Word: pauls
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...pastoral rounds, John Paul never neglects the personal touch. At ceremonies, the Pope invariably will pause to lead a wandering child back to his astonished parents. A street sweeper's daughter asks him to perform her wedding and he instantly agrees. On a Sunday afternoon he stands on a field, racquet in hand, as it starts to rain. One of the young people who surround him suggests he seek shelter. Replies the Pope: "We athletes are not afraid of rain...
...John Paul does not seek the splendid isolation preferred by his predecessors. Breaking with custom, he rarely celebrates early morning Mass alone, nor does he like to dine by himself. When a Pope strolls through the Vatican gardens, Vatican guards normally keep watch over him from a distance. One morning John Paul eluded them and offered to shake hands with a gardener. Awed, the man put his hands behind his back, stammering, "They're dirty, Holy Father." With a grin, the Pope grabbed the earthy hands and rubbed them on his white cassock. "I know they're dirty...
...Pope's skill with crowds and affection for people, however politic they appear, seem to be more a matter of character than of calculation. John Paul appears almost driven to be out among his flock. "This Pope is not a workaholic; he's a live-aholic," observes a priest from an outlying parish in Rome. This, plus the normal burdens of office, puts an observable strain on even a robust 59-year-old. Since taking office, the Pope has suffered from a lack of his customary exercise and reportedly has dropped about 15 Ibs. due to overwork...
Precisely what John Paul will eventually do is still unknown, but in choosing the able and totally obedient Agostino Casaroli as his top aide, the Pope has signaled that power will be centralized in his office alone. He has a disconcerting tactic of popping into curial offices to look around, and of conferring with staff experts when their bosses are not present...
...Paul VI would agonize over decisions, creating confusion and expectation of change, then end up with a conservative choice that was loudly criticized. John Paul lets everyone know from the start that he is unequivocal on both dogma and discipline. He drew far less opposition than Paul when he too reaffirmed the celibacy rule for priests in April. In fact, the new Pope is more conservative than Paul: he has made clear that priests should remain faithful to their vows, rather than seek laicization. He not only flatly opposes divorce and remarriage but has provoked speculation that he will tighten...