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Carta a las familias

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Pismo obiteljima pape Ivana Pavla II : godina obitelji 1994

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 1994

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About the author

Pope John Paul II

1,046 books630 followers
Saint Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II), born Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope at the Conclave of 16 October 1978, and he took the name of John Paul II. On 22 October, the Lord's Day, he solemnly inaugurated his Petrine ministry as the 263rd successor to the Apostle. His pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted nearly 27 years.

Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.

He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.

His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.

Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.

With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.

He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia.

In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father. On April 1, 2011, he was raised to the glory of the altars and on April 27, 2014 canonized.

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Jack Latta.
5 reviews2 followers
July 22, 2023
Amazing work about the role of the family, specifically the father and mother, in society. Written almost 30 years ago, but even more imperative and true now.

Meshing of a lot of themes that have come up in my prayer in the past 6 months
Profile Image for Emily Strom.
240 reviews6 followers
December 30, 2024
Finally got around to finishing this text which I had to leave unfinished amidst the chaos of Spring 2024 finals...and realized as I finished it today that it was the Feast of the Holy Family.

Lots of good nuggets of wisdom and truth here - would recommend!
Profile Image for Paul Jensen.
51 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2023
I am sad to give this work of St. JPII's such a low rating, as I expected a more comprehensive work about family from the Saint-Pope who so well defended Catholic social teaching. This work was hindered most by JPII's phenomenological view of the world, which made the work rather hectic, over-mystified, and unclear. There were no clear or novel points made about family, the social obligations of the family, the role of parents, the role of husband and wife, how family relates to civilization, or any of the major points discussed. The only good point I read in all 68 pages was how the modern view of marriage was corrupted by Neo-Manichaeism, but even that was an exceedingly brief topic. Frankly, if it wasn't out of veneration for the author, I would have rated it one star; JPII has many other great works to focus on.
Profile Image for Michael.
38 reviews3 followers
October 1, 2012
The depth needed to survive the common distorted vision of family and marriage is found here. Every father should be commissioned to read this more than once. Once before marriage and many times after.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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