X-Nico

67 unusual facts about Pope John Paul II


Alexander Abdullin

Order of Saint Prince Vladimir of the I and II class, Diploma of Pope John Paul II, and the medal "For Merits» of the I class (Union of Afghanistan Veterans)

Antonio Socci

He is best known for coverage of Catholic Church topics, including general history and subjects such the Secrets of Fatima and the works of Pope John Paul II.

Apostolic Nunciature to Ukraine

On this day, Pope John Paul II issued briefs «Ucrainam Nationem», where he founded the Apostolic Nunciature in Ukraine.

Bernhard Fritsch

In 1999, Fritsch presented Pope John Paul II with a $50,000 donation for the Papal Council Cor Unum, the coordinating body for all the Catholic Church’s charitable institutions.

Brendan Shine

The song stayed in the Top 50 for over 40 weeks and Shine performed the song to Pope John Paul II when the Pope visited Ireland.

Bruno Vespa

During the 1970s and 1980s, he undertook several controversial and ground-breaking projects, mainly as a foreign correspondent for RAI, interviewing many soon-to-be-influential personalities of the decades (for example, Vespa interviewed then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła in 1977, a full year before his election to the pontificate).

Cape Froward

On the cape's hill was built a large metallic cross (Cruz de los Mares, Cross of the Seas) in honor to John Paul II Pope's visit to Chile, back in 1987, it was first built in 1913, and several times in between due to the harsh weather.

Cherry Creek State Park

On August 15, 1993, Cherry Creek State Park was the location for the papal mass of the 8th World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II.

Church of St. George, Istanbul

Some of the bones of these two saints, which were looted from Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, were returned to the Church of St George by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

Color Esperanza

In 2003, the song was performed specially by Torres for the Pope John Paul II in Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid, Spain by the festival of the Youth, in order to welcome the Pope.

Cremisan Valley

The main monastery, housed in a building featuring stone floors, thick walls and high arched ceilings, is decorated with pictures of Pope John Paul II and Don Bosco.

Daniel Seaman

Seaman received the Israel Outstanding Civil Service Award in 2000 for coordinating the international press coverage of Pope John Paul II's visit to the Holy Land in March 2000.

Douglas Roche

In 1995, Pope John Paul II presented him with the Papal Medal for his service as Special Adviser on disarmament and security matters.

Eileen Wu

Eileen has gone on to report on topics such as the Republican National Convention and the death of Pope John Paul II.

Estádio Couto Pereira

The general stadium's attendance record was set on August 5, 1980, when 70,000 people came to see the Pope John Paul II.

Fiorenza Cedolins

In 2005 she performed Verdi’s Requiem at the Auditorium of Santa Cecilia in Rome, conducted by Zubin Mehta; at the requiem mass for Pope John Paul II; and on tour in Frankfurt and Vienna with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, conducted by Riccardo Chailly.

Gabriele Paolini

On March 5, 1995, Paolini personally disguised a condom as a request in a paper and gave it to Pope John Paul II at a church in Rome.

Georgina Island

On a neighbouring island Pope John Paul II stayed on Strawberry Island for four days just before World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto.

Holy Cross Church, Gampaha

An Apostolic Blessing certificate was received from Pope John Paul II for the 75th anniversary of Holy Cross Church in 1991.

Ioannes Paulus II Peninsula

The feature is named after Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) for his contribution to world peace and understanding among people.

Iveta Apkalna

In 1993 she was the official organist in service at Aglona basilica (Latvia) during the visit of Pope John Paul II.

Jacqueline Milczarek

She has earned two RTNDA Awards for coverage of Pope John Paul's visit to Canada during the World Youth Day in 2002 as well as for a story about a man who recovered from a coma.

Jennifer Paige

Paige toured the world, sang for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, was nominated for Best New Artist and performed at the World Music Awards, while promoting her music.

John J. Studzinski

Pope John Paul II made Studzinski a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory.

John Paul Stevens High School

In 1987, Pope John Paul II held Mass on the site that Stevens High School was eventually built on.

John-Paul Lee

Originally given a Korean name, Chang Sun Lee, he was renamed John-Paul Lee upon being blessed by Pope John Paul II in Washington, D.C. He moved to Seoul, Korea at the age of 10 where he spent 5 years of his childhood and returned to Virginia in 2003.

