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Pope John Paul II

86 quotes

“Remember that you are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives! He has called you and chosen you to live in the freedom of the children of God. Turn to him in prayer and in love. Ask him to grant you the courage and strength to live in this freedom always. Walk with him who is "the Way, the Truth and the Life"!”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Baptismal Vigik with Young Peeple, Address of John Paul II at Longchamp Racecourse on 23 August 1997 during Apostolic Journey of His Holiness John Paul II to Paris on the Occasion of the 12th World Youth Day (August 21-…
“I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pope John Paul II, Anthony F. Chiffolo (Editor): Pope John Paul II: In My Own Words. Published August 6th 2002 by Gramercy Books (first published October 1998).
“Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to artists, 4 April 1999
“Damnation remains a real possibility, but it is not granted to us, without special divine revelation, to know which human beings are effectively involved in it.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: General audience of 28th July 1999
“peace is possible. It needs to be implored from God as his gift, but it also needs to be built day by day with his help, through works of justice and love.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Message for the celebration of XXXIII World Day of Peace, 8 December 1999
“wars are often the cause of further wars because they fuel deep hatreds, create situations of injustice and trample upon people's dignity and rights. Wars generally do not resolve the problems for which they are fought and therefore, in addition to causing horrendous damage, they prove ultimately futile. War is a defeat for humanity. Only in peace and through peace can respect for human dignity and its inalienable rights be guaranteed.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Message for the celebration of XXXIII World Day of Peace, 8 December 1999
“God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations: we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Written prayer placed by the pope into the Western Wall in Jerusalem on 26 March 2000, during his apostolic journey to the Holy Land
“It can be said, in fact, that research, by exploring the greatest and the smallest, contributes to the glory of God which is reflected in every part of the universe.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address on the Jubilee of Scientists, 25 May 2000
“A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members; and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to a new ambassador of New Zealand to the Holy See, 25 May 2000
“The twentieth century was the great century of Christian martyrs, and this is true both in the Catholic Church and in other Churches and ecclesial communities.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Could I forget that the event [Mehmet Ali Ağca’s assassination attempt] in Saint Peter's Square took place on the day and at the hour when the first appearance of the Mother of Christ to the poor little peasants has been remembered for over sixty years at Fatima in Portugal? For, in everything that happened to me on that very day, I felt that extraordinary motherly protection and care, which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In the papal apartment in the Vatican City on 1 April 2005, shortly before his death
“God assigns as a duty to every man the dignity of every woman.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“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.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How could man have such utter contempt for man? Because he had reached the point of contempt for God.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech delivered at the Yad Vashem Museum at Jerusalem, Israel - March 23, 2000
“Young people of every continent, do not be afraid to be the saints of the new millennium! Be contemplative, love prayer; be coherent with your faith and generous in the service of your brothers and sisters, be active members of the Church and builders of peace.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Message of the Holy Father to the Youth of the World on the Occasion of the 15th World Youth Day, From the Vatican, 1999
“I give thanks to God for the presence and help of cardinal Ratzinger, who is a trusted friend.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Autobiography of John Paul II, firstly presented on May 2004 in Rome.
“Rasizm jest grzechem, który stanowi poważną obrazę Boga.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Source: Nigdywiecej.org March 13, 2020
“The disposition to listen to the Truth (that is, obedience) and the readiness to act in the Truth constitute the true dignity of the human person.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: John Paul II. Teachings for an Unbelieving World . Ave Maria Press, Kindle Edition, March 2020
“Jesus came into the world to reveal the whole dignity and nobility of the search for God, which is the deepest need of the human soul, and to meet the search halfway.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: John Paul II, General Audience of 27 December 1978
“Don’t you think that the irresponsible behavior of men is caused by women?”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Church is called upon to manifest anew to everyone, with clear and stronger conviction, her will to promote human life by every means and to defend it against all attacks, in whatever condition or state of development it is found. Thus the Church condemns as a grave offense against human dignity and justice all those activities of governments or other public authorities which attempt to limit in any way the freedom of couples in deciding about children. Consequently, any violence applied by such authorities in favor of contraception or, still worse, of sterilization and procured abortion, must be altogether condemned and forcefully rejected. Likewise to be denounced as gravely unjust are cases where, in international relations, economic help given for the advancement of peoples is made conditional on programs of contraception, sterilization and procured abortion.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio on the role of the Christian family in the modern world, 22 November 1981, St Peter's Basilica
