Tag: Pope John Paul II

On
Fr. Robert Barron

How saintly popes modeled virtue

On April 27, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (Pope John XXIII) and Karol Jozef Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) were recognized as saints of the Catholic Church, and may God be praised for it!

No one with the slightest amount of historical sensibility would doubt that these men were figures of enormous significance and truly global impact.

But being a world historical personage is not the same as being a saint; otherwise neither Thérèse of Lisieux, nor John Vianney, nor Benedict Joseph Labré would be saints.

What is a saint?

So what is it that made these two men worthy particularly of canonization? Happily, the Church provides rather clear and objective criteria for answering this question. A saint is someone who lived a life of “heroic virtue” on earth and who is now living the fullness of God’s life in heaven.

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Kenneth R. Studinski

Why observing Divine Mercy Sunday is so special

To the editor:

This is in response to your Editor’s View piece in the April 24 issue, in particular the paragraphs headlined “Observing Divine Mercy Sunday.” Thank you for writing about it.

The first paragraph seems to indicate that there is some choice on the part of Pope Francis to observe Divine Mercy Sunday. My understanding is that Pope John Paul II made it part of our faith through a papal bull and thus infallible. Pope Francis’ choosing to canonize both new saints on Divine Mercy Sunday is because both are involved in Christ’s request that it be so.

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George Weigel

John XXIII and John Paul II: Canonizing the bookends

Pope Francis’ bold decisions to canonize Blessed John XXIII without the normal post-beatification miracle and to link good Pope John’s canonization ceremony to that of Blessed John Paul II just may help re-orient Catholic thinking about modern Catholic history.

For what Francis is suggesting, I think, is that John XXIII and John Paul II are the twin bookends of the Second Vatican Council — and thus should be canonized together.

Summoning an ecumenical council

On January 25, 1959, less than three months after his election, John XXIII surprised the Catholic world by announcing that he would summon the 21st ecumenical council in history.

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Paul Kokoski

Blessed John Paul II was model witness to Christ

To the editor:

I am thrilled that Pope John Paul II, a man of deep faith, will soon be proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church! The Holy Father was an inspiration and a model witness to the life of Christ; a shepherd of truth immersed in profound humility and immense love for both God and man.

His many writings and tireless, worldwide pilgrimages of faith have been a source of strength, encouragement, confidence, optimism, and enlightenment not only to Catholics but to all men of good will.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Defending life: It’s something people of many faith traditions are doing together

In the 40 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, many people in the Catholic Church have been in the forefront of the pro-life movement to counteract the court’s decision.

Over the years, however, it’s been obvious that people of many different faith traditions have also been involved in defending the right to life. I can remember Lutherans, Baptists, evangelical Christians, and others who attended the annual Respect Life march at our state Capitol in January in past years, followed by an ecumenical prayer service at St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.

This might have been the first time some people of other faiths had entered a Catholic church! We Catholics also had the opportunity to see how other denominations prayed and sang.

People of many different faiths have also been active in pro-life outreach efforts such as CareNet Pregnancy Center, Elizabeth House, Pregnancy Helpline, the Women’s Care Center, and Vigil for Life in the Madison area. I have been impressed by the commitment of so many people to these efforts to assist parents in choosing life for their unborn babies and to help those in need after the babies are born.

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John Ronzani

Guest column offered fair and balanced contribution

To the editor:

I would like to congratulate Dr. Constance Nielsen on her fair and balanced contribution to the guest column that was published in the Catholic Herald on March 3.

A couple of weeks ago, referring to Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens 20, Archbishop Listecki partially and one-sidedly commented on the rights and value of unions. Nielsen dared to go beyond the archbishop’s blind spot by quoting the precarious aspect that John Paul II emphasized in LE 20.

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Mark Herman

Disappointed that author undermined sanctity of labor

To the editor:

I read the guest article in the Catholic Herald regarding the current labor situation in Wisconsin with deep disappointment.

The author clearly sought to undermine the Catholic moral principle of regard for the sanctity of labor and the right to form unions by selective use of quotations. The author suggests that Church doctrine does not encompass unions representing public workers, or unions that are politically active. This is simply not true.

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Fr. Donald Lange

Roe vs. Wade challenges us to protect the unborn

In 1925 Dorothy Day became pregnant. Because of a previous abortion, her pregnancy seemed a miracle. Now she had to make the toughest decision she ever made. If she gave birth, Forster Batterham, the child’s father, would probably leave her. He would stay with her if she aborted their baby.

On March 4, 1926, Dorothy gave birth to Tamar Teresa. She had her baptized and raised her as a Catholic. Later, Dorothy Day became a Catholic. Her decision caused her to lose the man she loved. But she gained salvation for herself and Tamara.

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