Pope John Paul II - quotes

Pope John Paul II (1920-2005), born Karol Józef Wojtyła, was reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the second-longest serving Pope in history and the first non-Italian since 1523. John Paul II was acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011.

On 31 December, 1980 in his letter he stated:

English - "Cyril and Methodius, Greek brothers, native of Thessaloniki..."

Latin - "Cyrillus autem et Methodius fratres, Graeci, Thessalonicae nati..."

Italian - "Cirillo e Metodio, fratelli, greci, nativi di Tessalonica..."

("EGREGIAE VIRTUTIS" Lettera Apostolica, Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II - III, 2, 1980)

Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II (1980)