Pope John Paul II His Influence on the World Essay

Pope John Paul II: Influence on the World Pope John Paul was one of the most influential persons of the 21st century. He changed the way the Catholic Church looked at the world and vice versa. Unlike most other predecessors, he stressed on dialogue and understanding among the people of the world. He sought to bring the people of the world together through the message of both love and peace. The role he played in destroying communism and bringing dictatorship around the world to an end gained wide media coverage. His dialogue between different faiths was admirable. During his papacy that stretched from 1978 to his death in 2005, he had a positive impact on the Catholic scene in particular and the world in general. The Pope helped in†¦show more content†¦As reported in the Washington Post by Applebaum, when the Pope visited Poland in 1979, he told them not to be afraid. Unlike what the regime thought, there was a sea of humanity waiting to greet the Pope. Hence this model could be demonstrated in other communist countries like East Germany and East Germany (‘How the Pope Defeated Communism). Pope John Paul reached out to other faiths to foster a spirit of unity among religions. For instance, he went to a mosque, spoke to Muslims and advocated full rights for all groups in Islamic countries. The high point of his papacy was when he called Judaism the elder brother of Christianity. It was the Pope’s belief in prayer that led to the 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Italy. Leaders from various religions like Buddhism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Native American groups, to name a few, gathered to pray along with Christians from all denominations of Christianity like the Catholics, the Protestants, and the Orthodox for world peace. Islamic extremists attacked the US in 2011 in the name of Islam. The Pope called for another meeting where he declared ‘Terrorism never again’. All the leaders jointly condemned religious violence at this meeting. The Pope showed the common strand running in the three Semitic religions viz. Judaism, Christianity and Islam. InShow MoreRelatedBiography Of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli s Influence On The Contribution Of Significant People Or Schools Of Thought1334 Words   |  6 Pageswas sent to a seminary to study since his parents were to poor to afford to send him to a school. While studying at the seminary his interest for Christianity grew. He then studied in Rome having earned a scholarship. Roncallli was ordained not long after in 1904. This was the start of his social justice work which grew stronger when he was servicing the Italian army during WWI. In 1958 he became the Catholic Pope and was known as Pope John XXIII. During his papacy he made some significant changes Read MoreThe Significance of the Pope625 Words   |  3 Pagesmore lasting or have exerted more influence on the course of history than that of the papacy. 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