Having received the news of the date for the Canonization
of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II, the newly-elected President of
the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement yesterday in
which he said: I give thank to Almighty
God for the gift of these two great luminaries.
Here is the complete text of the statement issued by His
Excellency, Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau:
Statement of His Excellency, Paul-André
Durocher
Archbishop of Gatineau
President of the Canadian Conference of
Catholic Bishops
Together with all the Bishops of Canada, I welcome the
announcement of the canonizations of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul
II on April 27, 2014. Their canonization will be a moment of great thanksgiving
for the universal Church as we celebrate their witness to holiness lived in the
service and proclamation of the Gospel, as well as in their life of prayer and
charity.
I clearly remember June 3, 1963, when the church bell
rang throughout our village for almost an hour. I was nine years old. The
principal of our little school came into our class, and announced Children, kneel down. The Pope has died. Even though young, I understood a great man had departed, the good Pope John,
as people called him.
Later, I came to understand that he had reached out to
all men and women of good will, to love, to understand, and to teach how to
work for peace. Throughout his pontificate, John XXIII always showed deep
concern for the suffering and needs of the world. His famous visit to the
inmates of Regina Coeli Prison in
December 1958 is an excellent example of his style of pastoral care. Looking
into the eyes of the prisoners, he said, I
have put my eyes in your eyes; I have placed my heart next to yours.
Last week, the Bishops of Canada, gathered in Plenary
Assembly, recalled his Encyclical Pacem in Terris - Peace on Earth. We remembered how just
weeks before his death, Pope John had implored world leaders to work toward a
genuine peace, rather than a false peace secured by the force of nuclear arms.
He had lived through the horrors of World War I, and later served as the
Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece. Toward the end of World War II, he
became Apostolic Nuncio to France. During this time, he worked relentlessly to
save the lives of refugees and immigrants through diplomatic efforts. He knew
from personal experience what working for peace means.
His reaching out to others and his call for dialogue are
especially evident in his calling of the Second Vatican Council. Although he
did not see the Council end, its final documents carried his mark in their
openness to the world and their commitment to ecumenism. He was beatified by
Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000. The Church in Canada and the universal
Church are forever thankful to John XXIII for his witness and fidelity to
Christ.
What can one say about Pope John Paul II? Along with many
of my brother Bishops, I was struck by his youth and strength of character when
he came onto the balcony above Saint Peter’s Square the day he was elected Pope
- October 16, 1978. How can one forget his resounding words at the Mass
inaugurating his pontificate: Do not be
afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ! He spent the next 27 years of his
life proclaiming this very message through voluminous works of writing and
far-reaching travels throughout the world.
He was born Karol Józef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. During his youth, John Paul II knew the
horrors of Nazism and Communism. As Pope, he was a tireless advocate for the
dignity of the human person, speaking out against all forms of injustice and
proposing a vision of the human person rooted in the person of Christ, Redeemer
of humanity. This was the theme of the first of his 14 encyclicals.
In Canada, we rejoiced and were blessed to receive Pope
John Paul II on three occasions. His first visit was in 1984 – he was the first
Pope in history to set foot on Canadian soil. He crossed Canada from coast to
coast, covering a total of 15,000 kilometers in a span of 12 days. I was in
Montreal’s Olympic Stadium when he gathered thousands of young people in
prayer. I was also there on the LeBreton Flats in Ottawa for his final Mass
dedicated to peace. With thousands of other Canadians, including Catholics and
non-Catholics, I recall his visit among us as a breath of fresh air and
renewal.
In 1987, he returned to Canada to fulfill a promise to
meet with the Indigenous Peoples from the Northwest Territories at Fort
Simpson. He had hoped to visit this community in 1984 but was unable at the
time because of bad weather.
His third and final visit was to Toronto in 2002, for the
gathering of hundreds of thousands of young people for the 17th World Youth
Day. The Pope spent six days in and around Toronto, meeting with young people
from the four corners of the globe. I remember the multitude of 800,000 people
who crowded Downsview Park for the closing Mass on July 28, 2002. The rain
clouds scattered, and the sun shone when he proclaimed Christ as the source and
fulfillment of the deepest desires young people have for meaning and love. A
year before he died, I had the chance to shake his hand. Despite his age and
illness, his eyes lit up when I said I was from Canada and that his World Youth
Day visit continued to bear good fruit among us.
Pope John Paul II died at the age of 85, on April 2,
2005. The impact of his life and his teachings are immense, a grand banquet
still being assimilated by the Church and the world. He was beatified on May 1,
2011, by Pope Benedict XVI.
In communion with my brother Bishops and all the faithful
in Canada, I give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of these two great
luminaries. Both Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II, each in his
own unique way, provided wisdom in times of darkness. Through their
faithfulness to Christ, they encouraged joy and hope. Let us too follow their
example and be witnesses of the Gospel to our world.
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