Pope John Paul II on Reverse of 2005 Sierra Leone Gold & Niobium Coin

Countries

Pope John Paul II on Reverse of 2005 Sierra Leone Silver Proof Coin

The Life of Pope John Paul II, 1920 - 2005

The Early Years
The future Bishop of Rome was born as Karol Jozef Wojtyla in the Polish town of Wadowice, 35 miles southwest of Krakow, on May 18th 1920. His father, also called Karol, was a retired army officer and his mother, Emilia, was a schoolteacher. As a schoolboy, Karol Junior was a good student and an active athlete, enjoying football and swimming. Unfortunately, Emilia died when her son was only 8 years old and Karol's elder brother died of scarlet fever in 1932. The young Karol had an unhappy, bleak childhood despite his father's attempts to guide and protect him. Two street accidents, one with a tram and the other with a truck, left Karol with a weak shoulder. After the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, the nineteen year old Wojtyla took a job as a stone cutter in a quarry. It wasn't until late 1942 that he was able to enrol for theology classes at Krakow University. Working in a chemical plant until 1944, Wojtyla had to seek refuge with the Archbishop of Krakow to escape deportation and death, remaining hidden until the war's end. In 1946 he was ordained into the Church and he spent the next few years studying for his two master's degrees and doctorate, becoming the assistant pastor in Krakow in 1949.

The Struggle with Communism
Serving as a chaplain to university students in Krakow, Wojtyla was conscious of the ever watchful eyes of the communist government of Poland. The university's theology department was shut down in 1954 due to political pressure. Wojtyla was offered another post at the University of Lublin later that year as a professor and he had to commute between Lublin and Krakow on the overnight train to teach and counsel in one city and study in the other. Further work on human relations and Catholic marriage ethics brought Wojtyla more prominence; in 1958, he was named as the auxiliary bishop of Krakow. His rise to seniority began in 1962 when he was appointed as Archbishop of Krakow. Five years later he was promoted to cardinal by Pope Paul VI and, although he had no love for communism, the new cardinal followed a 'co-operative' relationship with the Polish government. The cardinal's subtle but direct stance is detectable in a line from a sermon he gave in 1976, 'It is the task of the Church, of the Holy See, of all pastors, to fight on the side of man, often against man himself.' Wojtyla was considered 'tough but flexible' and a moderate reformer, but an improvement on old-school conservative hard-liners who were implacably opposed to communism. He was known as the diligent, reforming cardinal with a caring human character and his fame began to spread. Although he had established himself as a formidable intellectual man of God, few suspected that the Sacred College of Cardinals would choose Wojtyla as the next pope after the death of John Paul I in September of 1978. The Polish cardinal accepted his election with tears in his eyes, choosing the name John Paul II and becoming the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. At 58, he was the youngest pope in 132 years. 'I was afraid to receive this nomination,' the new pope told the crowd from a balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square, 'but I did it in the spirit of obedience to Our Lord and in the total confidence in His mother, the most holy Madonna'. It is reported that when Wojtyla's election was announced, Yuri Andropov, head of the KGB in Moscow, warned the Soviet Politburo that there could be difficulties ahead for the communist world. How right he was...

The Papal Years
Less than eight months after his creation as pope, Karol Wojtyla returned to Poland as John Paul II for nine memorable days. Enormous crowds cheered him wherever he went and the communist authorities were powerless to act. Officially, the country was atheistic but Roman Catholicism has always enjoyed a strong following in Poland. The Pope continually reminded his fellow Poles to stand up for their human rights in the face of adversity, a slap in the face for communism and the Soviet Union. The pope would never shy away from criticising unjust and corrupt governments! His words and actions helped to create the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1990. Between 1978 and 2005 Pope John Paul II made more than 170 visits to over 115 countries and he was named Man of the Year in 1994. John Paul II may be the only pope whose life was portrayed in a comic book! In 1983, Marvel Comics published a papal biography, recounting his achievements and varied career. He inspired and united both Catholics and non-Catholics alike around the world. From May 28th until June 2nd 1982, the Pope made an historic visit to the UK and he was enthusiastically welcomed at open air rallies in England, Scotland and Wales and his meetings with the Archbishop of Canterbury encouraged greater co-operation and understanding between the Catholic and Anglican churches.
As the Pope approached his 80th birthday he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease - an progressive, degenerative illness of the limbs. He continued to carry out his duties as much as possible but it was evident by January 2005 that the Pope was seriously ill. After two months of hospital visits and surgery to help him breathe, it was announced that the Pope was dying. He recived the last rites on 31st March and died at 9.37 p.m. on April 2nd 2005.

The Legacy...
The new pope, Benedict XVI, has a great challenge ahead. His predecessor's long papacy of 27 years followed a very conservative stance on many social issues and Church doctrine. John Paul II played a great role on the international stage and he laboured to improve relations between the world's faiths. There have been many calls already to name John Paul II as Man of the Century; what demands will the century ahead have in store for the new pontiff?

Papal Memorial Coins
As early as April 2005, a number of countries have announced that they will issue commemorative coins in honour and memory of John Paul II. These include:-

• Sierra Leone
• Australia

If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?