On June 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II made a trip to his native Poland. It was the first visit by a Pope to a Communist country and had enormous political impact. Along with the “Solidarity” labor movement, the Pope was widely credited as a force in ending Communism in his native country, and eventually in all of Central and Eastern Europe.
In celebration of the millennium year 2000, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, with visits to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and other biblical sites. During his pontificate, which began in 1978, the Polish-born John Paul II (originally Karol Wojtyla), was the most traveled leader of the Roman Catholic church in papal history. He died on April 2, 2005, at age 84. What else do you know about the late popular leader and his office?
1. Who was the first Pope?
2. What distinction did John Paul II hold that no Pope had for 450 years?
3. In 1984, the U.S. restored diplomatic relations with the Vatican. How long ago were these diplomatic relations with the Vatican banned by Congress?
4. Besides leading the Roman Catholic church, the Pope is head of what state?
5. Which biblical site in Iraq did John Paul II visit there while Saddam Hussein was in power?
Answers
1. St. Peter, the first bishop of Rome, is considered the first Pope.
2. He was the first non-Italian Pope in that time.
3. The ban on diplomatic relations with the Vatican dates to 1867.
4. The Pope is Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, which was created as an independent state in 1929.
5. The city of Ur, the traditional birthplace of the Patriarch Abraham, although some biblical scholars dispute this.
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