Word: pontiff
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...astutely timed. The subject: the "terrible experience" of the Holocaust and its lessons for Christians. The three-page missive was addressed to Archbishop John L. May of St. Louis, president of the U.S. conference of Roman Catholic bishops, thanking May for sending him a newly published collection of the Pontiff's statements on Jews and Judaism. While the letter was ostensibly routine, its language was heartfelt. "Christians approach with fearsome respect the terrifying experience of the extermination, the Shoah, suffered by the Jews during the Second World War," wrote the Pope, "and we seek to grasp its most authentic . . . meaning...
...Baltic shipbuilding city that gave birth to Solidarity. But last week, on his third visit as Pope to his homeland, John Paul more than made up for lost time. Speaking in Gdansk from a giant outdoor altar built in the stylized form of a wooden sailing vessel, the Pontiff not only talked about Solidarity but pleaded with his audience to continue abiding by the principles of the banned organization. "Let this day be the day of our common prayer for work and solidarity," he said in ringing tones. "I pray every day for the working people and the specific heritage...
Nevertheless, the Pontiff surprised nearly everyone by addressing a question that even a Vatican spokesman said would not arise during the visit: diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Jaruzelski regime. Speaking to Polish bishops shortly before his departure Sunday, the Pope for the first time called for the establishment of diplomatic ties. "In the case of the so- called Catholic country," he said, "the Holy See considers relations with a given state as a normal and right thing...
This week Pope John Paul II will beatify Sister Teresa at a Cologne stadium during the Pontiff's five-day visit to West Germany. In the ceremony -- the final step before Teresa is declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church -- the Pope will be further drawing his church into a dispute that seems to be aggravating Rome's history of strained relations with Jews. John Paul will be stepping directly into the controversy on his West German visit, during which he will also beatify Rupert Mayer, a German Jesuit priest who opposed the Nazis and died...
...ugliest violence the Pope has witnessed during all his foreign travels. As protesters unfurled anti-Pinochet banners, threw stones and set fires not far from the papal platform, police opened up with tear gas and water cannons. Some heard gunshots ring out. At least 161 people were injured. The Pontiff continued to speak but at times held his head in sorrow, and later declared, "Love is stronger than hate." After leaving Santiago, John Paul visited six other Chilean cities before departing for Argentina, where church and state are at odds over government efforts to legalize divorce and rein in trade...