Articles Index

Pope John Paul II Biography
John Paul II was the second pope to choose two names, following his predecessor. The reason was to both honor John Paul I and to indicate that he would not make any major policy shifts. Wojtyla was also the first non-Italian to be chosen for this office in over 400 years (the previous was Hadrian VI in 1563, a Dutchman), and reports indicate that the election of a non-Italian pope was pushed by the growing influence of Catholics outside of Europe. Thus, Pope John Paul II was elected.

Pope John Paul II, Capitalism, and Liberation Theology
Most observers are familiar with Pope John Paul II's attacks on communism, but fewer are familiar with the extent to which John Paul has criticized capitalism. Americans seem to assume that capitalism and Christianity go hand-in-hand, but Catholic social teachings have tended towards more socialist ways of doing things because of the way in which they achieve social and economic justice.

Pope John Paul II and Homosexuality
Official Catholic doctrine describes homosexuality as a 'disorder' even though the Catechism also insists that gays 'must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.' Pope John Paul II agreed with this, but what is the reason for this duality? According to Catholic doctrine, sexual activity only exists for the purpose of procreation, and obviously homosexual activity cannot produce children. This was also Pope John Paul II's position on gays and homosexuality.

Pope John Paul II, Secularization, Democracy, Religious Pluralism
Europe has become an increasingly secularized continent. Religion and church don’t play nearly the same political, social, or familial roles that they used to and this has had a profound influence on the state of European culture today. This didn't sit well with Pope John Paul II and he worked hard to find ways to reverse the trend, though not with much success. What, exactly, did Pope John Paul II want for Europe?

Pope John Paul II, Women, Feminism
The most significant sources of conflict within the Catholic Church today revolve around the role and status of women. Should women be allowed to become priests? Must women be prevented from using artificial means of birth control? Are women equal to men in all things? Although church leaders like Pope John Paul II have long employed the language of equality and liberty, they have also spoken as well as acted in ways that encourage a second-class status for female Catholics.

Pope John Paul II, Catholicism, and the Jews
The Catholic Church has long had a difficult, even violent, relationship with Judaism. It’s been normal for Jews to be treated as second-class citizens and the Vatican even pioneered the practice of forcing Jews to wear distinguishing symbols to mark them off from the rest of society, something taken to far more deadly lengths under the Nazis. Pope John Paul II attempted to repair the damage, but as was characteristic of so many issues during his reign John Paul sent mixed signals.

Pope John Paul II and the Iraq War
The most public and serious condemnations of the invasion of Iraq came from Pope John Paul II and other top officials at the Vatican. Catholic leaders did as much as they could to dissuade Britain and America from their bellicose course of action, but to no avail. Conservative Catholics in America did as much as they could to convince the Vatican and Pope John Paul II that the invasion was not only morally licit, but also a very good idea. They, too, failed.

Pope John Paul II, Darwin, and Evolution
In America one is accustomed to seeing religious figures condemn evolutionary theory and argue that teaching evolution is incompatible with Christianity. Catholicism, however, not only doesn’t reject evolution but in fact has supported evolutionary theory for quite some time - Pope John Paul II even expressed some support for it. This continues to surprise people because it’s simply not reported in the news very often.

Pope John Paul II, Communism, and Freedom of Conscience
Perhaps one of the most significant and memorable features of John Paul II’s papacy was his battle against 'godless' communism. It is likely that he will be known forever as the pope who helped bring about the fall of communism. Much of John Paul's life as a cleric was lived under communist rule in Poland and all the time he rose through the ranks of the Catholic hierarchy, he refused to compromise or accommodate demands made by the communist government.

Pope John Paul II and the Sexual Abuse Crisis
Scandals involving priests who have sexually abused children have been a source of many problems for the Roman Catholic Church. Arguably worse than the sexual abuse, however, are the cover-ups and conspiracies of silence that have been found in the highest reaches of the Catholic hierarchy - even perhaps up to Pope John Paul II. What did the pope, John Paul, have to do with all this?

Pope John Paul II on Contraception and Abortion
It is arguable that one of the most consistent themes running throughout John Paul II's papacy was his concern with sexual morality: contraception, abortion, divorce, homosexuality, and all of the things that make up what he regularly refers to as the 'culture of death.' These he saw as the cultural consequences of modernity and against which he wished to direct much of the church’s energy.

Pope John Paul II, Parkinson’s Disease, and Paranoia
Everyone knows that Pope John Paul II suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. It not only caused him to shake uncontrollably, but it also caused him to come close to death more than once. Among the many symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, however, are paranoia and depression. Most people are unaware of these, but their impact on a pope cannot go overlooked.

Bibliography
Major sources used in the various articles on Pope John Paul II.