A new book launched this week says the late Pope John Paul II flagellated himself regularly and signed a secret document saying that he would resign instead of ruling for life if he became incurably ill.
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VATICAN CITY CTV - A new book launched next to the Vatican on Tuesday (Janaury 26) said the late Pope John Paul II flagellated himself regularly to emulate Christ's suffering and signed a secret document saying that he would resign instead of ruling for life if he became incurably ill.
The book, called "Why a Saint? was written by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Vatican official in charge of the process that could lead to Roman Catholic sainthood for John Paul. It includes some previously unpublished documents.
John Paul, who died in 2005, was sick and suffering in several periods of his papacy. He was shot and nearly killed in 1981, he underwent several operations, including one for cancer, and suffered from Parkinson's disease for more than decade.
The book reveals, that even when he was not ill, he inflicted pain on himself, known in Christianity as mortification, so as to feel closer to God.
"What emerges from this (sainthood) procedure, it is clear, the aspect of penitence was present in the life of John Paul II,' said Oder. "It is difficult to say in what measure it was present but it should be seen as part of his profound relationship with the Lord," he added.
"In Krakow as in the Vatican, Karol Wojtyla flagellated himself," Oder writes in the book, citing testimony from people in the late pope's close entourage while he was bishop in his native Poland and after he was elected pope in 1978.
"In his closet, among his vestments, on a clothes hanger a particular kind of belt for his trouser hung which he used as a whip," Oder writes. "When he was bishop in Poland, he often slept on the bare floor so he could practice self-denial and asceticism," another line reads.
Many saints of the Church, including St. Francis of Assisi, St Catherine of Sienna and St. Ignatius of Loyola, practised flagellation and asceticism as part of their spiritual life.
The book also confirmed that as his health failed, John Paul prepared a document for aides stating that he would step down instead of ruling for life if he became incurably ill or permanently impaired from carrying out his duties as pope.
He signed the document on February 15, 1989, eight years after the failed assassination attempt. It had been the subject of many rumours and reports over the years but it's the first time it has been published in full in the book.
John Paul wrote that he would resign "in the case of infirmity which is presumed incurable, long-lasting and which impedes me from sufficiently carrying out the functions of my apostolic ministry."
In the end, the pope decided to stay on until his death, saying it was for the good of the Church. Had he stepped down, he would have been the first Roman Catholic pontiff to do so willingly since 1294.
"He knew that his resignation would have been necessary at the moment he would no longer be able to carry out his duties with a clear mind. But we know that he carried out his duties with a lucid mind right until the end," Oder told the media during the book launch.
John Paul moved closer to sainthood last month when Pope Benedict approved a decree recognising that his predecessor had lived the Christian faith heroically.
Original Post By: Mnet
URL Posted: http://mpelembe.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2010/1/26/4438999.html
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