Józef Wesołowski

He was ordained a priest in Kraków on 21 May 1972 by Karol Cardinal Wojtyła, later Pope John Paul II.

Juan Pablo Esperanza, Amigo del Alma

The single with just one song was recorded because of the visit of the Pope John Paul II to Mexico.

Knock, County Mayo

Pope John Paul II, a supporter of devotion to the Virgin Mary, visited Knock in 1979 to commemorate the centenary of the apparition.

Kristiyan Koev

Kristiyan Koev is the only musician who performs Flute solo concert in honour of Charles, Prince of Wales during his diplomatic visit in Italy and the only musician who performs solo concert at the birthday celebration of Pope John Paul II.

La Vang

Though there is no official Vatican recognition of this event as a Marian apparition, on June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II publicly recognized the importance of Our Lady of La Vang and expressed desire to rebuild the La Vang Basilica in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first vision.

Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces

In 1993, during a visit of Pope John Paul II to Lithuania, thousands of volunteers helped the police maintain public order.

Luis Fernando Figari

In 2002, Pope John Paul II named Figari as Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

M'banza-Kongo

Pope John Paul II visited the site during his tour of Angola in 1992.

Maria Teresa of St. Joseph

On December 20, 2002 Pope John Paul II declared Mother Maria Teresa of St. Joseph venerable.

Más Allá

This song was also sung to Pope John Paul II on the celebration of his 50 years of Priesthood.

Miguel Ángel Alba Díaz

He was appointed bishop for the Diocese of Fessei and auxiliar bishop for the Archdiocese of Oaxaca by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 1995, and consecrated on July 25, in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Adolfo Antonio Suárez Rivera.

Nancy McKeon

While McKeon was on The Facts of Life, she and her parents, all devout Catholics, were granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II.

New Evangelization Television

Inspired by the call from Pope John Paul II for "New Evangelization" in the media, the channel revamped its image, mission and name on December 8, 2008, becoming New Evangelization Television.

Oleg Makara

His project “Toleration” (1995 – 1996) was dedicated to the Pope John Paul II and was screened on Slovak Television during his first visit in post-communist Slovakia.

Oliver Plunkett

(He has since been followed by 17 other Irish martyrs who were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1992. Among them were Archbishop Dermot O'Hurley, Margaret Ball, and the Wexford Martyrs.)

Oliver, Edmonton

Originally St. Joseph's Cathedral, the name was changed when Pope John Paul II visited Edmonton during his visit to Canada in 1984.

Paranoimia

The 7" single features a monologue about Max Headroom being scared and unable to sleep (hence "Paranoimia", a portmanteau of "paranoia" and "insomnia"). The 12" has a completely different vocal with Headroom as a master of ceremonies, talking about the music and introducing the band (which he claims comprises Peter O'Toole, Martina Navratilova, Cher and the Pope).

Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov

On March 18, 1982 he became archbishop of Bamenda when his diocese was elevated to archdiocese by Pope John Paul II.

Philip Duffy

Of particular note was the celebration of Mass by Pope John Paul II in the Cathedral in 1982 which was broadcast to a worldwide audience.

Pierreville, Quebec

During the visit of Pope John Paul II to Canada in 1984, the company modified a GMC Sierra truck for use as a Popemobile, a secure form of transport built to withstand a commando attack.

Płonkowo

The church contains the remains of Marian Skrzypczak, who was shot in Płonkowo in 1939 by Hitler youth, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

Pope John Paul II's relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church

In 1998, he beatified Aloysius Stepinac, the Croatian war-time Archbishop of Zagreb, a move seen negatively by those who believe that he was an active collaborator with the Ustaše fascist regime, which committed genocide against Serbs as well as Jews.

He held a mass at the Petrićevac monastery, a place of considerable controversy and distress, both during World War II and during the Yugoslav wars.

On his arrival, the Patriarch and the President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu, greeted the Pope.

Richard C. Casey

In 1999, Casey travelled to Rome to meet Pope John Paul II and accept the Blessed Hyacinth Cormier, O.P., Medal for "outstanding leadership in the promotion of Gospel Values in the field of justice and ethics".

