He Crossed the Threshold of Hope
“I come as a pilgrim of love, of truth and of hope”
- from the pope’s 1998 visit to Cuba
In what has been labeled as the “largest funeral in modern times”, Johannes Paulo II or more universally known as Pope John Paul II, came home to the embrace of his Holy Creator and laid to rest in the very bedrock of Catholicism – St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
The 264th pontiff (and the first non-Italian in 455 years) stood at the helm of the Catholic Church for 26 years, an era marked by immense global upheavals and unparalleled developments. In a world constantly burdened by poverty, wars and hopelessness, John Paul II was an indefatigable beacon of light amidst the prevailing darkness.
He preached his message of openness and forgiveness, conducted inter-faith dialogues and espoused the revival of the “culture of life” from Albania to Zimbabwe. Along the way, he effected changes, advocated the return to a strong sense of morality and spoke about the evils of Capitalism. Yet, he was always accorded the warmest of welcomes wherever his travels took him.
Historians credit him for aiding in the downfall of Communism, thereby lifting the Iron Curtain enveloping his native Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe. On the other end of the spectrum, critics blame him for contributing to the spread of the AIDS epidemic due to his hardline stance on birth control and for stifling the growing clamor towards a more open-minded and liberal Church.
Many of us will tend to disagree with his beliefs and policies, but it is impossibly hard not to like the man for his radiant warmth and unassailable integrity.
More than 120 countries were blessed to have been touched by his presence. His visits to Cuba and Israel were milestones for the Church. He even took the bold step of apologizing for the Vatican’s apathy and indifference to the Jews in the aforementioned Israel sojourn. Indeed, this was a religious figure unafraid to face up to the mistakes and misgivings of his Church’s past.
No destination was too far and no government too tyrannical for the most traveled pontiff in history. Not even an assassin’s bullet could deter his universal quest to spread his message of love and hope.
We Filipinos were blessed twice over as John Paul II made two memorable and momentous pilgrimages to a country he considers close to his heart.
The first one, in 1981, hardly registers to us twentysomethings of today. Martial law had just ended then (albeit hastened by his visit) and he was in town to beatify one of our own – Lorenzo Ruiz (now a saint). It’s worth noting that the Holy See rarely conducts beatification rites outside of the Vatican. Millions of Filipinos welcomed him like he was a long-awaited house guest. In turn, the visit would mark the start of a special relationship between Karol and Juan de la Cruz.
It would take another 14 years before he would return but the long wait would be overshadowed by the ecstatic response and the mammoth crowds that welcomed his “homecoming”. The entire country was transfixed by “papal-mania” for days on end and the World Youth Day of 1995 would stand out in history for the way it captivated a country, the world and a very visibly-pleased Pope.
No surprise then that the archipelago was recently gripped in a massive outpouring of grief as though a part of the family had died. His demise was indeed a tragic loss to us Filipinos as the Holy Father was viewed as one of the champions of the less-privileged and downtrodden. It would almost have been criminal if GMA was not personally there to attend the funeral rites in behalf of the Filipino nation.
Although he had been frail and beset with numerous illnesses for the last few years, he seemed to have made us believed that he would live on to greet the third millennium with his abundant wisdom, charisma and infinite love for humanity.
Karol Jozef Wojtyla (1920-2005). Maggio il vostro lustro chiaro su questo mondo sempre.
