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Pope John Paul II

86 quotes

“To acknowledge one's sin, indeed — penetrating still more deeply into the consideration of one's own personhood — to recognize oneself as being a sinner, capable of sin and inclined to commit sin, is the essential first step in returning to God.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]here is one meaning sometimes given to social sin that...leads more or less unconsciously to the watering down and almost the abolition of personal sin, with the recognition only of social guilt and responsibilities. According to this usage...practically every sin is a social sin, in the sense that blame for it is to be placed not so much on the moral conscience of an individual, but rather on some vague entity or anonymous collectivity such as the situation, the system, society, structures or institutions.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[S]ome are inclined to replace exaggerated attitudes of the past with other exaggerations: From seeing sin everywhere they pass to not recognizing it anywhere; from too much emphasis on the fear of eternal punishment they pass to preaching a love of God that excludes any punishment deserved by sin; from severity in trying to correct erroneous consciences they pass to a kind of respect for conscience which excludes the duty of telling the truth.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the religious and Christian foundation of this continent in its role as the inspiration of ethics and in its social effectiveness is ever marginalized, not only will the heritage of the European past be denied, but also a future worthy of the individual European-and, indeed, all Europeans, believers and non‑believers alike-will be seriously compromised.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Young people have a special place in the heart of the Holy Father, who often repeats that the whole Church looks to them with particular hope for a new beginning of evangelization.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Resurrection of the body is to be preceded by a judgment passed upon the works of charity, fulfilled or neglected. As a result of this judgement, the just are destined to eternal life. There is a destination to eternal damnation as well, which consists in the ultimate rejection of God, the ultimate break of the communion with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Here, it is not so much God who rejects man, but man who rejects God.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he religiosity of Muslims deserves respect. It is impossible not to admire, for example, their fidelity to prayer. The image of believers in Allah who, without caring about time or place, fall to their knees and immerse themselves in prayer remains a model for all those who invoke the true God, in particular for those Christians who, having deserted their magnificent cathedrals, pray only a little or not at all.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Crossing the Threshold of Hope (1994), p. 93.
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“Born and nurtured when the human being first asked questions about the reason for things and their purpose, philosophy shows in different modes and forms that the desire for truth is part of human nature itself.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“to men and women there falls the task of exploring truth with their reason, and in this their nobility consists.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“Every truth—if it really is truth—presents itself as universal, even if it is not the whole truth. If something is true, then it must be true for all people and at all times.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“human being is by nature a philosopher”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“to argue according to rigorous rational criteria is to guarantee that the results attained are universally valid.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“philosophy must obey its own rules and be based upon its own principles; truth, however, can only be one.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“Quite apart from the fact that it conflicts with the demands and the content of the word of God, nihilism is a denial of the humanity and of the very identity of the human being. It should never be forgotten that the neglect of being inevitably leads to losing touch with objective truth and therefore with the very ground of human dignity.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“Once the truth is denied to human beings, it is pure illusion to try to set them free. Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“To believe it possible to know a universally valid truth is in no way to encourage intolerance; on the contrary, it is the essential condition for sincere and authentic dialogue between persons. On this basis alone is it possible to overcome divisions and to journey together towards full truth”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“Truth can never be confined to time and culture; in history it is known, but it also reaches beyond history.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“faith and reason “mutually support each other”; each influences the other, as they offer to each other a purifying critique and a stimulus to pursue the search for deeper understanding”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998
“The program already exists: it is the plan found in the Gospel and in the living Tradition, it is the same as ever. Ultimately, it has its center in Christ himself, who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with him transform history until its fulfilment in the heavenly Jerusalem. This is a program which does not change with shifts of times and cultures, even though it takes account of time and culture for the sake of true dialogue and effective communication. This program for all times is our program for the Third Millennium.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Today the Church must face other challenges and push forward to new frontiers, both in the initial mission ad gentes and in the new evangelization of those peoples who have already heard Christ proclaimed.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Truth enlightens man's intelligence and shapes his freedom.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The moral life presents itself as the response due to the many gratuitous initiatives taken by God out of love for man.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1993 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, 1993
“It is unbecoming for a cardinal to ski badly.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Carissimi fratelli e sorelle, siamo ancora tutti addolorati dopo la morte del nostro amatissimo Papa Giovanni Paolo I. Ed ecco che gli Eminentissimi Cardinali hanno chiamato un nuovo vescovo di Roma. Lo hanno chiamato da un paese lontano... lontano, ma sempre così vicino per la comunione nella fede e nella tradizione cristiana. (...) Non so se posso bene spiegarmi nella vostra... nostra lingua italiana. Se mi sbaglio mi correggerete.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: First address to the faithful in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, on 16 October 1978
“Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ!”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily of His Holiness John Paul II for the Inauguration of his Pontificate, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, on Sunday, 22 October 1978. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022.
