The Reverend Billy Graham on Pope John Paul II

"When future historians look back on the most influential personalities of the 20th century, the name of Pope John Paul II will unquestionably loom large in their accounts. Few individuals have had a greater impact - not just religiously but socially and morally - on the modern world. He will stand as the most influential moral voice of our time.

"I first became acquainted with the name of this remarkable man when I visited Poland in 1978. At the time, he was known as Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, and he had invited me to have tea with him and to preach in his home church, St. Anne's in Krakow. As it turned out, however, we did not meet; he had been called away to Rome to participate in the election of a new pope following the unexpected death of John Paul I. To everyone's surprise - including his, I'm sure - Karol Wojtyla was elected pope, taking the name of John Paul II. When my plane from Poland landed in New York, after his election had been announced, I was interviewed by the media. They had scores of questions to ask because they knew I had just finished a preaching series in Poland that included several Catholic cathedrals. I remember one incident on Good Morning America when David Hartman asked me how to pronounce his name. When I told him, he slapped his knee and said that he might be the only reporter in New York who knew how to pronounce the name.

"After that, John Paul welcomed me several times at the Vatican, and although we came from different backgrounds, we developed a warm friendship with each other. His courageous stands for morality and faith in an age of rampant secularism, as well as his compassion for all who suffer and his strong commitment to social justice, won him the respect not only of his fellow Roman Catholics but of anyone concerned about the moral and spiritual confusion of our time. His call for young people to renounce the false paths that our modern world beckons and to commit their lives to Christ and His will struck a responsive chord in the hearts of millions.

"As the world faces the challenges of the new millennium, may Christ's call to repentance and faith be heard with ever greater clarity by each of us."


- The Reverend Billy Graham