papa juan pablo II

This post is to remember Pope John Paul II because it is very difficult for me to forget this special person who was pope during 15 years of my life. I liked the way he emphasized on adolescence and youth. And the close relationship that he had with them.
Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on 18 May 1920 in Woodlice in southern Poland and died on 2 April 2005 (buried 8 April 2005) after a long fight against Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. He reigned as the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City from 16 October 1978, until his death more than 26 years later, making his the second-longest pontificate in modern times after Pius IX's 31-year reign.
John Paul II had a special relationship also with Catholic youth and is known by some as The Pope for Youth. Before he was pope he used to camp and mountain hike with the youth. He still went mountain hiking when he was pope. He was a hero to many of them. Indeed, at gatherings, young Catholics, and conceivably non-Catholics, were often fond of chanting the phrase "JP Two, We Love You", and occasionally John Paul would reply "JP Two, He Loves YOU!" He was particularly concerned with the education of young future Priests, and made many early visits to Roman seminaries, including to the Venerable English College in 1979.
He established World Youth Day in 1984 with the intention of bringing young Catholics from all parts of the world together to celebrate their faith. These week-long meetings of youth occur every two or three years, attracting hundreds of thousands of young people, who go there to sing, party, have a good time and deepen their faith. Some of his most faithful youths gathered themselves in two organizations: "papa boys" and "papa girls."
Immediately after his death, many of his followers demanded that he be elevated to sainthood as soon as possible, shouting "Santo Subito" (meaning "Saint immediately" in Italian). Both L'Osservatore Romano and Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II's successor, referred to John Paul II “The Great" and he really was.