minutes reviewing events in the Middle East. Instead they remained focused on a subject much closer to their heart: Poland and the Soviet dominance of Eastern Europe. In that meeting, Reagan and the Pope agreed to undertake a clandestine campaign to hasten the dissolution of the communist empire... Time.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2146201/posts#comment Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:27:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2027661/posts When Pope John Paul II proposed a new set of mysteries of the Rosary in 2002, he wished to make the Rosary even more into a compendium of the Gospel. The Pope pointed out that the traditional Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries, while commemorating signal events in salvation history, tended to ignore Our Lord’s public ministry. Yet it was through His public ministry that Christ primarily revealed both His own identity and His invitation to enter the Kingdom of God. In this sense, Our Lord’s public ministry is truly luminous. The Other Mysteries The Joyful Mysteries, for example, cover the... Catholic Culture http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2027661/posts#comment Sat, 7 Jun 2008 20:52:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011889/posts The weekly Wprost, (..), shows a politburo document, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev, which appears to warrant a KGB contract killing on John Paul II. So claims Polish journalist John O. Kohler in a book, also released tomorrow, Chodzi o papie¿a. Szpiedzy w watykanie - (About the Pope: Spies in the Vatican). The politburo document says: "Use all available possibilities to prevent a new political trend, initiated by the Polish pope." The document, which dates back to November 1979, - one year after Karol Wojtyla became pope - is signed by eight top Party officials including Konstantin Rusakov, who coordinated action... Polskie Radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011889/posts#comment Tue, 6 May 2008 12:40:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007721/posts Gorbachev signed JP II KGB death warrant Created: 27.04.2008 15:50 The weekly Wprost, out tomorrow, shows a politburo document, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev, which appears to warrant a KGB contract killing on John Paul II. So claims Polish journalist David Dastych in a book, also released tomorrow, Chodzi o papieża szpiedzy w watykanie - (About the Pope: Spies in the Vatican). The politburo document says: "Use all available possibilities to prevent a new political trend, initiated by the Polish popeÂ…" The document, which dates back to November 1979, - one year after Karol Wojtyla became pope - is signed by... thenews.pl http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007721/posts#comment Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:28:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1992827/posts The Third Anniversary of the passing to the Father of the Servant of God John Paul II draws near and the sense of the faithful grows even stronger. Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1992827/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:29:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926050/posts A well-known art group has ruffled the Catholic Church’s feathers by portraying John Paul II as a paedophile. Artist group Surrend has again achieved its goal of provoking the establishment through two displays on a Polish website depicting the late Pope John Paul II as a paedophile, reported public broadcaster DR last week. The webpage, placed on the vaticansex.pl website, shows an image of the late pontiff lifting the gowns of two alter boys while saying: ‘I’m against homosexuality, but all for paedophilia.’ The second image is of the former pope burning in the flames of hell. The webpage was... www.cphpost.dk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926050/posts#comment Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:45:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911805/posts Cardinals at the Vatican have chosen the first non-Italian Pope for more than 400 years. Catholics around the world have been astonished by the choice of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow. Few people had suggested him as a possible successor to John Paul I, who died last month after just 33 days in office. He is barely known outside his native Poland. After two days and eight votes, the result of the final, conclusive vote giving a two-thirds majority plus one to the Polish bishop was signalled with a plume of white smoke above the roof of the... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911805/posts#comment Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:07:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1906909/posts When you add it all up, I’ve spent more than a year and a half of my life in Poland. My Polish adventures began sixteen years ago, when I went to Warsaw, Cracow, and Gdansk in June 1991 to learn how the Church and John Paul II had helped accelerate the demise of European communism. (That first trip taught me an important lesson, occurring as it did during a papal pilgrimage to Poland: Polish cities are dry when the Pope is in town. My pleas to a bartender — “Look, the Pope is my friend; he wants me to have... Denver Catholic Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1906909/posts#comment Fri, 5 Oct 2007 11:03:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1904665/posts "Was John Paul II Euthanized?" - TIME Distorts Catholic Teaching to Give Credence to Outlandish Accusations Story broke a week after Pope declared "food and fluids" morally obligatory to PVS patients like Terri Schiavo By Peter J. Smith ROME, September 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "Was John Paul II Euthanized?" The sensationalist story peddled by TIME magazine has grabbed the world's attention with the thought that the great champion of human life, the author of "Evangelium Vitae," and steadfast opponent of abortion and euthanasia, may have rejected his Church's teachings to end his life. However TIME's story warps Catholic teachings in... LifeSiteNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1904665/posts#comment Mon, 1 Oct 2007 02:33:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1900411/posts Final Prayer Was Lesson for Attending PhysicianVATICAN CITY, SEPT. