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The year now ending has been a momentous one for Pope Benedict XVI and probably his busiest to date. It began with his highly controversial decision to lift the excommunications on four break-away bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, and more or less ended with his historic decision to facilitate the reception of large groups of Anglicans into the Catholic Church. But in between were many other significant events. The Pope made an eagerly anticipated pilgrimage to the Holy Land, published his first social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), held a Synod of Bishops on Africa,...

VATICAN CITY —  Pope Benedict XVI has moved Pope John Paul II one step closer to possible beatification, the milestone before sainthood. Benedict on Saturday approved a decree attesting to John Paul's heroic virtues. Benedict still must sign off on a miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession before the late pope can be beatified. Benedict put the Polish pontiff on the fast track for sainthood just weeks after his April 2, 2005 death, waiving the customary five-year waiting period and allowing the investigation into John Paul's virtues to begin immediately. Benedict also approved a decree on the heroic virtues of Pope...

Cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints reportedly voted in favor of the late Pope John Paul II having lived a life of heroic virtue, according to some Italian press reports. They report that members of the congregation voted unanimously Nov. 16 to recommend that Pope Benedict XVI formally recognize that Pope John Paul II heroically lived the Christian virtues. The Vatican would not deny or confirm the reports. The process is being carried out under strict secrecy, and officials are refusing to discuss any aspect of the cause for canonization. But if true, Pope Benedict...

Pope John Paul II regularly whipped himself in a sign of "remorse for his sins", a nun has claimed. The Pope, who died five years ago, is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. As part of the Vatican's investigation thousands of documents have been collected and examined by officials from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Among them is the testimony of Tobiana Sobodka, a Polish nun of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order, who worked for Pope John Paul in his private Vatican apartments and at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome. Sister Sobodka...

div class="noticia_imagen_contenedor" style="width: 250px;"> John Paul II Rome, Italy, Nov 17, 2009 / 11:22 am (CNA).- Vatican analyst Andrea Tornielli reported this week that the first step toward the beatification of John Paul II has already been completed.  He explained that officials at the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints have given the green light for the proclamation of the late Pope's heroic virtue.Tornielli added that only the signature of Pope Benedict XVI is needed for the proclamation to become official, noting that it “could come during Christmas, when the prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of the...

AN IRISH Catholic bishop has predicted that Pope John Paul II, who arrived in Ireland 30 years ago today, will most likely have a higher status than sainthood in the Catholic Church. The Bishop of Meath, Most Rev Michael Smith, who was centrally involved in organising the papal visit, said he would not be surprised if Pope John Paul II was made a Doctor of the Church. This, he felt, would be due to the late pope’s teachings on human sexuality but more particularly those on the dignity of the human person. Currently just 33 of the many thousands of...

Does Pope Benedict view the alleged Marian apparitions of Medjugorje differently than Pope John Paul II did? Yes, according to a recent interview featuring E. Michael Jones, a well-known American critic of the alleged apparitions. The interview has appeared in several Serbian journals. In the interview, Jones asserts that when he met with Bishop Pavao Zanic, then-ordinary of the Diocese of Mostar (in which Medjugorje is situated) in 1988, the bishop said Cardinal Ratzinger agreed with him and did not believe the alleged apparitions were authentic. But Pope John Paul II did not respond to Bishop Zanic in the...

We never know how God will use us in His divine providence to accomplish His will, but we do know His providence in how things unfold. God used my mother to save the life of Pope John Paul II through a series of events that led up to the day he was shot. My Mother, Claire LeBlanc, (photo top right), led pilgrimages to Rome for over 20 years. In advance of her trips, Cardinal Medeiros of Boston would write to the Vatican to arrange for a group pass to the Papal audience that would be waiting for her upon...

Best-selling author Piers Paul Read will be Raymond Arroyo's guest on EWTN's The World Over this Friday, 8:00 EST. Be sure to tune in to hear Mr. Read's fascinating insights into faith, literature, and his new novel, The Death of a Pope. Or watch online at the EWTN website. Already well on its way to being the Ignatius Press bestseller of the year, The Death of a Pope has been hailed as a "spiritual thrill ride" (Catholic San Francisco) an "an enjoyable and fast-paced read" (The American Catholic), an "exciting, enthralling, and unusual thriller" (Catholic Media Review), and "subtly...

