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Celebrating 25 Years of Pope John Paul II
Aired October 15, 2003 - 15:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: People from all over the world are converging on Rome now to celebrate Pope John Paul II's 25 years as pope. On the eve of the anniversary, our new poll shows that half of U.S. Catholics now believe the pope should resign because of his failing health. That is up from 36 percent last year.
Just 14 percent of American Catholics say they follow the pope's lead on moral issues, while 83 percent say they follow their conscience. Catholics have watched the pope's influence and health waver during his quarter century in the Vatican.
CNN's Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci, looks back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in 1978, Saddam Hussein was a friend of the West, preparing to fight a war against Islamic fundamentalists in Iran. Osama bin Laden and Afghan rebels, with some help from America, would soon begin battling Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and Mikhail Gorbachev a decade away from becoming president of the Soviet Union.
Yet, throughout the years that followed, from the Vatican or traveling around the world, John Paul II did more than just witness events. He helped shape them.
ARCHBISHOP JOHN FOLEY, VATICAN OFFICIAL: On that first trip of the pope to his native land in '79, I could see. I thought, this is the end for communism.
VINCI: Amazingly, it is with the youngest generations this pope has the biggest impact. It is with them he appears most at ease, a paradox, perhaps, considering that, while promoting traditional Catholic values...
POPE JOHN PAUL II: Only a higher moral reason can moderate the choice for life.
VINCI: ... the pope has often been in contrast with the reality of modern Western society.
JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN ANALYST: Has said an absolute no to the ordination of women, has said an absolute yes to the ban on birth control, has taken strong stands against any move towards greater acceptance and tolerance of homosexuality. VINCI: Perhaps the lowest point of his papacy so far, a sex abuse crisis that rocked the U.S. Catholic Church. The pope was widely criticized for not intervening soon enough to prevent it, a criticism Vatican officials reject.
EDMUND SZOKA, VATICAN GOVERNOR: He made a number of statements, if you recall, some very strong statements, where he said there's no place in the priesthood for anyone who would abuse children.
VINCI: By most accounts, though, John Paul II's achievements by far outnumber his shortcomings. He has promoted inter-religious dialogue by breaking new ground. He has tirelessly addressed issues, such as a social justice, focusing on the greater imbalance between rich and poor nations, always putting the emphasis on human dignity.
In recent weeks, though, perhaps as never before, the pope's health concerned many outside and inside the Vatican, to the extent that even some cardinals, who usually avoid addressing the issue of papal succession, have begun talking about the proximity of his death.
(on camera): There are not many precedents for papal resignations, and certainly none in modern history. The last one was Celestine V in the 13th century. And because popes cannot be removed from office, a question remains: What would happen should this pope become incapacitated? It is a question church law has yet to address.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Vatican City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 15, 2003 - 15:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: People from all over the world are converging on Rome now to celebrate Pope John Paul II's 25 years as pope. On the eve of the anniversary, our new poll shows that half of U.S. Catholics now believe the pope should resign because of his failing health. That is up from 36 percent last year.
Just 14 percent of American Catholics say they follow the pope's lead on moral issues, while 83 percent say they follow their conscience. Catholics have watched the pope's influence and health waver during his quarter century in the Vatican.
CNN's Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci, looks back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in 1978, Saddam Hussein was a friend of the West, preparing to fight a war against Islamic fundamentalists in Iran. Osama bin Laden and Afghan rebels, with some help from America, would soon begin battling Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and Mikhail Gorbachev a decade away from becoming president of the Soviet Union.
Yet, throughout the years that followed, from the Vatican or traveling around the world, John Paul II did more than just witness events. He helped shape them.
ARCHBISHOP JOHN FOLEY, VATICAN OFFICIAL: On that first trip of the pope to his native land in '79, I could see. I thought, this is the end for communism.
VINCI: Amazingly, it is with the youngest generations this pope has the biggest impact. It is with them he appears most at ease, a paradox, perhaps, considering that, while promoting traditional Catholic values...
POPE JOHN PAUL II: Only a higher moral reason can moderate the choice for life.
VINCI: ... the pope has often been in contrast with the reality of modern Western society.
JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN ANALYST: Has said an absolute no to the ordination of women, has said an absolute yes to the ban on birth control, has taken strong stands against any move towards greater acceptance and tolerance of homosexuality. VINCI: Perhaps the lowest point of his papacy so far, a sex abuse crisis that rocked the U.S. Catholic Church. The pope was widely criticized for not intervening soon enough to prevent it, a criticism Vatican officials reject.
EDMUND SZOKA, VATICAN GOVERNOR: He made a number of statements, if you recall, some very strong statements, where he said there's no place in the priesthood for anyone who would abuse children.
VINCI: By most accounts, though, John Paul II's achievements by far outnumber his shortcomings. He has promoted inter-religious dialogue by breaking new ground. He has tirelessly addressed issues, such as a social justice, focusing on the greater imbalance between rich and poor nations, always putting the emphasis on human dignity.
In recent weeks, though, perhaps as never before, the pope's health concerned many outside and inside the Vatican, to the extent that even some cardinals, who usually avoid addressing the issue of papal succession, have begun talking about the proximity of his death.
(on camera): There are not many precedents for papal resignations, and certainly none in modern history. The last one was Celestine V in the 13th century. And because popes cannot be removed from office, a question remains: What would happen should this pope become incapacitated? It is a question church law has yet to address.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Vatican City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
