Collection of reactions to the death of pope John Paul II

Written by Various

Friday, 22 April 2005

Collection of reactions to the death of pope John Paul II:

Statement upon the falling asleep in the Lord of Pope John Paul II
Written by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople

His Holiness Pope John Paul II, having fulfilled the duty of life, which is common to all humans, has fallen asleep in the Lord. May God give rest to his soul in the place of the living, where there is no sorrow, grief nor mourning.
Pope John Paul II envisioned the restoration of the unity of the Christians and he worked for its realization. Thus, and in order to give the mark of his papacy, he visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate only a year after his election, and together with Patriarch Demetrios declared the formation of the Joint Committee for the inception of the Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Roman Catholics. He did not hesitate before pains and sacrifices in order to bring the message of the Gospel to the entire world and to contribute to the establishment of peace. History will also recount his crucial contribution to the fall of atheistic communism. There are not many such brave men of vision, as the departed Pope. During his passage through the Hierarchy and especially through the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, he drew deep his traces on her and on the history of all humanity, and he has left behind the indelible imprint of his strong personality. Many of his initiatives have been inception of developments, which still advance today. He was a pioneer in many issues. For this reason, his death is a loss not only to his Church, but to all of Christianity as well, and to the international community in general, who desires peace and justice.
We express our deep personal sorrow and on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the resting of our beloved brother in Christ, and we share the mourning of the millions of our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters worldwide.
May his memory be eternal and may the Lord of life and death bring forth a most worthy successor, among the many personalities that adorn the hierarchy of the sister Church.
At the Patriarchate, 2 April 2005

Message of sympathy on the death of Pope John Paul II
Written by Moscow Patriarchate

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia sent a message of sympathy to Vatican on the death of Pope John Paul II
On Sunday, April 3, 2005, His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, sent a message of sympathy to His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Your Eminence!
Please allow me to express to you and to the Pleroma of the Roman Catholic Church my deepest condolences on the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Together with you, we grieve the loss that has afflicted the Roman Catholic Church.
The late Primate of the ancient Roman See was loyal to the road that he chose in his youth, he was eager to serve Christianity and to witness to it. In spite of his crippling disease, he stayed faithful to his duty, courageously taking care of his flock right up to the last moments of his life. His meekness in the face of suffering, which was accompanied by his prayer and hope for the will of the All-Merciful Lord, set an inspiring example for many people.
The pontificate of His Holiness Pope John Paul II was an entire epoch in the life of the Roman Catholic Church and of the whole world. The late Pope's personality, his labours and his ideas influenced the world history.
I hope that the new period in the life of the Roman Catholic Church will help to renew the mutual respect and brotherly Christian love between our Churches.
I pray to the Conqueror of Death and the Ruler of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ, that He should give repose to the soul of His Holiness Pope John Paul II in His heavenly abodes.
Memory eternal be to him!

Statement Upon The Death Of Pope John Paul II

"For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Romans 6:5)

After keeping vigil with so many around the globe, the news of the death of Pope John Paul II brings me profound sadness. Throughout his pastoral ministry, Pope John Paul II served our Lord and the Church with great courage and wisdom. A man of the people, he championed the cause of justice and peace not only for his native Poland but on behalf of all creation. He welcomed into his embrace people of every creed and race, but his love for young people was a special example of his care for all.

Pope John Paul II will go down in history for numerous reasons, not least of which was the length of his service in the papal ministry. But his commitment to the ecumenical movement will be remembered by many as the hallmark of his ministry. His many encyclicals contain numerous references to his desire to advance the unity of Christ's Church and he expressed longing for the day when all Christians could share the Body and Blood of Christ together. He even called for ecumenical conversations about his own papal ministry that he might better serve as a vehicle for Christian unity.

In particular, Lutherans will always remember John Paul II as the pope who fostered an unprecedented growth in Lutheran/Roman Catholic relations. Healing the wounds laid bare during the 16th century Reformation took on new meaning as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification was signed in 1999. We live in new hope that the Spirit of the Living Christ will continue that work and bring about an even stronger relationship between the two church bodies.

The cause of unity was very much at the forefront as Pope John Paul II warmly greeted me at The Vatican in 2003. From his deeply spiritual presence and his profound faith he welcomed me as a brother in Christ and together we shared our prayers that the Body of Christ might soon be one.

We give God thanks for the life and ministry of John Paul II, and we pray that God will strengthen the people of the Roman Catholic Church with the promise of Christ's resurrection during this time of grief and remembrance. We also pray that God's Holy Spirit will guide the deliberations of the College of Cardinals as they begin the process of selecting a new pope.