Pope John Paul II’s closest aide is strongly criticizing Dr. Wanda Poltawska over her decision to publish five decades’ worth of private correspondence with the late Pontiff. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow says that Dr. Poltawska-- a psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor-- is claiming “a special relationship where none existed” and that many others corresponded privately with Pope John Paul. Father Adam Boniecki, former editor of the Polish edition of L’Osservatore Romano, countered that Pope John Paul and Dr. Poltawska had a strong relationship, like that of a brother and sister-- akin to that of St. Francis de Sales and...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The beatification of Pope John Paul II may be delayed as the Vatican seeks more documentation regarding his almost 27 years as pope, Italian newspapers reported in late May. According to the newspaper La Stampa, the chief holdup regards hundreds of letters he wrote before and after his election to Wanda Poltawska, a longtime friend and adviser to the pope. Meanwhile, the newspaper Il Giornale, reported that a commission of theologians meeting in mid-May decided the information contained in the official "positio," or position paper, was not complete enough. In particular, the newspaper cited the fact...

SEOUL (UCAN) -- A letter from the late Pope John Paul II, which saved the life of former President Thomas More Kim Dae-jung, has been made known to the public recently.   Former president Kim Dae-jung The late Pope sent the letter to then-South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan on Dec. 11, 1980, asking for "clemency" for Kim, a Catholic, who had been sentenced to death a week before.The National Archives of Korea (NAK) on May 18 revealed the contents of letter at the request of the "Kwangju Ilbo," the local daily newspaper in Gwangju (Kwangju).Former President Chun, who seized power in a...

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...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daily Blog 'Theology of the Body' for Protestants BY Tom McFeely Thursday, May 07, 2009 1:56 PM From a press release posted at associationforchurchrenewal.com: United Methodist Renewal Groups Host “Theology of the Body” Monroe, Wisconsin — United Methodist renewal groups Lifewatch and Transforming Congregations will host an educational seminar on May 21 in New Bern, NC entitled “Theology of the Body: An Ecumenical Introduction to John Paul II’s Teaching.” Professor Paul J. Griffiths of Duke Divinity School will present the late Pope’s key concepts and address such questions as: What is the real dignity of the created human person?...

In a letter written from a Turkish prison, Mehmet Ali Agca, author of the failed attempt against Pope John Paul II in 1981, claims to have renounced Islam and embraced the Catholic faith. Italian weekly Diva e people donna published the letter, French journal 7s7 reports. "I am looking for an Italian woman, who wants to correspond with me. Obviously (I hope) she is Catholic because from May 13 2007, I decided to renounce the Muslim faith and becoming a member of the Roman Catholic Church," Agca writes. "I have decided to return peacefully to the (St Peter's) square and...

Tuesday April 21, 2009 Polish Cardinal, Former Secretary to Pope JPII: Politicians, Like Pilate, Kill the Truth of the Life of the Unborn By Thaddeus M. BaklinskiKRAKOW, Poland, April 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During his Good Friday homily at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a Marian pilgrimage site near Krakow and home to a live dramatization of the Passion of Christ, Archbishop of Krakow Stanis?aw Cardinal Dziwisz called on the over 150,000 faithful present to show courage and speak the truth in defense of the dignity of human life.The Cardinal condemned abortion, euthanasia, common-law marriage, homosexual unions and in vitro fertilization.Speaking to...

Tuesday April 21, 2009 Polish Cardinal, Former Secretary to Pope JPII: Politicians, Like Pilate, Kill the Truth of the Life of the Unborn By Thaddeus M. BaklinskiKRAKOW, Poland, April 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During his Good Friday homily at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a Marian pilgrimage site near Krakow and home to a live dramatization of the Passion of Christ, Archbishop of Krakow Stanis?aw Cardinal Dziwisz called on the over 150,000 faithful present to show courage and speak the truth in defense of the dignity of human life.The Cardinal condemned abortion, euthanasia, common-law marriage, homosexual unions and in vitro fertilization.Speaking to...

  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...

Four years ago today, Pope John Paul II died after a long struggle. It was agonizing to watch the once-vibrant, globetrotting pope from Poland succumb to the ravages of Parkinson’s and related ailments. His death was a moving moment for all. The world mourned, and millions turned out for his very moving funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica.John Thavis, CNS Rome bureau chief, covered the pope almost as long as any journalist in the Vatican press corps. Here again is his reflection from 2005 on what it was like to cover a man who loved life, the church and the world...

