Recent Event Highlights: Pope John Paul II beatified, The death of Pope John Paul II, 100th international visit, First papal visit to a mosque in Syria, 8th World Youth Day, 50th international pastoral visit, and 25 more...
Created by USCatholic on Apr 14, 2011
Last updated: 04/26/11 at 12:26 PM
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The pope’s health is in rapid decline due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. He receives a tracheotomy to assist in breathing, and then a feeding tube to supply nourishment. For the first time in his pontificate he is unable to celebrate Easter liturgies.
“I leave you now with this prayer: that the Lord Jesus will reveal himself to each one of you, that he will give you the strength to go out and profess that you are Christian, that he will show you that he alone can fill your hearts. “Accept his freedom and embrace his truth, and be messengers of the certainty that you have been truly liberated through the death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. “This will be the new experience, the powerful experience, that will generate, through you, a more just society and a better world. God bless you, and may the joy of Jesus be always with you. Amen.”
After 26 years, 5 months, and 17 days as pope, John Paul II, 84, dies.
100th international visit: Croatia. Pleads with U.S. not to go to war with Iraq.
“No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity.”
Calls for addition of five new mysteries to the Rosary sequence.
Calls all U.S. cardinals and leadership of U.S. bishops’ conference to Rome to discuss growing sex-abuse scandal. President George W. Bush visits the Vatican.
First-ever papal visit to a mosque, Syria.
Celebrates Jubilee year with pilgrimage to Holy Land.
Declaration: Dominus Iesus.
“God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the Nations: We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and, asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.”
Visit to St. Louis. Papal appeal for clemency saves the life of death row prisoner Darrell Mease. Catholic- Lutheran Joint Declaration on Justification signed.
Visit to Cuba.
Synod for America.
"It’s not right that the standard of living of the rich countries should seek to maintain itself by draining off a great part of the reserves of energy and raw materials that are meant for the whole of humanity.”
Encyclicals: Evangelium Vitae, Ut Unum Sint.
Pastoral visit to U.S. East Coast.
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis declares prohibition against women priests “definitive.”
“The church has no authority whatsoever to confer prisetly ordination on women, and all the faithful are definitively bound to this judgment.”
Meets President Bill Clinton.
8th World Youth Day, Denver. Encyclical: Veritatis Splendor.
New Catechism of the Catholic Church published.
50th international pastoral visit: Portugal. Encyclical: Centisimus Annus.
The claim to build a world without God has been shown to be an illusion.
Official visits of President George H. W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev—the first time a pope met with the head of the Soviet government.
Fall of Berlin Wall and dissolution of Soviet Union. The pope is credited as being instrumental in these events.
Encyclical: Sollicitudo Rei Socialis.
10-day visit to U.S.
First interreligious World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi. First-ever papal visit to synagogue in Rome.
First World Youth Day, Rome
Visits Nicaragua. Publicly scolds Father Ernesto Cardenal. New Code of Canon Law issued.
Meets President Ronald Reagan. Meets Yasser Arafat about peace in the Middle East.
The pope is shot and wounded in St. Peter’s Square by Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca. Four days later the pope publicly forgives him. Encyclical: Laborem Exercens.
“The church cannot be an association of free thinkers.”
“Are the children to receive the arms race from us as a necessary inheritance?”
First encyclical: Redemptor Homnis. First visit to Poland. Swiss theologian Hans Küng loses license to teach theology.
Pope John Paul II meets President Jimmy Carter and is the first pope to visit the White House.
"Christ, make me become and remain the ervant of your unique power . . . your power that knows no eventide."
“Be not afraid! Open up—no, swing wide the gates to Christ. Open up to his saving power the confines of the state, open up economic and political systems, the vast empires of culture, civilization, and development .”
Elected the 264th pope, the first Polish pope and the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI (1522-23). Takes the name John Paul II.
Karol becomes a cardinal.
Karol becomes archbishop of Krakow.
Karol attends all sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
Ordained auxiliary bishop of Krakow.
Becomes assistant professor of moral theology at Catholic University of Lublin.
Ordained a priest; sent to Angelicum University in Rome.
Karol enters Krakow's underground seminary, which will lead to his name appearing on the Nazi blacklist.
Karol and his father move to Krakow.
His brother, Edmund, dies of scarlet fever.
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