Pope Francis declared this summer that two of his predecessors, Popes John XXIII and John Paul II have lived documentably holy lives and are entitled to the hallowed title of saints!
No one has to be reminded about the life of Pope John Paul II. He was dramatically on the scene until less than a decade ago. While he was here on Earth, he accomplished wonders as he moved around the planet calling people to faithfulness and the world to peace.
Pope John XXIII had served earlier and his life ended in 1963.
His election was a surprise.
It followed the long reign of Pope Pius XII and most likely the cardinals were looking for someone who would not be in office too long.
There were extraordinary, new forces swirling around our battered planet: Eastern Europe was controlled by the Communists. The so-called Third World was trying to do a balancing act between the United States and its Allies and the Soviet Union.
The Cardinals elected a man who was 77-years-old.
They were right on one thing. It was a short pontificate.
He led the Catholic Church for just five years but he was both a leader and a visionary.
As a young man, Pope John had served as a soldier in the Italian Army in the First World War.
After becoming a priest, he was assigned to the Papal Diplomatic Corps and served in a number of important but difficult spots in the Balkans.
He was Papal Ambassador to France and then was appointed as a Cardinal Archbishop of Venice and then in 1958, he was elected to be the 261 Successor of St. Peter.
The world immediately fell in love with this venerable Holy Pontiff.
He was relaxed, down to earth and mixed easily with every strata of society.
He never forgot his roots. Continue reading
Image: Salt and Light TV
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