“Christian marriage and the Christian family build up the Church: for in the family the human person is not only brought into being and progressively introduced by means of education into the human community, but by means of the rebirth of baptism and education in the faith the child is also introduced into God's family, which is the Church. The human family, disunited by sin, is reconstituted in its unity by the redemptive power of the death and Resurrection of Christ. Christian marriage, by participating in the salvific efficacy of this event, constitutes the natural setting in which the human person is introduced into the great family of the Church. The commandment to grow and multiply, given to man and woman in the beginning, in this way reaches its whole truth and full realization.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio on the role of the Christian family in the modern world, 22 November 1981, St Peter's Basilica
“In virginity or celibacy, the human being is awaiting, also in a bodily way, the eschatological marriage of Christ with the Church, giving himself or herself completely to the Church in the hope that Christ may give Himself to the Church in the full truth of eternal life. The celibate person thus anticipates in his or her flesh the new world of the future resurrection. By virtue of this witness, virginity or celibacy keeps alive in the Church a consciousness of the mystery of marriage and defends it from any reduction and impoverishment. Virginity or celibacy, by liberating the human heart in a unique way,[40] "so as to make it burn with greater love for God and all humanity,"[41] bears witness that the Kingdom of God and His justice is that pearl of great price which is preferred to every other value no matter how great, and hence must be sought as the only definitive value. It is for this reason that the Church, throughout her history, has always defended the superiority of this charism to that of marriage, by reason of the wholly singular link which it has with the Kingdom of God.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio on the role of the Christian family in the modern world, 22 November 1981, St Peter's Basilica
“When we talk about proof of the existence of God, we must underline that it is not proof of a scientific-experimental nature. Scientific evidence, in the modern sense of the word, is valid only for things perceptible to the senses, since only on these can the instruments of investigation and verification, which science uses, be exercised. Wanting scientific proof of God would mean lowering God to the rank of beings in our world, and therefore already being methodologically wrong about what God is. Science must recognize its limits and its impotence to reach the existence of God: it can neither affirm nor deny this existence. However, the conclusion must not be drawn from this that scientists are incapable of finding, in their scientific studies, valid reasons to admit the existence of God. If science, as such, cannot reach God, the scientist, who possesses intelligence whose object is not limited to sensible things, can discover in the world the reasons for affirming a being that surpasses it. Many scientists have made and are making this discovery.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every human being, every people with its culture, has its own place in the benevolent eyes of the Catholic—universal—Church, and in the heart of the one who is that Church's Pastor. This is the Gospel of love received from Jesus Christ: it embraces all nations in a spirit of service, bringing them a word of salvation and fraternal help. In the case of Vietnam, everyone knows and appreciates the courage in working, the tenacity in difficulties, the family sense and the other natural virtues of which you give proof. In your country which has cruelly suffered the trials of war, yοu have had to work hard at the rebuilding of the country; yοu have had to make great efforts in order to face the various problems of education, health and so on. The Church takes a lively interest in these efforts marked by solidarity, and she encourages them. She hopes that they will succeed in giving to every individual not only food and education but also the opportunity to develop freely each one's best potentialities, including religious aspiration, and in a climate of peace with the other nations that are seeking, like Vietnam, to live in tranquillity and dignity.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radio Address of the Pope to the People of Vietnam during the Flight from Port Moresby to Bangkok (10 May 1984)
“Science develops best when its concepts and conclusions are integrated into the broader human culture and its concerns for ultimate meaning and value. Scientists cannot, therefore, hold themselves entirely aloof from the sorts of issues dealt with by philosophers and theologians. By devoting to these issues something of the energy and care they give to their research in science, they can help others realize more fully the human potentialities of their discoveries. They can also come to appreciate for themselves that these discoveries cannot be a genuine substitute for knowledge of the truly ultimate. Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to the Rev. George V. Coyne, S.J., Director of the Vatican Observatory, 1 June 1988
“The liberating message of the Gospel of Life has been put into your hands. And the mission of proclaiming it to the ends of the earth is now passing to your generation. Like the great Apostle Paul, you too must feel the full urgency of the task: "Woe to me if I do not evangelize" (1Cor 9,16). [...] Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel (Cfr. Rom 1,16). It is the time to preach it from the rooftops (Cfr. Matth 10,27).”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1993 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Homily of His Holiness John Paul II, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Eucharistic Celebration at the Cherry Creek State Park of Denver during the 8th World Youth Day in Denver (15 August 1993). Ar…
“many women, especially as a result of social and cultural conditioning, do not become fully aware of their dignity. Others are victims of a materialistic and hedonistic outlook which views them as mere objects of pleasure, and does not hesitate to organize the exploitation of women, even of young girls, into a despicable trade. Special concern needs to be shown for these women, particularly by other women who, thanks to their own upbringing and sensitivity, are able to help them discover their own inner worth and resources. Women need to help women, and to find support in the valuable and effective contributions which associations, movements and groups, many of them of a religious character, have proved capable of making in this regard.”
