Pope Francis: St John Paul II a man of prayer, closeness, justice

VATICAN CITY
Vatican News

May 18, 2020

By Christopher Wells

Celebrating Mass on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyla, the future St John Paul II, Pope Francis described his predecessor as a man of prayer, closeness, and justice.

[Note from BishopAccountability.org: The sermon by Pope Francis begins at 13:45 of the video and is dubbed in English.]

Pope Francis celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of St John Paul II by offering Holy Mass at the altar where the Polish Pope is buried in St Peter’s Basilica.

Joined by a very limited number of the faithful, the liturgy on Monday morning was the first Mass open to the public after almost two months of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Lord has visited His People

Pope Francis began his homily by reminding us that God loves His People, and in times of difficulty “visits” them by sending a holy man or a prophet.

In the life of Pope John Paul II, we can see a man sent by God, prepared by Him, and made Bishop and Pope to guide God’s Church. “Today, we can say that the Lord visited His people”.

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