Twenty years after the death of Pope Saint John Paul II, the Church remembers and celebrates the saint, who not only changed the course of history by advocating for peace and human dignity but also touched millions of hearts worldwide.
April 2nd, 2005—countless crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, gazing anxiously up at the windows of the Apostolic Palace, where Pope John Paul II was spending his last days.
A candle had been lit, according to Polish custom, in the window of the room where the Pope was organizing. Then, as soon as he passed away, the lights were turned on in the square, and even before the announcement of the Holy Father’s death, we understood that the Pope had died.
It was the end of an era. Gone to the Lord was not only a great pope who had changed the history of mankind, but above all, a man who had been a shepherd, a father to millions across the globe, also in the Vatican. He deeply marked the lives of many.
Archbishop Piero Marini, Master of Liturgical Ceremonies under Pope St. John Paul II, shared:
“I greeted him two days before his death on Thursday afternoon, before he passed away. He took my hand since he couldn’t speak. And that look in his eyes, that strong grip of his hand stays with me always and truly accompanies me every day of my life.”
Now, twenty years later, thousands of people are in Rome once again to honor the late Pope’s memory.
A special concert was organized in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where cardinals, bishops, and friends of the Saint Pope came together to commemorate him. Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland also traveled to Rome on the occasion on behalf of his nation, the nation that owes much of its freedom to the Polish Pope. He noted:
“No one needs to be explained how important this moment is for us and how important for us Poles this place is and the opportunity to pay tribute, but also to pray at the tomb of the Holy Father for our homeland, for Poland, for the world, and for the health of Pope Francis.”
In the afternoon, Saint Peter’s Basilica was filled with the faithful for a solemn Mass celebrated by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Mass was attended by many cardinals and bishops, including many of those who were appointed by Pope Saint John Paul II.
“He never sought to please men, but only God. He lived solely before His eyes,” Cardinal Parolin stated in his homily.
It was a powerful reminder of how many lives he had touched during his papacy, something that is as clear today as it was on the night of his passing twenty years ago, when crowds of young people gathered in vigil beneath the Pope’s windows.
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former personal secretary to the late Holy Father, recounted:
“A large group of young people have been keeping vigil for the second day. I went out to the square and told them, ‘Go home.’ But they replied, ‘He was always with us, and now we want to be with him.’ And they stayed. The youth never left him until the very end.”
Still today, twenty years later, Pope Saint John Paul II holds a special place in the hearts of millions who continue to travel to Rome to pray at his tomb in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
A powerful source of strength and grace.
