Bill Nelson: “I pay tribute to Pope John Paul II, not only as a leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, but also someone who was…”

“I pay tribute to Pope John Paul II, not only as a leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, but also someone who was a moral leader in our troubled world. I was privileged to have met this Pope twice in my life while representing the people of Florida. I will always remember his devotion to faith, his intellect and his charm but, mostly, I will remember his overwhelming humility. I was struck by how a man in a position of such awesome power could be so humble. And I believe people around the world saw this, too, which is why millions came to see and hear him during his visits to 129 different countries. His words of freedom and peace penetrated the human heart. John Paul II was also a man of great courage, who learned firsthand the suffering of the Polish people he later would come to serve. As a young man, he performed forced labor at the hands of the Nazis but challenged their rule. As the archbishop of Krakow, he defied communist rulers, telling his countrymen no one could take faith and hope from their hearts. He used his 26-year papacy to spread the message of freedom and peace to all corners of the world, and did so with vigor. His international trips always served a higher purpose, for he always sought to bring people together as equals in God's eyes.…”