Roberta Kelly

When Pope John Paul II succeeded John Paul I in 1979, Kelly released the single "John Paul II", The single never made it onto an album, but the "Tribute to Love" did in the late 1980 release, Roots Can Be Anywhere. By this time, Kelly was no longer with Casablanca Records.

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio

All of Texas' dioceses had been suffragan sees under San Antonio until December 2004 when Pope John Paul II created the new Ecclesiastical Province of Galveston-Houston and elevated the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to a Metropolitan See.

Roman Catholicism in Afghanistan

On 16 May 2002, Pope John Paul II established a mission sui iuris for Afghanistan with Father Giuseppe Moretti as its first superior.

Roman Catholicism in the Gambia

In 1992 Pope John Paul II visited Gambia and gave further impetus to the interest in Christian-Muslim relations within the Catholic community.

Sanctuary on San Cristóbal Hill

On the pedestal there is a small chapel in which his holiness John Paul II prayed and blessed the city of Santiago on April 1, 1987.

Socrates B. Villegas

Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Manila on July 25, 2001.

St. Dominic's Church, Bahawalpur

Pope John Paul II sent a Special Envoy, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, to show his concern for the welfare of all the people and offering his prayers for peace in this region.

St. Mary's Cathedral, Jalandhar

In 1987, the demolition of the old church was initiated and the foundation stone that had been blessed by Pope John Paul II for the new church was laid on 19 April 1987 by Rt.

St. Mary's Cathedral, Punalur

Punalur Diocese was separated from the Diocese of Quilon (Kollam) and created into a separate unit by the Bull “Verba Christ” of Pope John Paul II, issued on 21 December 1985.

Steve Gaisford

Steve Gaisford has covered many breaking news stories including The Asian Tsunami, The Death of Pope John Paul II and The Madrid train bombings and from the world of sport including the live media circus that was David Beckham signing for Real Madrid.

Tenix

By the early 1980s, Transfield had in excess of 3,000 employees and an annual turnover of A$350 million.When visiting Australia in 1986 Pope John Paul II toured the Transfield factory located at Seven Hills.

Thomas Joseph Connolly

Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Connolly submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II in July 1997.

Thornwood, New York

However, due to a lack of vocations and private funds—partly due to the shocking abuse scandal caused by the order's founder, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado (who had at one time been admired by Pope John Paul II), which resulted in a Vatican investigation and revision—the entire course of Seminary studies will now be taken at the Legionaries' Seminary in Rome, Italy and the building will be sold.

Vatican Television Center

VTC produced many documentaries during the reigns of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Walter Jagiello

The highlight of Jagiello's career was performing for Pope John Paul II in 1984, who requested Wally to continue playing after his initial song, "God Bless Our Polish Pope".

Wanda Tomczykowska

St. Mary’s Cathedral boasts a reproduction of The Black Madonna of Czestochowa at which Pope John Paul II said Mass during a visit to San Francisco.


Aglona

In 1980 the Church celebrated its 200th anniversary and was officially given the status of a basilica by Pope John Paul II.

Antoine Kambanda

On 8 September 1990, Kambanda was ordained a priest in Mbare, Kabgayi by Pope John Paul II.

Bishop of Paisley

Upon the death of Bishop Black in March 1968 the Rt Rev Stephen McGill was translated by Pope Paul VI from the see of Argyll and the Isles and remained in Paisley until his retirement in March 1988 whereupon he was succeeded by the Rt Rev John Mone an auxiliary bishop of Glasgow and an appointee of Pope John Paul II.

Bovino

Karol Józef Wojtyła returned as Pope John Paul II in the 1980s in order to officially ratify the apparitions and open the church.

Burton P. C. Hall

Hall was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001, and in 2003 he was appointed a Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester (KSS) by Pope John Paul II.

Cathedral of Chihuahua

Directly opposite, on the south side, inside the Chapel of Christ of Mapimí, is the tomb of St Peter of Jesus Maldonado, a priest and martyr who was ordained in the Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick in El Paso, Texas, and canonised by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Corcovado Rack Railway

The line has been ridden by many famous people, including Pope Pius XII, Pope John Paul II, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Albert Einstein and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Estádio Romildo Vitor Gomes Ferreira

In 2005, the stadium was renamed to Estádio Papa João Paulo II, after Pope John Paul II.