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The final voiced prayer of Pope John Paul II was an act of profound asceticism, said his personal physician. Dr. Renato Buzzonetti said the Pope's last words were "the prayer of a saint that loved life until the good Lord called him to himself," reported an article Sunday in Italy's La Republica newspaper. The doctor continued: "Pope John Paul II was cared for until the last moment of his life, when at 9:37 p.m. on April 2, 2005, he breathed his last. "It is true that he had... Zenit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1900411/posts#comment Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:00:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1897491/posts Vatican City - Doctors assisting Pope John Paul II in his final days never suspended medical treatment and the pontiff did not ask them to do so, his personal physician said. Pro-euthanasia activists in Italy have said the pope refused medical treatment such as artificial respiration and feeding because he wanted to be allowed to die. The Catholic Church forbids euthanasia, which has been at the centre of a heated debate in Italy in recent months. However, the church's Catechism says medical procedures that are "burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome" can be discontinued with the permission... News24.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1897491/posts#comment Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:02:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1889698/posts Former Head of UN Population Fund Reveals Longstanding Alliance with Catholics for a Free Choice Says Catholic Church Prior to John Paul II was Easier to Work With - "With the passing of Pope Paul VI, everything became much harder" By John-Henry Westen NEW YORK, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During her 14 years at the helm of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nafis Sadik always denied the organization's abortion advocacy even in the face of overwhelming evidence.  She did not directly name her pro-life enemies nor did she reveal her allies in the battle to establish a global... LifeSiteNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1889698/posts#comment Sat, 1 Sep 2007 02:35:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811955/posts German newspaper mocks John Paul II, beatification process Apr. 4, 2007 (CWNews.com) - A caustic article about the beatification process for Pope John Paul II (bio - news), published in the German newspaper Die Welt, has drawn a protest from the Polish ambassador to Germany. Die Welt referred to the late Pontiff as "an unsympathetic old man," and included a series of tasteless jokes about the Pope and the cause for his beatification. The newspaper crudely suggested that the late Pope, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, might have won a medal at the Para-Olympics. It joked that he should have... CWNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811955/posts#comment Wed, 4 Apr 2007 18:15:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1810821/posts Poles commemorate death of Pope John Paul II 02/04/2007 - 15:24:17 Poles planned vigils and concerts today to mark the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. They also prayed for a speedy sainthood for the revered Pontiff. Vigils on the exact hour of John Paul's death, 8.37pm, were planned in the southern town of Wadowice, where the Pope was born Karol Wojtyla in 1920. They were to be held also in Krakow, where he served as priest and bishop for almost 40 years, in Warsaw and in other cities. Special concerts were planned in Warsaw, Krakow... Breaking News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1810821/posts#comment Mon, 2 Apr 2007 21:35:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1786094/posts Close friend of Pope John Paul II a communist spy? 14.02.2007 Fr. MieczysÅ‚aw MaliÅ„ski, a well-known priest from Kraków and a close friend of John Paul II from the times before Karol WojtyÅ‚a became Pope, was registered as a collaborator of the communist secret services, reveals a book based on the communist archives investigated by the Polish Roman Catholic Church historical commission. Report by Joanna Najfeld According to the documents, Fr. MaliÅ„ski was to start cooperation with the communist intelligence back in 1960s when he was in Rome. There, he was to provide information on Polish priests taking part in... Polish Radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1786094/posts#comment Fri, 16 Feb 2007 19:08:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1778077/posts   SIMEON IS OPEN TO THE LORD’S ACTION Pope John Paul II He invites us to look at the merciful action of God who pours out the Spirit on his faithful in order to bring his mysterious plan of love to fufilment"In the episode of the Presentation we can glimpse the meeting of Israel's hope with the Messiah. We can also see in it a prophetic sign of man's encounter with Christ", the Holy Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 11 December, while reflecting on the mystery of Jesus' Presentation in the temple and the significance of... EWTN.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1778077/posts#comment Fri, 2 Feb 2007 17:07:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774765/posts Exclusive from Poland: Who Was Spying on Karol Wojtyla By Gigi Riva, Thursday, January 25, 2007 Names, reports, and documents from the network of informants who kept watch over the life of the great churchman, before and after his election as pope. From "L'espresso" no. 3, January 19-25, 2007 "Wojdyla" that's how it's written. In 1949, the future pope was a misspelled name in the reports sent to the secret police by a turncoat priest in the Krakow curia. But they would get to know him very well -- and how to spell his name -- over the next forty... Canada Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774765/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jan 2007 21:02:59 GMT