2023-05-24 12:00:15
PPope John Paul II was a man of superlatives and many innovations. ‘Pontifex maximus’, ‘greatest bridge builder’, is the ancient Roman honorific title for the chief priest, and the Polish Pope has lived up to that title in many ways. When the head of the world’s largest religious community took office in 1978, it didn’t take long for a tally to be made of what John Paul had just accomplished “as the first pope in history”.
Added to this was his personal charisma, complemented by acting gifts and a little self-mockery. You didn’t have to be a Catholic, or even a Christian, to fall under its spell. So it was not at all surprising that after the slow, public death of the pontiff in 2005, even the “Spiegel” showed John Paul on the title, with his robe tousled by the wind, and two words: “The Pope of the Millennium”.
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