Res. No. 912

Resolution commemorating and honoring the life and achievements of Pope John Paul II and his 26 years of service as the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

By Council Members Gentile, Addabbo Jr., Avella, Baez, Barron, Dilan, Fidler, Gennaro, Gonzalez, James, Jennings, Katz, Koppell, Liu, McMahon, Nelson, Palma, Recchia Jr., Reyna, Sanders Jr., Sears, Vallone Jr., Vann, Weprin, Gioia, Comrie, Gallagher, Oddo and The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum)

Whereas, Pope John Paul II, the religious leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II was born Karol Jósef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920, the second of two sons born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II made his First Holy Communion at age 9 and was confirmed at the age of 18; and

Whereas, Beginning at an early age, Pope John Paul II suffered adversity, when his mother passed away in 1929, his eldest brother, Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 and his father, a non-commissioned army officer, died in 1941; and

Whereas, Upon graduating from Marcin Wadowita High School in Wadice, Poland, he enrolled in Cracow’s Jagiellonian University in 1938 and also enrolled in a school of drama to study theatre; and

Whereas, When the Nazi occupation forces closed the Jagiellonian University in 1939, Pope John Paul II had to work in a quarry from 1940 to 1944 and then in the Solvay Chemical Factory to earn his living and to avoid deportation to Germany; and

Whereas, In 1942, aware of calling into the priesthood, Pope John Paul II began taking courses in the clandestine seminary of Cracow, under the leadership of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, the Archbishop of Cracow; and

Whereas, When the Second World War had ended, Pope John Paul II continued his studies in the major seminary of Cracow once it reopened, and was a member of the faculty of Jagiellonian University, until his priestly ordination in Cracow on November 1, 1946; and

Whereas, After his ordination, Pope John Paul II was sent to Rome by Cardinal Sapieha, where he worked under the leadership of French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross; and

Whereas, During his time in Rome, Pope John Paul II spent his vacation time exercising his pastoral ministry among the polish immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland; and

Whereas, Upon returning to Poland in 1948, Pope John Paul II was Vicar of various parishes in Cracow, as well as the chaplain for the university students until 1951, when he began taking courses in philosophy and theology; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II also became a professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Cracow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin; and

Whereas, On July 4, 1958, Pope John Paul II was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cracow by Pope Pius XII, and was consecrated on September 28, 1958, in Wawel Cathedral in Cracow by Archbishop Baziak; and

Whereas, On January 13, 1964, Pope John Paul II was nominated Archbishop of Cracow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a Cardinal on June 26, 1967; and

Whereas, During his time as Cardinal, Pope John Paul II took part in Vatican Council II, made important contributions to the elaboration of the Constitution Gaudium et spe, and participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II began his Pontificate on October 16, 1978, becoming the 264^th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church; and

Whereas, During his Pontificate, Pope John Paul II completed over 100 pastoral visits outside Italy and over 140 inside of Italy, and as the Bishop of Rome, a title he held as the Pope, he visited 317 of the 333 parishes under Rome’s jurisdiction; and

Whereas, During his Pontificate, Pope John Paul II wrote numerous documents including 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions and 45 apostolic letters; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II also authored and published five books, including “Crossing the Threshold of Hope,” “Gift and Mystery: On the 50^th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination," “Roman Triptych - Meditations,” “Rise, Let Us Be on Our Way,” and “Memory and Identity;” and

 Whereas, Pope John Paul II presided at 147 beatification ceremonies and 51 canonization ceremonies, held nine consistories in which he created 231 Cardinals, plus one Cardinal in pectore, which means a secret Cardinal in his heart; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II convened six plenary meetings of the College of Cardinals and, since 1978, presided at 15 Synods of Bishops; and

Whereas, During Pope John Paul’s Pontificate, more than 17.6 million pilgrims have participated in the general audiences held on Wednesdays in The Vatican; and

Whereas, During his Pontificate, Pope John Paul II met numerous government officials during 38 official visits and held more than 730 meetings with Heads of State and more than 246 meetings with Prime Ministers; and

Whereas, Pope John Paul II was a tireless advocate of human rights, especially for those who lived in Eastern Europe under Communist rule during the Cold War; and

Whereas, During his Pontificate, Pope John Paul II also strived to improve relations between members of Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths; and

Whereas, The recent death of Pope John Paul II saddened millions of people around the world, many of whom looked to him for spiritual guidance and others who were touched by his compassion and generosity toward all humanity; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York commemorates and honors the life and achievements of Pope John Paul II and his 26 years of service as the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

LS#2732

RA

4/7/2005

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