HR 9131

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution honoring the life and example of Pope John
3	Paul II.
4
5	WHEREAS, born of a military father in Wadwice, Poland, on
6	May 18, 1920, and orphaned by age 20, Karol Josef Wojtyla was
7	ordained a Catholic priest at the age of 26 after having served
8	as a professor of moral theology, social ethics, and philosophy,
9	reflecting ideals evidenced in his life not only by his
10	elevation to the office of Bishop of Kracow and Cardinal but
11	also by his active resistance from a young age to Nazi
12	occupation, and
13	WHEREAS, Karol Josef Wojtyla, along with some friends, was
14	stopped by the Gestapo during the 1940's Nazi occupation of
15	Poland and he alone being in possession of a work visa was
16	released, while his friends were arrested, deported to
17	Auschwitz, and killed, an event that motivated him to join an
18	underground seminary and dedicate his life to God, and
19	WHEREAS, on October 16, 1978, Karol Josef Wojtyla, having
20	been elected as Supreme Pontiff by the Sacred College of
21	Cardinals, chose to be called by the name "John Paul II," and
22	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul's pilgrimage to his native Poland
23	in 1979 sparked a revolution against Soviet style
24	totalitarianism, empowered by conscience and morality, beginning
25	with the Solidarity Labor movement and resulting in similar
26	civil uprisings in Eastern Europe; this "soft power" revolution,
27	speaking truth to the corruption of totalitarianism, combined
28	with President Ronald Reagan's efforts to secure peace through
29	strength, forged a partnership for human freedom culminating in
30	the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of Soviet
31	Communism in 1991; and early in this revolution, in 1981, Pope
32	John Paul survived an assassination attempt perpetrated by fear
33	of his persuasive moral leadership, and
34	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II, evangelist and pilgrim of
35	peace, the most traveled pope in history, declared evangelism
36	the essential mission of the church; globalized the Roman
37	Catholic Church and its message by visiting nearly 130 countries
38	and territories during his papacy, traveling over 700,000 miles,
39	the equivalent of 28 circumnavigations of the globe, including
40	seven trips to the United States, but with particular emphasis
41	on the developing nations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia;
42	addressed over 17 million people directly in his general
43	audiences, from the slum dwellers of Rio de Janeiro to AIDS
44	sufferers in Uganda and the United States; and whether he was in
45	Muslim Morocco, Buddhist Japan, or Catholic Spain, he advanced
46	the message that the Gospel is not out of place in any country,
47	and
48	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II, for Roman Catholics the
49	successor to St. Peter, Christian theologian, poet, and Second
50	Vatican Council participant, authored 5 books, 14 papal
51	encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic
52	constitutions, and 45 apostolic letters instructing mankind on
53	issues ranging from capitalism to ecumenism, abortion to
54	euthanasia, private property rights to morality, and, most
55	significantly, the triumph of life over death, and through these
56	writings exhorted mankind to "be not afraid" to live Christ-like
57	lives, and
58	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II, ecumenical leader and religious
59	unifier, emphasized that which is common among world religions
60	over that which is disputed; was the first Bishop of Rome to
61	pray with Roman Jews in their synagogue since St. Peter and the
62	first Pope to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem; called anti-
63	Semitism a sin against God and was known to have cried at Yad
64	Vashem, the Holocaust memorial; was the first Pope since the
65	Reformation to visit the Canterbury Cathedral and with the
66	Reverend Billy Graham held the great ecumenical rally of 1987,
67	bringing together evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox, and
68	Anglicans to give common witness to the Gospel; was the first
69	Pope to visit a mosque and quote the Qur'an and encouraged
70	Christians to fast with Muslims during Ramadan after the horror
71	of September 11, 2001; coordinated interfaith condemnations of
72	terrorism; and constantly advanced the understanding of the
73	Church as a means of communion with all people of God, and
74	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II, instrumental in the defeat of
75	Nazism and Communism, two of the most pernicious and godless
76	evils of modern time, was adviser and spiritual example to world
77	leaders, holding over 730 audiences with heads of state and
78	almost 250 audiences with prime ministers, and was a strong
79	force in ending the nuclear arms race, and
80	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II, Vicar of Christ, mystic, and
81	pastor to over 1.1 billion Roman Catholics and a powerful
82	exemplar of a consecrated life to people of all faiths
83	worldwide, was known as the pope of the people, or "don de
84	gente," for his love of all life, especially children and the
85	suffering, and for his example of strict morality and gentle
86	mercy; who, as an assassination attempt survivor, within three
87	days publicly forgave and ministered to his would-be assassin,
88	promoting hope and mercy for the condemned; and who, through his
89	daily example, epitomized a life guided by I Corinthians 11:1,
90	"Imitate me as I imitate Christ," NOW, THEREFORE,
91
92	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
93	Florida:
94
95	That Pope John Paul II be remembered for his exemplary life
96	of daily courage as a common man who adored his God, who through
97	and for Him dedicated his life and soul to the love, compassion,
98	mercy, and service of others, and who in so doing changed the
99	world forever.
100	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives,
101	on behalf of all Floridians, commend his noble soul to the
102	merciful love of God our Heavenly Father and invoke upon all who
103	mourn his passing the divine blessings of consolation, strength,
104	and peace and further commend to all Floridians the
105	encouragement of "truth and faith" uttered as the last word by
106	Pope John Paul II, "Amen."

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.