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
“In view of laws which permit abortion and in view of efforts, which here and there have been successful, to legalize euthanasia, movements and initiatives to raise social awareness in defence of life have sprung up in many parts of the world. When, in accordance with their principles, such movements act resolutely, but without resorting to violence, they promote a wider and more profound consciousness of the value of life, and evoke and bring about a more determined commitment to its defence. [...] This situation, with its lights and shadows, ought to make us all fully aware that we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the "culture of death" and the "culture of life". We find ourselves not only "faced with" but necessarily "in the midst of" this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclical Evangelium vitae To the Bishops Priests and Deacons Men and Women religious lay Faithful and all People of Good Will on the Value and Inviolability of Human Life (25 March 1995). Archived from the original on…
“(About the Dormition of the Mother of God) It is true that in Revelation death is presented as a punishment for sin. However, the fact that the Church proclaims Mary free from original sin by a unique divine privilege does not lead to the conclusion that she also received physical immortality. The Mother is not superior to the Son who underwent death, giving it a new meaning and changing it into a means of salvation. Involved in Christ's redemptive work and associated in his saving sacrifice, Mary was able to share in his suffering and death for the sake of humanity's Redemption. What Severus of Antioch says about Christ also applies to her: "Without a preliminary death, how could the Resurrection have taken place?" (Antijulianistica, Beirut 1931, 194f.). To share in Christ's Resurrection, Mary had first to share in his death. The New Testament provides no information on the circumstances of Mary's death. This silence leads one to suppose that it happened naturally, with no detail particularly worthy of mention. If this were not the case, how could the information about it have remained hidden from her contemporaries and not have been passed down to us in some way? As to the cause of Mary's death, the opinions that wish to exclude her from death by natural causes seem groundless. It is more important to look for the Blessed Virgin's spiritual attitude at the moment of her departure from this world. In this regard, St Francis de Sales maintains that Mary's death was due to a transport of love. He speaks of a dying "in love, from love and through love", going so far as to say that the Mother of God died of love for her Son Jesus (Treatise on the Love of God, bk. 7, ch. XIII–XIV). Whatever from the physical point of view was the organic, biological cause of the end of her bodily life, it can be said that for Mary the passage from this life to the next was the full development of grace in glory, so that no death can ever be so fittingly described as a "dormition" as hers.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Vigil of Prayer Tor Vergata during 15th World Youth Day on 19 August 2000. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“Any procedure which tends to commercialize human organs or to consider them as items of exchange or trade must be considered morally unacceptable, because to use the body as an "object" is to violate the dignity of the human person. Acknowledgement of the unique dignity of the human person has a further underlying consequence: vital organs which occur singly in the body can be removed only after death, that is from the body of someone who is certainly dead. This requirement is self-evident, since to act otherwise would mean intentionally to cause the death of the donor in disposing of his organ.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to the 18th International Congress of the Transplantation Society, 29 August 2000
“It is helpful to recall that the death of the person is a single event, consisting in the total disintegration of that unitary and integrated whole that is the personal self. The death of the person, understood in this primary sense, is an event which no scientific technique or empirical method can identify directly. Human experience shows that once death occurs certain biological signs inevitably follow, which medicine has learnt to recognize with increasing precision. In this sense, the "criteria" for ascertaining death used by medicine today should not be understood as the technical-scientific determination of the exact moment of a person's death, but as a scientifically secure means of identifying the biological signs that a person has indeed died.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to the 18th International Congress of the Transplantation Society, 29 August 2000
“At the beginning of the new millennium, and at the close of the Great Jubilee during which we celebrated the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Jesus and a new stage of the Church's journey begins, our hearts ring out with the words of Jesus when one day, after speaking to the crowds from Simon's boat, he invited the Apostle to "put out into the deep" for a catch: "Duc in altum" (Lk 5:4). Peter and his first companions trusted Christ's words, and cast the nets. "When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish" (Lk 5:6). Duc in altum! These words ring out for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Heb 13:8).”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Apostolic Letter Novo Millenio Ineunte of His Holiness John Paul II to the Bishop Clergy and Lay Faithful at the close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 (6 January 2001). Archived from the original on April 16, 2022.
“the Church took it upon herself to draw attention to the unjust distribution of goods, not only between different social groupings but between different regions of the world. In fact, the gap became increasingly evident between the rich North, which was growing richer, and the poor South, which continued to be exploited and penalized in many ways even after the end of the colonial era. Instead of diminishing, the poverty of the South was constantly increasing. Such are the consequences of unbridled capitalism, which makes the rich ever richer while forcing the poor into conditions of growing degradation.”
Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source