“I wołam, ja, syn polskiej ziemi, a zarazem ja: Jan Paweł II papież, wołam z całej głębi tego tysiąclecia, wołam w przeddzień święta Zesłania, wołam wraz z wami wszystkimi: Niech zstąpi Duch Twój! Niech zstąpi Duch Twój! I odnowi oblicze ziemi. Tej ziemi!”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily during the Holy Mass in Victory Square in Warsaw on 2 June 1979, during the pope's first apostolic journey to Poland
“This inscription awakens the memory of people whose sons and daughters were destined for total extermination. This people draws its origin from Abraham, our Father in faith. The very people that received from God the commandment, thou shalt not kill, itself experienced in a special measure what is meant by killing. It is not permissible for anyone to pass by this inscription with indifference.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: About a Hebrew commemorative plaque in the homily during the Holy Mass at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi German concentration camp on 7 June 1979, during the pope's first apostolic journey to Poland
“Faced with problems and disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility: escape in selfishness, escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence, escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. But today, I propose to you the option of love, which is the opposite of escape.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily during the Holy Mass on Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, on 1 October 1979, during the pope's first apostolic journey to the United States
“When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ who gives you the meaning of life. When you wonder what it means to be a mature person, look to Christ who is the fullness of humanity. And when you wonder about your role in the future of the world and of the United States, look to Christ. Only in Christ will you fulfill your potential as an American citizen and as a citizen of the world community.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address of his Holiness John Paul II to High School Students at Madison Square Garden, New York City on 3 October 1979 during Apostolic Journey to the United States. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily during the Holy Mass at the Capital Mall in Washington, D.C., on 7 October 1979, during the pope's first apostolic journey to the United States
“Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I consider this message [of divine mercy] my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: November 22, 1981 at the Shrine of Merciful Love in Todi-Collevalenza, Italy
“The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in our century is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: homily of J-P II at Radom military base in Warsaw, Poland on June 4, 1991.
“The Redeemer suffered in place of man and for man. Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished. He is called to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also been redeemed. In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic Letter, Salvifici Doloris (“redemptive suffering”), 1984
“Christians and Muslims, we have many things in common, as believers and as human beings. We live in the same world, marked by many signs of hope, but also by multiple signs of anguish. For us, Abraham is a very model of faith in God, of submission to his will and of confidence in his goodness. We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to young Muslims in Casablanca on 19 August 1985, during the pope's apostolic journey to Morocco
“The Jewish religion is not extrinsic, but in a certain way intrinsic to our own religion. Therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and, in a certain way, it can be said that you are our elder brothers.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address during a visit in the Great Synagogue of Rome on 13 April 1986
“We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery - the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!”.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Angelus at Adelaide, Australia on 30 November 1986 during Apostolic Journey to the Far East and Ocenia. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily of John Paul II at Perth, Australia on 30 November 1986 during Apostolic Pilgrimage to Bangladesh, Singapore, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Seychelles. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“Drodzy bracia i siostry Kaszubi! Strzeżcie tych wartości i tego dziedzictwa, które stanowią o Waszej tożsamości.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily during the Holy Mass in Gdynia 11 June 1987, during the pope's apostolic journey to Poland
Also quoted by: Jan Paweł II (pl)
“every individual is made in the image of God, insofar as he or she is a rational and free creature capable of knowing God and loving him.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, 15 August 1988
“In the "unity of the two", man and woman are called from the beginning not only to exist "side by side" or "together", but they are also called to exist mutually "one for the other".”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, 15 August 1988
“What is most admirable about the events we witnessed is that all nations spoke out loud: women, youths, men, everybody overcame fear.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1990 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the diplomatic corps, 13 January 1990
“All human activity takes place within a culture and interacts with culture. For an adequate formation of a culture, the involvement of the whole man is required, whereby he exercises his creativity, intelligence, and knowledge of the world and of people. Furthermore, he displays his capacity for self-control, personal sacrifice, solidarity and readiness to promote the common good.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Centesimus Annus, 1 May 1991
“Women have the right to insist that their dignity be respected. At the same time, they have the duty to work for the promotion of the dignity of all persons, men as well as women.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Message for the XXVIII World Day of Peace, 8 December 1994
“Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Evangelium vitae, 25 March 1995
“There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us. And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life in the Holy Spirit, that new life which will reach its fulfillment in the resurrection. This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily of His Holiness John Paul II, Eucharistic Celeberation Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore at Apolstolic Journey to the United States of America on 8 October 1995. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“Surely it is important for America that the moral truths which make freedom possible should be passed on to each new generation. Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily of His Holiness John Paul II, Eucharistic Celeberation Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore at Apolstolic Journey to the United States of America on 8 October 1995. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“(...) De nouvelles connaissances conduisent à reconnaître dans la théorie de l'évolution plus qu'une hypothèse. Il est en effet remarquable que cette théorie se soit progressivement imposée à l'esprit des chercheurs, à la suite d'une série de découvertes faites dans diverses disciplines du savoir. La convergence, nullement recherchée ou provoquée, des résultats de travaux menés indépendamment les uns des autres, constitue par elle même un argument significatif en faveur de cette théorie.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1996 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Message to the participants in the Plenary of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 22 October 1996
“Never again war! Never again hatred and intolerance!”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address on arrival at the Sarajevo Airport on 12 April 1997, during the pope's apostolic journey to Bosnia-Herzegovina