 An enthusiastic Pope John Paul II, who came to the conclave as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, smiles after being chosen to succeed Pope John Paul I in October 1978. (CNS photo)
When Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree of heroic virtue Dec. 19, 2009, granting his predecessor the title “venerable,” he confirmed what people around the world have recognized for more than three decades. Pope John Paul II’s virtue was evident to all who observed his life or studied his teachings. His deep faith and hope were combined with a simple elegance of speech, an affinity for Bob Dylan and U2, and a wide range of interests from the great outdoors to playwriting. The late pope was truly a renaissance man, and people of all walks of life — especially young people — admired him.
John Paul II’s unique bond with youth, like his passion for life, can be traced back long before he entered the world stage. In the 1950s, as a young priest and ethics professor, Father Karol Wojtyla regularly gathered young adults together for discussion, prayer and charitable service. He even took his students on skiing and kayaking trips in southern Poland. Although Father Wojtyla was a spiritual father to this ever-growing community, his young friends would call him “Wujek” (Uncle), since the Communist government did not allow priests to lead such outings.
When he was ordained a bishop in 1958 and when he became Pope John Paul II 20 years later, Wojtyla’s special love for, and rapport with, young people continued. While celebrating Mass in Boston in 1979, during his first apostolic journey to the United States, John Paul II said, “Again and again I find in young people the joy and enthusiasm of life, a searching for truth and for the deeper meaning of the existence that unfolds before them in all its attraction and potential.”
To mark the United Nations International Year of Youth in 1985, the pope published an apostolic letter to the youth of the world and celebrated a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday of that year. Approximately 300,000 people attended the Mass, which foreshadowed future international World Youth Day celebrations throughout the world.
Five years after Venerable Pope John Paul II’s death, his influence continues to be felt throughout the Church. Inspired by his witness and teachings, innumerable men and women of the “JPII Generation” are living faithfully today as fathers, mothers, priests and religious. And the faith and hope they have received will no doubt be passed on for generations to come.
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