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Pope John Paul I: History
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The funeral of Pope John Paul II saw the single largest gathering of heads of state in history who had come together to pay their respects. A rare solar eclipse at sunset throughout Central and South America closed the day of John Paul II's burial.
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Though not immune to harsh criticism, Pope John Paul II was considered by many as one of the greatest moral leaders of the world in recent history. Movements to call him "Pope John Paul the Great" and speculation for future beatification and canonization into sainthood, testify to the public respect gained by the Pope. As his mission by virtue of his office, Pope John Paul II emphasized what he called the universal call to holiness and attempted to define the Roman Catholic Church's role in the modern world. He spoke out against communism, imperialism, materialism, Nazism, racism, oppression and unrestrained capitalism. He defended traditional Roman Catholic teachings on human life by opposing abortion, contraception, human cloning, capital punishment, euthanasia, and war. He ... defended traditional Roman Catholic teachings on marriage by opposing divorce and same-sex marriage.
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John Paul II traveled more widely than any pope in history, journeying to six continents and speaking twice at the United Nations. He ... left what may be the largest body of papal teaching ever. And throughout these journeys and these numerous papal documents runs the theme of the dignity and rights of the human person, above all the right to life.
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John Paul II is possibly the most athletic Pope in history. In his youth, he played soccer as a goal-keeper, took daring swims in the flooded Skawa River, and enjoyed skiing, hiking, mountain climbing and kayaking
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John Paul II has beatified and canonised far more saints than any other previous pope in history. Whether he has canonised more saints than all his predecessors put together, as is sometimes claimed, is difficult to prove as the records of many early canonisations are incomplete or missing.
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According to John Paul II, the trips symbolized efforts of bridge building across nations and religions attempting to remove divisions created through history. He ... canonized more people than all his predecessors combined, making sure the Communion of Saints reflected the various cultures of the world and that women and lay people were represented more fully.
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