•HRES 400 EH
Whereas in 1948 he returned to Poland and was vicar of var-
ious parishes in Cracow as well as chaplain for the uni-
versity students until 1951, when he took up again his
studies on philosophy and theology;
Whereas on January 13, 1964, he was nominated Archbishop
of Cracow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal
June 26, 1967;
Whereas on October 16, 1978, Karol Wojtyla began his pon-
tificate as Pope John Paul II;
Whereas Pope John Paul II has used his pontificate in
unique fashion, emerging as more than just the leader of
the Catholic Church, but a global voice against com-
munism, oppression, and tyranny; working both in public
and private, to exercise his influence against the forces
of injustice;
Whereas in the 1980s, Pope John Paul II was a vocal sup-
porter of the Polish Solidarity movement and his support
for striking workers at the Gdansk Shipyard was a key
to the downfall of communism in Poland, and started in
motion a chain of events ultimately leading to the dis-
solution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact;
Whereas his criticism of such dictators as Alfred Stroessner
in Paraguay, Augusto Pinochet in Chile, and Ferdinand
Marcos in the Philippines encouraged opposition move-
ments that eventually brought down those governments;
Whereas Pope John Paul II has become the most traveled
Pope in history, journeying more than a half million
miles visiting 125 countries, conducting meetings with
numerous government leaders during 38 official visits,
holding 690 audiences and meetings held with Heads of
•HRES 400 EH
State and 226 audiences and meetings with Prime Min-
isters;
Whereas Pope John Paul II has welcomed more than
16,000,000 pilgrims in the General Audiences which were
held weekly at the Vatican; and met with tens of millions
of the faithful during pastoral visits made in Italy and
throughout the world, including more than 8,000,000 pil-
grims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone;
Whereas Pope John Paul II has been a prolific writer com-
pleting 14 encyclicals, 13 apostolic exhortations, 11 apos-
tolic constitutions, and 42 apostolic letters, and he has
also published three books: ‘‘Crossing the Threshold of
Hope’’ (October 1994); ‘‘Gift and Mystery: On the 50th
Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination’’ (November
1996); and ‘‘Roman Tryptych—Meditations’’, a book of
poems (March 2003);
Whereas John Paul II has presided over 139 beatification
ceremonies (1,311 Blesseds proclaimed) and 48 canon-
ization ceremonies (469 Saints) during his pontificate,
and he has held 9 consistories in which he created 231
cardinals;
Whereas in 1981, Pope John Paul II survived an assassina-
tion attempt after being shot twice by Mehmet Ali Agca
in St. Peter’s Square, whom the Pope would later person-
ally meet and forgive;
Whereas Pope John Paul II, a survivor of fascism, com-
munism, and terrorism, has been a tireless voice for mo-
rality and decency; and
Whereas Pope John Paul II has emerged as more than just
a spiritual leader for the world’s Catholics, but as one of
the most influential and inspirational leaders of the 20th
•HRES 400 EH
and 21st centuries, as a consistent voice for peace and
human dignity: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the United States House of Representa-
tives honors the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s as-
cension to the papacy.
Attest:
Clerk.