Mark S. Hanson
President, Lutheran World Federation
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

World Council of Churches on the Death of John Paul II

Pope John Paul II: Outstanding Figure in Modern Christendom, one of the Most Courageous Spiritual Leaders of Our Time:
Expressing the profound sadness of the World Council of Churches (WCC) following the announcement by the Holy See of the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II today, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia stated that:

"His Holiness Pope John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most courageous spiritual leaders of our time. He demonstrated this courage as much in his illness as he did through his leadership, his writings and his pronouncements. In the one ecumenical movement he constantly affirmed as irreversible the deep involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in ecumenism. In responding to the challenging issues for the church in the world, he opened a dialogue with other religious traditions, and addressed constantly issues of social justice and moral and ethical values. As an African, I recognise the importance he gave to the African synod, and the pastoral care in which he identified with the people of Africa."

The condolences were shared by WCC central committee moderator Catholicos Aram I who emphasized:

"His Holiness Pope John Paul II will remain an outstanding figure in the modern history of world Christendom. In fact, his relentless effort to make the Gospel of Christ a living reality in the life of people, his unyielding prophetic witness to make the moral values the guiding principles of human societies, his firm commitment to the cause of Christian unity, his openness to other religions with a clear vision of living together as a reconciled community in the midst of diversities, and his continuous advocacy for justice, human rights and freedom made him an exceptional figure of great achievements. As moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee and as the Armenian Catholicos of Cilicia, I had the privilege to meet His Holiness on different occasions and witnessed the strength of his faith, the depth of his wisdom and the clarity of his vision."

Statement of CEC General Secretary on the Death of Pope John Paul II

With the news of the death of Pope John Paul II, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) joins with Christians of all traditions throughout the world who now turn to God, the God of all comfort, in the most solemn prayer and reflection.

A life and ministry of epochal significance in modern Christianity has drawn to its earthly close. Recent years of increasing physical trial and suffering have been mercifully concluded, borne by the grace of him who now says to us anew "I am the resurrection and the life." We in CEC particularly remember our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church in their especial sense of loss. Yet we also join with theirs our prayers of gratitude for all the grace which was experienced through the life and witness of John Paul II.

For the churches and peoples of Europe John Paul II was a figure of special significance. As a son of Poland he bore in his own life so much of the most tragic experience of Europe in the twentieth century brought by war and oppression, first under Nazi occupation and then under communist totalitarianism. Equally, under these experiences he embodied the finest spirit of European Christianity in refusing to compromise either his faith or his humanity. As a leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland it was he who did so much to inspire the cause of freedom and human rights both in his native country and further afield in Eastern Europe. His place in the history of change in Europe during the last quarter of the twentieth century is secure. So too is his record during his long pontificate, of advocating the cause of greater European unity, the building of a "common European house" in which the Christianity of both east and west has to share.

No aspect of his witness was more widely appreciated among all Christians and people of goodwill than his continual call for peace in the world. It was a call underlined by the way he spent himself in travelling so widely, and by his capacity to communicate his convictions in a remarkably personal way even in the largest public gatherings and to young people especially.

The years of John Paul II's pontificate saw the churches of Europe journeying more closely together at many levels. We in CEC have rejoiced in our increasing co-operation with the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) which we know could not have happened without the Pope's encouragement. We cherish the recollections of being welcomed as fraternal delegates at the Special Synods of European Bishops in Rome, 1991 and 1999, during which our representatives were personally received and entertained by His Holiness. On these occasions, and when the members of the CEC-CCEE Joint Committee were received by him in Rome in 1998, we were impressed by the sincerity of his welcome, his spirituality expressed in friendship, and his affirmation that there is no alternative to the ecumenical journey.

These and other examples of his encouragement to building bridges between the Roman Catholic and other Churches have been important signs of hope to us, notwithstanding the continuance of deep theological differences, the emergence of new problems and the experiencing of some frustrations on that ecumenical journey in recent years. Hope, as the Apostle Paul says, does not disappoint us.

A time such as this naturally mingles together an immediate sense of loss and uncertainty with memory and reflection on the past. A monumental figure in our landscape is no more. But it is also a time of looking in faith and hope to the God of all ages, whose grace is unbounded and whose kingdom is to come. Our prayers for the Roman Catholic Church embrace especially those to whom will now, under God, be entrusted the solemn charge of electing the successor to Pope John Paul II. They will surely know that they are accompanied in thought and prayer by all Christians who hope for "the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace" to be strengthened in our time. To that end, above all, may they know the presence, power and leading of the Holy Spirit as they seek to be of one mind in making this choice of such moment for their own Church, for the hopes of all Christians, and for the peace and welfare of all humankind.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore.