When Jory Aebly was shot in the head, execution-style during a mugging five weeks ago in Cleveland, Ohio, that should have been the end of it. Doctors at the Metro Health Medical Center told his family it was a "non-survivable" injury, according to the hospital's Web site. But Tuesday, a very-much-alive Aebly was wheeled to a press conference before he went home in what some believe is a true "miracle," possibly good enough to help earn deceased Pope John Paul II sainthood. "It's one in a million," Dr. Robert Geertman, a neurosurgeon involved in Aebly's treatment, said in a press...

(CNS/Reuters) According to the Italian daily La Stampa, John Paul II will be beatified on April 2, 2010 — the fifth anniversary of his death. Reporter Giacomo Galeazzi reports that thanks to an acceleration in the beatification process, documents pertaining to John Paul’s cause, called the “positio,� have already been forwarded by a commission of theologians to be examined by cardinals . “This is very good news,� says Msgr. Tadeusz Pieronek, the Polish priest who has been responsible for the diocesan phase of the beatification process in Krakow, La Stampa reported. La Stampa adds that in early March, John Paul...

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...

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...

ROME, NOV. 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation wants Pope John XXIII to receive the honorary title given to those who took extraordinary measures to save Jews from the Holocaust. Baruch Tenembaum is proposing that the Italian Pope be given the title "Righteous Among the Nations" by the Yad Vashem. "If we fail to declare Pope John XXIII as 'Righteous Among the Nations,' our kids will be the ones who will do that," Tenembaum said. The Jewish leader's appeal comes as the Church has just marked the 50th anniversary of John XXIII's election to the See...

A revelation in a new documentary film which includes interviews with the late Pontiff's secretary Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz: The late Pope John Paul was wounded by a knife-wielding priest in 1982, a year after he was shot in St Peter's Square, but the injury was kept secret, his former top aide says in a documentary film. On May 12, 1982, the pope was visiting the shrine city of Fatima in Portugal to give thanks for surviving a first assassination attempt a year earlier on May 13, 1981, when he was shot in St Peter's Square by Turkish gunman Mehmet...

When Fr Roger Schutz, founder of the ecumenical monastic community at Taizé, in south-east France, attended the April 2005 funeral of Pope John Paul II, he received Communion from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. This raised a few eyebrows at the time -- Shutz was a Protestant pastor -- and gave rise to speculation that "Brother Roger", as he was always known, had secretly converted to Catholicism. This idea was supported by what subsequently came to light: that Schutz had repeatedly received Eucharistic communion from John Paul II and received the Eucharist every morning at the Catholic Mass in Taizé. The question...

p>BRESSANONE, Italy, AUG. 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that the pontificate of Pope John Paul II can be divided into two equally important parts: the years when he took the Gospel to the world and the years of his "passion." The Pope affirmed this Aug. 6 when he met with priests, deacons and seminarians of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone and answered in German six questions they asked him. The Holy Father was on vacation in the Dolomites, where he stayed at the major seminary of Bressanone. A question was offered by a 42-year-old priest who was diagnosed with multiple...

Tel Aviv- A tree blessed eight years ago by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Holy Land was the only one in its plot of land to produce olives this year, a Jewish National Fund official said. "It is a miracle," Yossi Karni from the JNF, which maintains the plot, told local media. During a visit to northern Israel, near the Sea of Galilee, John Paul blessed a tree that was planted on the Mount of Beatitudes, where according to Christian beliefs Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount. Karni noted that all the trees on the...

Dear sons and brothers and friends in Jesus Christ, ON THIS SOLEMNITY of the Ascension of our Lord, the Pope is happy to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice with you and for you. I am happy to be with the students and staff of the Venerable English College in this year in which you are celebrating your fourth centenary. And today, in a special way, I feel spiritually close to you, to your parents and families, and to all the faithful of England and Wales – to all who are united in the faith of Peter and Paul, in the faith...

On April 16, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI will mark his 81st birthday with, among other things, a visit to the White House — only the second such visit by a pope in American history. There, he will sit down with President George W. Bush, who will have welcomed him the day before at Andrews Air Force Base. The New York Times and National Public Radio can be expected to run analyses focusing on how this president and this Pope disagree on the war in Iraq, just as they did in every story they ran on President Bush and the late...

