Published on Apr 27, 2014
VATICAN CITY -- Hundreds of
thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square Sunday for a historic day
of four popes, with Francis and Benedict XVI honoring their predecessors
John XXIII and John Paul II and declaring them saints in the first ever
canonization of two pontiffs.
Polish pilgrims carrying the red
and white flags of John Paul's beloved homeland were among the first to
push into the square well before sunrise, as the human chains of
neon-vested civil protection workers trying to maintain order finally
gave up and let them in.
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Italy's interior
ministry predicted 1 million would watch the Mass from the square, the
streets surrounding it and nearby piazzas where giant TV screens were
set up to accommodate the crowds eager to follow along.
"Four
popes in one ceremony is a fantastic thing to see and to be at, because
it is history being written in our sight," marveled one of the visiting
Poles, David Halfar. "It is wonderful to be a part in this and to live
all of this."
Most of those who arrived first at St. Peter's had
camped out overnight nearby on air mattresses and sleeping pads. Others
hadn't slept at all and took part in the all-night prayer vigils hosted
at a dozen churches in downtown Rome.
By mid-morning, the scene
in the square was quiet and subdued -- perhaps due to the chilly gray
skies and cumulative lack of sleep -- unlike the rollicking party
atmosphere of John Paul's May 2011 beatification when bands of young
people sang and danced in the hours before the Mass.
The Vatican
on Saturday ended weeks of speculation and confirmed that retired Pope
Benedict, 87, would indeed participate in the canonization. The move
sets a remarkable precedent for the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church,
which has never seen a reigning and retired pope celebrating a public
Mass together.
Benedict had promised to remain "hidden from the
world" after resigning last year, but Francis has coaxed him out of
retirement and urged him to take part in the public life of the church.
Sunday's
canonization is also the first time two popes have been declared saints
at the same time. Francis' decision to canonize two of the 20th
century's greatest spiritual leaders amounts to a delicate balancing
act, giving both the conservative and progressive wings of the church a
new saint.
John, who reigned from 1958-1963, is a hero to liberal
Catholics for having convened the Second Vatican Council. The meetings
brought the church into the modern era by allowing Mass to be celebrated
in local languages rather than Latin and by encouraging greater
dialogue with people of other faiths, particularly Jews.
During
his quarter-century papacy from 1978-2005, John Paul helped topple
communism through his support of Poland's Solidarity movement. His
globe-trotting papacy and launch of the wildly popular World Youth Days
invigorated a new generation of Catholics, while his defense of core
church teaching heartened conservatives after the turbulent 1960s.
"John
Paul was our pope," said Therese Andjoua, a 49-year-old nurse who
traveled from Libreville, Gabon with some 300 other pilgrims to attend.
She sported a traditional African dress bearing the images of the two
new saints.
"In 1982 he came to Gabon and when he arrived he
kissed the ground and told us to `Get up, go forward and be not
afraid,"' she recalled as she rested against a pallet of water bottles.
"When we heard he was going to be canonized, we got up."
Kings,
queens, presidents and prime ministers from more than 90 countries were
expected to attend the canonizations. Some 20 Jewish leaders from the
U.S., Israel, Italy, Francis' native Argentina and Poland were also
taking part, in a clear sign of their appreciation for the great strides
made in Catholic-Jewish relations under John, John Paul -- and their
successors celebrating their sainthood.
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PROFILES:
John
XXIII (1881-1963), known as Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli before he became
Pope -- was one of 13 children born into a family of Italian peasants,
farmers from a tiny village in the country's north, before being sent
away to study for the priesthood at the age of 11.
John Paul II
(1920-2005), born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, was brought up in a grimy
industrial town in Poland and raised by his soldier father after his
mother died when he was just eight. He spent his formative years living
under first Nazis, then Communists.
thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square Sunday for a historic day
of four popes, with Francis and Benedict XVI honoring their predecessors
John XXIII and John Paul II and declaring them saints in the first ever
canonization of two pontiffs.