Explo '72

David Hill Scott, writing for the May, 2005, edition of Christianity Today, documented the effects Explo '72 had on Pope John Paul II.

Fort Simpson

Pope John Paul II attempted to visit the community in September 1984 as part of his Canadian tour, but was prevented from landing due to fog; in an address over the radio from Yellowknife, he promised to visit in the future.

Gerard de Korte

Pope John Paul II appointed Gerard de Korte as auxiliarty bishop of the Archdiocese of Utrecht on 11 April 2001 and as titular bishop of Caesarea in Mauritania.

Guillermo Ortega Ruiz

He narrated the visits of the Pope John Paul II, Summer Olympic Games and Space Missions, as well as witnessed and reported unrest and conflicts in various countries and covered presidential campaigns.

History of Roman Catholicism in Hispano-America

However, the movement, which has been highly controversial in the Catholic theological community, has been condemned by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Izamal

Pope John Paul II visited Izamal in August 1993, where he performed a mass for the blacks and presented the statue of the Virgin with a silver crown.

James Weisgerber

On March 7, 1996, Weisgerber was appointed the fifth Bishop of Saskatoon by Pope John Paul II.

José Ulises Macías Salcedo

Named bishop for the Diocese of Mexicali by Pope John Paul II, on 16 June 1984, and consecrated on 29 July, in the city of Mexicali, presided over by Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Girolamo Prigione.

Miguel Ángel Alba Díaz

Pope John Paul II appointed him the third bishop of the Diocese of La Paz, Baja California Sur on July 16, 2001, and took possession the same year.

Miri Nishri

The 120 responses she received from people around the world (including Yoko Ono, Avi Mograbi, the Dalai Lama and the Pope) were shown at an exhibition at Ha'Kibbutz Israeli Art Gallery.

Nikolaus Gross

Nikolaus Gross (German:Groß) (30 September 1898 – 23 January 1945) was a German resistance fighter and labor union leader in the time of the Third Reich who was later beatified by Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on 7 October 2001.

Paciano Aniceto

His Principal Consecrator was His Holiness Pope John Paul II and his Principal Co-Consecrators were their Eminences Duraisamy Simon Cardinal Lourdusamy and Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo.

Paolo Pellegrin

In the same year he covered the aftermath of the Tsunami and hurricane Katrina and won two World Press Photo awards, one for his work on the funeral of Pope John Paul II, and another for the reportage on the backstage of fashion shows in NYC.

Paul Zoungrana

Zoungrana was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively.

Rrok Mirdita

On December 25, 1992, aged 53, he was appointed the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tiranë-Durrës and ordained on April 25, 1993 by Pope John Paul II and Cardinals Camillo Ruini and Jozef Tomko, along with three other bishops (Zef Simoni, Frano Illia and Robert Ashta) during the Pope's pastoral visit to Albania.

Slivovitz

Some of the most famous people who tasted the Troyan plum brandy are Pope John Paul II and the former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Stanisław Ryłko

He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II) on 30 March 1969, in Wawel Cathedral, and then did pastoral work in Poronin until 1971.

Stefan Wyszyński

In the CBS miniseries Pope John Paul II (based upon the life of the Polish pope), Cardinal Wyszyński was portrayed by English actor Christopher Lee.

Thady Coughlan

In October of the same year, he was present at the canonisation of Oliver Plunkett, where he met the then Pope Paul VI and future Pope John Paul II who was bishop of Kraków at the time.

The Keys of This Blood

Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, and international business leaders are in competition to establish this one world government and that this competition will intensify around the turn of the 20th century.

Tiara of Pope John Paul II

As no pope has worn a papal tiara since Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II made the practice optional later, the Hungarian Tiara remains unworn.

Trình Như Khuê

He was the first cardinal to hail from Vietnam, and was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively.

Wawel Cathedral

Both of these pre-pontificate events were depicted in the first half of the 2005 U.S. TV miniseries, Pope John Paul II in which Cary Elwes played the younger Wojtyla.

Werner Thissen

He was named Archbishop of Hamburg by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 2002; he was installed as such on January 25, 2003.

Yaky Yosha

In 2000 Yosha directed a feature length documentary, Inherit the Earth, narrated by Liam Neeson, about the preparations for the Pope's historic visit to Israel.