Vatican City, 2 April (AKI) - At a special mass to mark the third anniversary of the death of Polish pontiff Pope John Paul II, his sucessor Pope Benedict XVI, on Wednesday described him as a "servant of God". Benedict praised John Paul II's "many human and supernatural qualities" including "an exceptional spiritual and mystical sensibility." "It sufficed to watch him as he prayed: he literally immersed himself in God and, during those moments, it seemed as if everything else was foreign to him," Benedict XVI said in a sermon delivered before a crowd of over 60,000 Catholic faithful that...

British Xmas card mocks Polish pope 06.12.2007 Poles in the UK protest against a Christmas card which features John Paul II and George W. Bush. The deceased John Paul II is lying on a catafalque. George Bush is standing over him. The speech bubble next to his face says: "What happened to Santa?". This Christmas card is selling like hot cakes in Britain, causing outrage amongst the Polish community. Poles have already informed they would organise street protests. "It's appalling. Using the image of the deceased Holy Father is a scandal. Muslims protested at the cartoons deriding Muhammad. Why should...

The late Pope John Paul II is the star in a new “trip hop� music video backed by the Vatican which is expected to challenge for the number one slot in the Christmas DVD charts. With music composed by British composer Simon Boswell, an agnostic who made his name scoring for Italian horror movies, Santo Subito! is intended to build on the growing cultic veneration of the late Pope and add impetus to the campaign to make him a saint. The DVD, to be launched in the UK by Universal, the company that publishes Amy Winehouse, takes its title...

School to be named after John Paul II By AMANDA STEWART astewart@potomacnews.com Thursday, October 11, 2007 Prince William County's first Catholic high school will bear the name of the late Pope John Paul II, Bishop Paul S. Loverde announced Wednesday. The new school, currently under construction on the Cherry Hill Peninsula, will be called Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School, Arlington Catholic Diocese officials said. The name choice was welcome news to some area residents, who sent letters and a petition to the diocese last year, asking that the new school be named for the late pope. Southbridge...

<p>The Vatican has warned Roman Catholics that buying relics is sacrilege, after reports that pieces of former Pope John Paul II's clothes were for sale online.</p> <p>The website of the Holy Diocese of Rome has been offering small pieces of John Paul II's white cassock as part of the campaign to beatify him.</p>

In a provocative article, an Italian medical professor argues that Pope John Paul II didn't just simply slip away as his weakness and illness overtook him in April 2005. Intensive care specialist Dr. Lina Pavanelli has concluded that the ailing Pope's April 2 death was caused by what the Catholic Church itself would consider euthanasia. She bases this conclusion on her medical expertise and her own observations of the ailing pontiff on television, as well as press reports and a subsequent book by John Paul's personal physician. The failure to insert a feeding tube into the patient until just a...

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 13, 2007 (Zenit.org).- People who want to receive a relic "ex indumentis" -- from the clothing -- or a holy card of Pope John Paul II, may do so by writing to the Vicariate of Rome. The Vicariate of Rome is accepting requests via mail, fax or e-mail for the religious items. The petition should be sent to "Holy Cards and Relics Service," and should indicate a shipping address. The holy cards contain the prayer to obtain graces through the intercession of the Servant of God John Paul II and can be requested in English, German, Spanish,...

VATICAN CITY — After a season of apparent policy slip-ups, Pope Benedict XVI is shuffling top advisers and bringing in veteran diplomats closely identified with Vatican policy in Iraq and the Middle East. On Monday, Benedict restored an office that specializes in relations with Muslims, a year after he was criticized for disbanding it. He appointed French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Vatican's foreign affairs chief from 1990 to 2003, as president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, raising the office's profile. Tauran was one of the strongest Vatican opponents of U.S. plans to invade Iraq, saying a unilateral military...

CHURCH GREW IN UNDERSTANDING OF MARY’S ROLE Pope John Paul II Down the centuries, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has sought to understand more clearly the revealed truth about the Mother of God"The sparse information on Mary's earthly life is compensated by its quality and theological richness, which contemporary exegesis has carefully brought to light", the Holy Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 8 November, as he continued his reflections on the Virgin Mary. The Pope's catechesis on Mary in Sacred Scripture and theological reflection was the fourth in the series on the...

