Political Quotes

“I am honored to join in the celebration of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, who is marking his Silver Jubilee as the spiritual leader of more than one billion Catholics around the world. On October 16, 1978, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow, was elected Pope. This cardinal, little known outside of his native Poland, addressed a crowd of over 200,000 in St. Peter's Square that day and emotionally expressed his fears about the awesome responsibility of being chosen for such a position. He also told the world that day, ``Be not afraid.'' Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, he was installed as the Bishop of Rome and celebrated his first mass as Pope. John Paul II is the 263rd successor of St. Peter. He was the youngest Pope in over a century, the first non-Italian Pope in over 450 years, and the first Slav Pope. This man was formed at a remarkable time in human history. He knew the persecution of oppression and witnessed the false ideologies of the 20th century. He studied for the priesthood in secrecy and lived through the Nazi occupation and Communist subjugation of his native Poland.”