His Holiness John Paul II Biography (as Pope)

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 02 Apr 2005 - 15:00 PDT

Below is a biography of John Paul II from 1978 to 2005 - his years as Pope.

1978

October 16

Cardinal Karol Wojtyła is elected successor to Pope John Paul I, the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church and takes the name John Paul II .

October 17

First Urbi et Orbi radio message of John Paul II.

October 22

Solemn inauguration of his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church.

October 23

John Paul II's historic embrace of Cardinal Wyszyński .

October 25

First visit to Castelgandolfo: visit to the parish church and papal villa.

October 29

Visit to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Mentorella, Rome.

November 5

Visit to Assisi to venerate the tomb of St. Francis, patron of Italy, and to the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva to venerate the tomb of St. Catherine, patroness of Italy.

November 12

As Bishop of Rome, John Paul II takes possession of St. John Lateran Basilica.

December 5

First visit to the parishes in the diocese of Rome: S. Francesco Saverio at Garbatella.

1979

January 24

John Paul II accepts the request made by Argentina and Chile for the Holy See's mediation in solving the controversy between the two countries.

January 24

John Paul II receives in audience the Soviet Foreign Minister, Andrei Gromyko .

January 25

Pastoral Visit to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Mexico for the Third General Conference of the Latin American Bishops and the Bahamas (25 January-1 February 1979). Apostolic Voyage 1

March 4

First Encyclical Letter Redemptor hominis - Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, published 15 March 1979.

April 28

Archbishop Agostino Casaroli is appointed Pro-Secretary of State and Pro-prefect of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church.

June 2

Pastoral Visit in Poland (2-10 June 1979).
Apostolic Voyage 2

June 2

Historic homily of John Paul II at Victory Square in Warsaw: "It is not possible to understand the history of the Polish nation without Christ".

June 30

Celebration of the First Consistory in his pontificate for the creation of 14 Cardinals, among whom were Cardinal Agostino Casaroli , Secretary of State. (One additional Cardinal was reserved "in pectore" - Chinese Ignatius Kung Pin-mei , whose appointment was published only in the Consistory of 28 June 1991).

September 29

Pastoral Visit in Ireland, the U.N. and the United States of America (29 September-8 Octocber 1979).
Apostolic Voyage 3

October 2

John Paul II addresses the General Assembly of the U.N. in New York.

October 16

Post-Synodal Pastoral Exhortation on the Catechesis in Our Time, published 25 October 1979.

November 5

First Plenary Assembly of the College of Cardinals on the themes: "The structure of the Roman Curia. The Church and contemporary culture. The financial situation of the Holy See" (5-9 November 1979).

November 28

Pastoral Visit in Turkey (28-30 November 1979).

Apostolic Voyage 4

1980

January 14

Opening of the Particular Synod of Bishops of the Netherlands on: "The pastoral action of the Church in Holland in the present situation" (14-31 January 1980).

April 4

Good Friday: John Paul II hears confessions of the faithful for the first time in St. Peter's Basilica.

May 2

Pastoral Visit in Zaire, Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ghana, Upper Volta and Ivory Coast (2-12 May 1980).
Apostolic Voyage 5

May 16

Official visit of the President of Portugal, General Antonio Ramalho Eanes .

May 30

Pastoral Visit in France (30 May-2 June 1980).
Apostolic Voyage 6

June 2

John Paul II's address to UNESCO in Paris.

June 21

John Paul II receives in audience the President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter .

June 30

Pastoral Visit in Brazil (30 June-12 July 1980).
Apostolic Voyage 7

August 20

For the first time John Paul II alludes to the events happening in Poland regarding Solidarność.

Sepember 26

Fifth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme: "The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World" (26 September-25 October 1980).

September 28

Pastoral visit to Subiaco and meeting with the European Bishops.

October 17

Official visit of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and of H.R.H. Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh.

November 15

Pastoral Visit in West Germany (15-19 November 1980).
Apostolic Voyage 7

November 25

Pastoral visit to Capodichino (Naples), Potenza, Balvano and Avellino , after the earthquake.

November 30

Encyclical Letter Dives in misericordia - On the Mercy of God, published 2 December 1980.

December 19

Official visit of President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Cvijetin Mijatovic .

December 30

Apostolic Letter Egregiae virtutis in which John Paul II proclaims Sts. Cyril and Methodius, together with St. Benedict, Patrons of Europe.

1981

January 15

John Paul II receives in audience a delegation headed by Lech Wałesa of the Polish Independent Syndicate Solidarność .

February 8

John Paul II meets with Rome's Chief Rabbi ElioToaff during his pastoral visit to the parish of Sts. Carlo e Biagio in Catinari.