Rev. Dr Keith Clements
General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches

Metropolitan Kirill Sent His Condolences on the Demise of His Holiness John Paul II, the Pope of Rome
On 3 April 2005, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, sent his condolences on the demise of His Holiness John Paul II, the Pope of Rome, to His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals Vatican City

Your Eminence!
It is with profound grief that I express my condolences to you and the Plenitude of the Roman Catholic Church on the passing away in the Lord of His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
The many years of the ministry of His Holiness as Primate of the Roman Catholic Church were a most important stage in modern history. The judgements of the late Pope on many problems in the life of society and on the affirmation of the eternal Christian values in and the necessity to revive the moral role of Christians in the secularizing world have always found a favourable response in our Church.
The last days of John Paul II were marked by qualities, which have gained him respect of all people. He endured his sufferings with strong faith, thus making millions of people to admire his courage.
I sincerely hope that his memory will serve the cause of building up good relations between our Churches and will be the pledge for overcoming the present difficulties.
I pray to the Lord Jesus Christ for the repose of the soul of His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria: In memory of Pope John Paul II

He was a great Pope, perhaps one of the greatest in the entire history of the Roman Catholic Church. There is no doubt that he will soon be beatified and canonized by the Church to which he dedicated his entire life.
He was the most influential religious leader of modernity, and he made an impact on the entire human civilization. Indeed, his influence went far beyond the Roman Catholic Church, which he headed for more than a quarter of a century. His message was heard and appreciated by millions of people all over the world, not only Catholics, but also Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans, Jews, Muslims, people of other faiths and, what is perhaps even more remarkable, by people of no faith. By his presence, by his words, by his smile and by his extraordinary openness he was able to attract millions of people to Christ.
In the time when secular politicians in most Western countries work hard to expel religion from the public sphere, to reduce it to the realm of private devotion, to ban it from schools, universities and from the mass media, John Paul II was a public figure of such magnitude that his every voyage was widely covered and his every pronouncement was commented by the mass media worldwide.
He was an 'orthodox' Pope in the sense of preserving traditional attitude of his Church to dogma and morality. His stand on moral issues, such as marriage and family, abortion, contraception, euthanasia and many others, very often evoked criticism on the part of those who wanted traditional values to be replaced by secular ones, and who attempted to oppose humanism to religion. By being traditional, however, the Pope was by no means less humane, being able to develop a universal humanism based on spiritual values as opposed to the atheist version of humanism. For many years he contested atheism in his own country, Poland, and he played part in the collapse of atheist totalitarian regimes in Eastern Europe, but he also contributed enormously to rediscovery of faith by many of those who lost it because of liberalism and relativism prevailing in democratic Western societies.
His life coincided with enormous geopolitical changes which altered forever the face of Europe. These changes, unfortunately, led not only to the introduction of religious freedom in those Eastern European countries where it had previously been violated, but also to the aggravation of inter-confessional situation in some regions of Eastern Europe. A number of problems arose, in particular, between the Orthodox and the Catholics in Russia and Ukraine, which prevented the leaders of the Orthodox Church in both countries from meeting with the Pope. These problems still await their solution.
I met with the Pope twice, on both occasions delivering to him a message from the Patriarch of Moscow Alexy II. On January 21, 2002, which was our second and last meeting, I was entrusted with a somewhat delicate mission of explaining to the Pope the conditions on which his meeting with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church would have been possible. He was, of course, well aware of these conditions, which had never been made a secret. Among them were an explicit rejection of all forms of proselytism on the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the recognition of the fact that uniatism could no longer be considered as a way towards Christian unity. It is to be hoped that these principles will be reflected in a common declaration of the Primates of the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox Churches, once a meeting between them does take place. Such a meeting may pave the way to a new page in the relations between these two traditional Churches, whose common and united testimony to the world would be so crucial and so timely.
The Pope's final illness and death were as extraordinary as his life and service. For several consecutive days, minute by minute, all leading world media covered the developing story of his agony, while at the same time commenting on his long service to humanity. Even by laying silently on his deathbed John Paul II was still able to spread the Christian message of hope and resurrection.
May his soul rest in peace and may his memory be eternal.

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Last Updated ( Friday, 22 April 2005 )

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