V.

John Paul’s Message

John Paul II issued a long series of encyclicals (formal statements or letters). Of these, perhaps the most important were Redemptor hominis (Redeemer of Man, 1979), on the condition of the Roman Catholic Church; Slavorum apostoli (Apostles of Slavs, 1985), on the condition of the church in Eastern Europe; Sollicitudo rei socialis (On Social Concern, 1987), on the abuses of Communist and capitalist societies; Veritatis splendor (Splendor of Truth, 1993), on Catholic moral principles; Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life, 1995), on the sanctity of human life; Ut unum sint (That They May Be One, 1995), on ecumenism; Fides et ratio (Faith and Reason, 1998), on the relationship between religion and philosophy; and Ecclesia de Eucharistia (The Church from the Eucharist, 2003), on the place of the Eucharist in the life of the church.

John Paul’s writings brought a new style to papal letters. They were totally different from the crisp, strictly theological encyclicals issued by Pius XII a generation before. John Paul II wrote lengthy texts, often full of emotional appeals and quotations from his own previous pronouncements.

John Paul’s message was decidedly conservative and strongly opposed to secularizing (worldly) tendencies in the modern world that left little room for religious authority. Openly and secretly, the pope gave strong support to the Solidarity labor union in Poland. Solidarity was one of the most important groups whose work contributed to the downfall of Communist governments in Poland and across Eastern Europe in 1989 (see Communism).

John Paul tried to promote the growth of the Roman Catholic Church in third world countries. However, he strongly opposed so-called liberation theologians who sought to align the church directly with the sufferings and struggles of the poor and oppressed. To audiences in Western Europe and North America John Paul stressed the evils of an individualistic “consumer” society, and he reaffirmed traditional Catholic moral teachings about private (especially sexual) conduct and about the obligation to share wealth with the poor. With all Catholics John Paul endeavored to strengthen papal authority.

In the 1980s and 1990s John Paul II made numerous journeys, including visits to Africa, Asia, and the Americas. In September 1993 he traveled to the Baltic republics in the first papal visit to countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). He influenced the restoration of democracy and religious freedom throughout Eastern Europe, especially in his native Poland. Dealing forcefully with dissent within the church, he reaffirmed Roman Catholic teachings against homosexuality, abortion, and “artificial” methods of human reproduction and birth control, and in favor of priestly celibacy. Although weakened by Parkinson disease and arthritis, John Paul did not allow infirmity to curtail his travels in the early 2000s.