February 16

Pastoral Visit in Pakistan, Philippines, Guam (USA), Japan and Anchorage (USA) (16-27 February 1981).
Apostolic Voyage 9

May 13

At 5:19 p.m. a young turk Mehmet Alì Agca makes an attempt on the Pope's life while he was circling St. Peter's Square before his General Audience. Severly, wounded, the Pope was operated on for 6 hours at Gemelli hospital.

May 17

John Paul II recites the Angelus at Gemelli hospital: "Pray for the brother who shot me, whom I have sincerely forgiven".

May 31

John Paul II creates a Council of Cardinals to study the organizational and economic problems of the Holy See.

June 3

John Paul II returns to the Vatican after 22 days of recovery at Gemelli Hospital.

June 7

At the end of a mass celebrating the 1600th anniversary of the first Council of Constantinople and the 1550th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus, the Pope imparts the Apostolic Blessing in St. Peter's Basilica.

In the afternoon, during the Vespers in St. Mary Major Basilica, John Paul II pronounces, through the use of a recorded broadcast, an Act of entrustment to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

June 20

John Paul II is newly hospitalized for a cytomegalovirus infection. On 5 August he undergoes a second operation. He returns to the Vatican on the 14th of August and from there goes to Castelgandolfo on August 16th.

July 13

First meeting of the Council of Cardinals for the study of organizational and economic problems of the Holy See.

September 14

Encyclical Letter Laborem exercens - on Human Work.

November 22

Post-Synodal Pastoral Exhortation Familiaris Consortio - on the Role of the Family in the Modern World, published on 15 December 1981.

November 25

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

December 12

John Paul II sends a delegation from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to the Presidents of the USA, USSR, Great Britain, France, and the UN, to present thier scientific document on the consequences of an eventual use of nuclear arms in Europe and in the world.

December 13

John Paul II invites prayers for the Polish nation, calling the situation a state of emergency.

1982

January 6

Apostolic Letter Caritatis Christi for the church in China.

February 12

Pastoral Visit in Nigeria, Benin, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea (12-19 February 1982). Apostolic Voyage 10

March 21

Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the Chinese Church.

April 7

Official Visit of the President of Greece, Costantino Karamanlis .

May 12

Pastoral Visit in Portugal, one year after the assassination attempt on his life in St. Peter's Square (12-15 May 1982).
Apostolic Voyage 11

May 13

Before the statue of Our Lady of Fátima, John Paul II recites the Act of consecration and entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

May 22

Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for justice and peace, for peace between Argentina and Great Britain (the Falkland Islands/Malvinas).

May 28

Pastoral Visit in Great Britain (28 May-2 June 1982).
Apostolic Voyage 12
May 29

Joint statement of John Paul II and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie , at the end of the ecumenical celebration in the Anglican Canterbury Cathedral.

June 7

John Paul II receives in audience the President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan. They pledge to work for world peace and justice.

June 10

Pastoral Visit to Rio de Janeiro and in Argentina, in relation to the war between Argentina and Great Britain regarding the Falkland Islands/Malvinas (10-13 June 1982).
Apostolic Voyage 13

June 15

Pastoral Visit in Genève .
Apostolic Voyage 14

June 15

Speech by John Paul II at the 68th Session of the International Workers Conference in Geneva.

August 29

Pastoral Visit in the Republic of San Marino and Rimini .
Apostolic Voyage 15

September 15

John Paul II receives in audience Yasser Arafat .

September 15

Renewed appeal for peace in Lebanon after the murder of President-elect Bechir Gemayel .

October 10

Canonization of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe . Present at the canonization ceremony was Mr. Franciszek Gajownizek , the man for whom Fr. Maximilian offered his life in the concentration camp at Auschwitz.

October 19

Meeting with the President of Italy, Sandro Pertini at Castelporziano.

October 28

Official visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Karl Carstens .

October 31

Pastoral Visit in Spain for the closure of the 4th Centenary of the death of St. Teresa of Ávila (31 October-9 November 1982).
Apostolic Voyage 16

November 9

Message to the peoples of Europe from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

November 23

Second Plenary Assembly of the College of Cardinals on: "Curial reforms, state of revisions of the Code of Canon Law, financial solvency of the Holy See, relations between the Institute of the Works of Religion (I.O.R.) and the 'Banco Ambrosiano' " (23-26 November 1982).
Consistories

November 26

John Paul II announces the Holy Year of Redemption from Lent 1983 to Easter 1984…… CONTINUES…. Vatican Press Office. Big Document, takes a while to open

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