May 13, 2007 -- POPE John Paul II had spoken on many stages before, but not until now had the late pontiff preached from the Great White Way. You see, decades before he became his faith’s spiritual father, Pope John Paul II was a Polish actor and dramatist named Karol Wojtyla. Beginning Wednesday and continuing through June 17, the Storm Theatre, a Midtown group founded in 1997, will kick off a monthlong Wojtyla Festival with two of Pope John Paul II’s better-known works, “The Jeweler’s Shop” and “Our God’s Brother.” The second part of the festival will continue in the...

As Pope John Paul II's sainthood cause rolled forward, two people close to him have offered quite different insider accounts of his life and times. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, the late pope's personal secretary for 39 years, has produced a conversational memoir called "A Life with Karol." In anecdotal fashion, it sketches many of their major and minor experiences together. Pope Benedict XVI has meanwhile released "John Paul II: My Beloved Predecessor," a more analytical look at the philosophical and theological impact of his pontificate. Although the books focus on the same subject, they don't make for redundant reading....

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...

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...

The diocesan phase of John Paul II’s Cause is concluded CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 6:25 pm Today the diocesan phase of the cause for beatification of Servant of God John Paul II was closed.  The documents were sealed up in boxes. Cardinal Ruini (who runs the diocese of Rome for the Pope while the Pope is being Pope) with the stoke of a pen closed the juridical procedure.  The whole shooting match was sent across the river to the Vatican. Causes or processes are conducted in the place where the person died or where the claimed miracle...

Roman Catholic Church officials passed a key milestone in the drive to make Pope John Paul II a saint Monday, closing an investigation into his life during a ceremony on the second anniversary of the beloved pontiff's death.Also Monday, church officials from France delivered to the Vatican a dossier detailing the purported miraculous cure of a nun who prayed to John Paul — a key requirement for beatification, the last step before possible sainthood.The remarkably fast pace underscores the Church's keen interest in beatifying John Paul and responding to the calls of "Santo Subito" or "Sainthood Immediately!" that erupted after...

Theology, not Politics Ron Paul, April 11, 2005 Members of Congress from both political parties outdid themselves last week in heaping praise upon Pope John Paul II in the wake of his passing. Many spoke at length on the floor of the House of Representatives, and some even flew to Rome for his funeral. I?m happy to witness so many politicians honoring a great man of God and peace. The problem, however, is that so few of them honored him during his lifetime by their actions as legislators. In fact, most members of Congress support policies that are totally at...

Paris, Mar 30, 2007 / 12:13 pm (CNA).- “All I can tell you is that I was sick and now I am cured.  It is for the church to say and to recognize whether it is a miracle,” so said the 46 year-old Religious Sister who many think may have been miraculously cured through the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II.  The French nun, the identity of whom was unknown to the world until this week, spoke to the press in today. According to the Associated Press, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre stopped short of declaring her recovery a...

PARIS (AP) — Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre is the French nun whose testimony of a mystery cure from Parkinson’s disease will likely be accepted as the miracle the Vatican needs to beatify Pope John Paul II, an official at the Paris maternity hospital where she works said Wednesday. The identity of the nun has been one of the Catholic Church’s most closely guarded secrets. The nun says that she was cured of Parkinson’s after she and her community of nuns prayed to John Paul. The nun, a member of the ‘‘Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood’’ in Aix-en-Provence in southeast France,...

The Rome diocese has wrapped up its examination of Pope John Paul II's virtues and life, an important step in the Catholic Church's process that could lead to sainthood for the late pontiff.Rome Cardinal Camillo Ruini said Saturday he had been informed that completion of work by the diocese on the cause for beatification and sainthood will be marked with a ceremony in St. John's Lateran Basilica on April 2 in the capital. The date is the second anniversary of John Paul's death.All pontiffs serve as bishop of Rome, and so the diocese examined "the life, virtues and reputation for...

Pope once tried to bar Dylan concert March 08, 2007 5:16 PM EST VATICAN CITY, Mar 8, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Pope Benedict XVI tried to bar Bob Dylan from a Roman Catholic youth rally in Italy, fearing he was a prophet whose message differed from Pope John Paul II's. In his memoirs about his predecessor, Pope Benedict recalled events of the World Eucharist Congress in Bologna, Italy, in 1997, and the 300,000-plus crowd about to hear Dylan's songs and their messages that didn't necessarily mirror church teachings, the Telegraph said Wednesday. "The Pope appeared tired, exhausted. At that...