TWO VERSIONS OF THIS TEXT ARE INCLUDED BELOW ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS VERSION IS INTENDED TO BE PUBLISHED ONLY IF POPE JOHN PAUL IS STILL ALIVE April 1, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved Father John -- profile of a remarkable Pope By Joanna Griffin LONDON, April 1, Graphic News: There can be few individuals whose leadership has been as significant as that of Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who has revolutionised the Papacy while remaining faithful to an unchanging, conservative Roman Catholic vision of a better world. Looking back on more than 26 years as head of the Catholic church -- apart from St Peter himself, only the 19th century Pope Pius IX has held the job for longer -- one is struck by Pope John PaulÕs influence at key points in history, and it is perhaps this that marks his pontificate as such an extraordinary one. John PaulÕs appointment itself marked a departure for the Roman Catholic Church: Karol Wojtyla was just 58 when he succeeded Pope John Paul I and became the youngest pope of the 20th century. That appointment capped a rapid though unspectacular rise through church ranks -- he became Archbishop of Krakow in 1964. His background as a young man in Nazi-occupied Poland and subsequent years as a priest in a communist state would shape his strong character and, some say, inflexible approach. He is said to have discouraged disagreement among colleagues at the Vatican. Almost immediately after becoming Pope, John Paul set about transforming the way in which the Roman Catholic Church was perceived; he travelled widely and visits to more than 100 countries were relayed via television. Everywhere he went John Paul met and greeted members of his billion-strong flock, further bolstering his popularity. Not only was he less physically remote than predecessors who had remained shrouded behind the Vatican walls, John Paul actively sought a diplomatic role and spoke out on world politics. His backing of the Solidarity movement in Poland is credited with helping to end communism. More recently, he opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Indeed, one paradox of John PaulÕs rule might appear to be that he has kept in step with debates on many burning issues of the day while remaining a conservative with a traditional agenda: he has prompted criticism for refusing to budge on issues such as the ordination of women priests, homosexuality and birth control. Some accuse him of wanting to keep Catholics out of touch with a changing world. Yet he has won supporters through his passion for social justice, which has informed his involvement on human rights debates: he is opposed to cloning and euthanasia, and once accused the West of fostering Òa culture of deathÓ. He is a firm opponent of authoritarian regimes but equally harsh on the excesses of western capitalism. Another paradox, perhaps, is that in reaching out, he has sometimes alienated people: he was the first Pope to enter a mosque and won praise for visiting Islamic countries in the wake of September 11, but Buddhist priests in Sri Lanka boycotted his visit there after he was quoted as saying that Buddhism was Òan aesthetic systemÓ. In 1981 he was shot and injured by a Turkish fanatic in St PeterÕs Square. For more than a decade Pope John Paul II has been dogged by ill-health, including ParkinsonÕs Disease, crippling arthritis and, most recently, severe respiratory problems -- all of which prompted not only speculation over a possible successor but also debate on whether he should step aside. His pontificate is inevitably nearing its end, but until it does, the increasingly frail Pope can credit himself with investing his position with perhaps the strongest moral authority in our modern world. /ENDS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS VERSION IS INTENDED TO BE PUBLISHED ONLY AFTER POPE JOHN PAULÕS DEATH April 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved Father John -- profile of a remarkable Pope By Joanna Griffin LONDON, April 2005, Graphic News: There can be few individuals whose leadership has been as significant as that of Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who revolutionised the Papacy while remaining faithful to an unchanging, conservative Roman Catholic vision of a better world. Looking back on more than 26 years as head of the Catholic church -- apart from St Peter himself, only the 19th century Pope Pius IX held the job for longer -- one is struck by Pope John PaulÕs influence at key points in history, and it is perhaps this that marks his pontificate as such an extraordinary one. John PaulÕs appointment itself marked a departure for the Roman Catholic Church: Karol Wojtyla was just 58 when he succeeded Pope John Paul I and became the youngest Pope of the 20th century. That appointment capped a rapid though unspectacular rise through church ranks -- he became Archbishop of Krakow in 1964. His background as a young man in Nazi-occupied Poland and subsequent years as a priest in a communist state would shape his strong character and, some said, inflexible approach. It was said that he discouraged disagreement among colleagues at the Vatican. Almost immediately after becoming Pope, John Paul set about transforming the way in which the Roman Catholic Church was perceived; he travelled widely and visits to more than 100 countries were relayed via television. Everywhere he went John Paul met and greeted members of his billion-strong flock, further bolstering his popularity. Not only was he less physically remote than predecessors who had remained shrouded behind the Vatican walls, John Paul actively sought a diplomatic role and spoke out on world politics. His backing of the Solidarity movement in Poland is credited with helping to end communism. More recently, he opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Indeed, one paradox of John PaulÕs rule might appear to be that he kept in step with debates on many burning issues of the day while remaining a conservative with a traditional agenda: he prompted criticism for refusing to budge on issues such as the ordination of women priests, homosexuality and birth control. Some accused him of wanting to keep Catholics out of touch with a changing world. Yet he won supporters through his passion for social justice, which informed his involvement on human rights debates: he was opposed to cloning and euthanasia, and once accused the West of fostering Òa culture of deathÓ. He was a firm opponent of authoritarian regimes but equally harsh on the excesses of western capitalism. Another paradox, perhaps, is that in reaching out, he sometimes alienated people: he was the first Pope to enter a mosque and won praise for visiting Islamic countries in the wake of September 11, but Buddhist priests in Sri Lanka boycotted his visit there after he was quoted as saying that Buddhism was Òan aesthetic systemÓ. In 1981 he was shot and injured by a Turkish fanatic in St PeterÕs Square. In recent years the Pope had been dogged by ill-health, including ParkinsonÕs disease and crippling arthritis, culminating in the severe respiratory problems of his final weeks -- all of which prompted not only speculation over a possible successor but also debate on whether he would step aside. His pontificate has now reached its natural end, but the late Pope John Paul II can be credited with investing his position with perhaps the strongest moral authority in our modern world. /ENDS