Saint John Paul II

Today the Blessed Popes John Paul II and John XXIII are being canonized by Pope Francis in Rome. This is cool for me because it means I have been in the presence of a real live Saint. Twice.

Once when my family attended midnight Mass officiated by Pope John Paul II on Christmas Eve in 1984 ...

... and the second time when we visited as pilgrims during the Jubilee year 2000 ...










... where we attended a service in St. Peter's Square.







 

Bringing it back to South Africa ... Pope John Paul II visited here twice during his lifetime. Once officially and once accidentally. In 1988 the papal plane he was traveling in was forced to land in SA because of bad weather conditions. Apparently on that visit he angered the apartheid government when he refused to kiss the ground.

Seven years later in 1995, Pope John Paul II came back and celebrated a papal mass in Joburg as he began his six day tour of Africa. During his visit in 1995, the Pope said: "Today my journey brings me to a new South Africa, a 'rainbow nation,' indicating the diversity of races, ethnic groups, languages and culture which characterize it." To which the newly minted  President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela said: "To say this visit is long overdue is to pay tribute to your own abhorrence of the system of apartheid," 

Our parish priest reminisced about John Paul II's visit to South Africa this morning during his homily. He spoke about being among the more than 100,000 who attended the outdoor Mass that day in nearby Gosforth Park. Blessed be Saint John Paul II.