Polish pilgrims carrying the red
and white flags of John Paul's beloved homeland were among the first to
push into the square well before sunrise, as the human chains of
neon-vested civil protection workers trying to maintain order finally
gave up and let them in.
ADVERTISEMENT
Italy's interior
ministry predicted 1 million would watch the Mass from the square, the
streets surrounding it and nearby piazzas where giant TV screens were
set up to accommodate the crowds eager to follow along.
"Four
popes in one ceremony is a fantastic thing to see and to be at, because
it is history being written in our sight," marveled one of the visiting
Poles, David Halfar. "It is wonderful to be a part in this and to live
all of this."
Most of those who arrived first at St. Peter's had
camped out overnight nearby on air mattresses and sleeping pads. Others
hadn't slept at all and took part in the all-night prayer vigils hosted
at a dozen churches in downtown Rome.
By mid-morning, the scene
in the square was quiet and subdued -- perhaps due to the chilly gray
skies and cumulative lack of sleep -- unlike the rollicking party
atmosphere of John Paul's May 2011 beatification when bands of young
people sang and danced in the hours before the Mass.
The Vatican
on Saturday ended weeks of speculation and confirmed that retired Pope
Benedict, 87, would indeed participate in the canonization. The move
sets a remarkable precedent for the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church,
which has never seen a reigning and retired pope celebrating a public
Mass together.
Benedict had promised to remain "hidden from the
world" after resigning last year, but Francis has coaxed him out of
retirement and urged him to take part in the public life of the church.
Sunday's
canonization is also the first time two popes have been declared saints
at the same time. Francis' decision to canonize two of the 20th
century's greatest spiritual leaders amounts to a delicate balancing
act, giving both the conservative and progressive wings of the church a
new saint.
John, who reigned from 1958-1963, is a hero to liberal
Catholics for having convened the Second Vatican Council. The meetings
brought the church into the modern era by allowing Mass to be celebrated
in local languages rather than Latin and by encouraging greater
dialogue with people of other faiths, particularly Jews.
During
his quarter-century papacy from 1978-2005, John Paul helped topple
communism through his support of Poland's Solidarity movement. His
globe-trotting papacy and launch of the wildly popular World Youth Days
invigorated a new generation of Catholics, while his defense of core
church teaching heartened conservatives after the turbulent 1960s.
"John
Paul was our pope," said Therese Andjoua, a 49-year-old nurse who
traveled from Libreville, Gabon with some 300 other pilgrims to attend.
She sported a traditional African dress bearing the images of the two
new saints.
"In 1982 he came to Gabon and when he arrived he
kissed the ground and told us to `Get up, go forward and be not
afraid,"' she recalled as she rested against a pallet of water bottles.
"When we heard he was going to be canonized, we got up."
Kings,
queens, presidents and prime ministers from more than 90 countries were
expected to attend the canonizations. Some 20 Jewish leaders from the
U.S., Israel, Italy, Francis' native Argentina and Poland were also
taking part, in a clear sign of their appreciation for the great strides
made in Catholic-Jewish relations under John, John Paul -- and their
successors celebrating their sainthood.
Please help me with a click on SUBSCRIBE button. I appreciate it so much!
PS: And share the video :)
SUBSCRIBE►http://www.youtube.it/user/judanetwork
Google+ ►https://plus.google.com/+judanetwork
Your Support is appreciated.
PROFILES:
John
XXIII (1881-1963), known as Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli before he became
Pope -- was one of 13 children born into a family of Italian peasants,
farmers from a tiny village in the country's north, before being sent
away to study for the priesthood at the age of 11.
John Paul II
(1920-2005), born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, was brought up in a grimy
industrial town in Poland and raised by his soldier father after his
mother died when he was just eight. He spent his formative years living
under first Nazis, then Communists.
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