Word: pontiff
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Twenty-five years and counting is an extraordinary tenure for any pontiff, and only two others have reigned longer than the 264th pope. But it's not only John Paul II's longevity that has made him synonymous with the papacy in the minds of many of his own flock, and the wider world; he has dramatically redefined the role with his relentless evangelical energy. Most of John Paul II's predecessors were almost prisoners in the Vatican, and had rarely ventured beyond the walls of the Holy See. John Paul II took the Catholic Church out on the road...
...deliver a heartfelt apology for the history of Catholic mistreatment of Jews. Although they were not satisfied by what they saw as his failure to acknowledge the corporate responsibility of the Church - as distinct from individual members - for such maltreatment, and also his failure to criticize the wartime pontiff Pius XII for his silence in the face of the Holocaust, Jewish leaders today freely acknowledge John Paul II as a great and true friend to the Jewish people and the first pontiff to truly live the conciliatory language on Jews of Vatican...
...argued that John Paul II's ecumenical enthusiasm does not entirely square with his own theological rigidity. But such judgements may be in the eye of the beholder. There's an internal logic to the pontiff's own philosophy of "the dignity of the human person." While the notion may resonate with the liberal worldview, the pope includes in his view of the individual a divine component of which the Church is the infallible arbiter, setting him at odds with liberals. And that inner consistency may also account for the fact that measured by the yardstick of the politics...
Many of his followers were disappointed that Pope John Paul II did not receive the Nobel Peace prize last week, but they have the consolation of a special ceremony in St. Peter's Square on Thursday to celebrate his 25 years as Pontiff. John Paul's health has deteriorated so visibly and dramatically over the past four weeks, however, that many wonder how much longer the 83-year-old can continue his gruelling round of travel and public appearances. The presence of the world's Cardinals at the anniversary gathering will prompt speculation about John Paul's successor, and perhaps...
...Pope John Paul II prepares to celebrate a quarter-century as Pontiff on Oct. 16, Vatican officials are growing increasingly concerned about his weakening physical condition. On a trip to Slovakia that ended a week ago, the Pope, 83, could finish no more than a few sentences of his opening remarks at the Bratislava airport. Vatican insiders say the apparent effects of Parkinson's disease have become more difficult for the Pope's doctors to control with medication. "They no longer are able to predict how he will be from one day to the next," said a longtime Vatican observer...