Redeeming Culture: The Canonisation of John Paul II

By Nigel Zimmermann, 22 October 2021
Pope St John Paul II. Image: Vatican Media/Vatican News.

 

To honour today’s Memorial of Pope St John Paul II, Catholic Outlook is republishing a series of articles about the beloved Pope, who created our Diocese of Parramatta on 8 April 1986.

Writing ahead of the canonisation of St John Paul II on 27 April 2014, Nigel Zimmermann explains the importance of the saint’s inclusion in the Catholic calendar and his contribution to the upholding of the dignity of the human person.

“In canonising John Paul II, the Church looks to him as a member of what St. Paul called that ‘great cloud of witnesses’ who surround those who ‘run the race’ in the present world, striving to reach God’s promised land in the heavenly places. Consequently, such a race, because it is run before both earthly and spiritual witnesses, is a costly one that requires perseverance and faithfulness. It is often through the way saints faced their difficulties that the Church locates evidence of their sanctity, and John Paul II is no exception,” writes Zimmermann.

Read the article from ABC Religion & Ethics here.

Nigel Zimmermann is an adjunct lecturer with the Institute for Ethics & Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia and Senior Fellow with the PM Glynn Institute, Australian Catholic University. Nigel works for the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

 

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