Pope of the young

Pope John Paul II paid much attention to groups which might have been overlooked, young people and women.

Pope of the young
He created, energized World Youth Day, inspired thousands of teens

By Michelle Martin
Staff writer

When Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978, he was a youthful 58, active and athletic. At the time, he seemed to have a special charisma that drew children and young people to him. As much as they enjoyed him, he enjoyed them even more.

But as the pope’s health waned and he became more frail, an odd thing happened. The young people—teenagers and young adults—took him more into their hearts, and he seemed to draw energy from them.

Father Patrick Marshall, director of the Pope John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was amazed when he took a group of students to World Youth Day celebrations in Toronto in 2002 and Rome in 2000.

“It was absolutely incredible to see this old, frail man energize millions of young people with his spirit,” Marshall said. “It was a life-changing event. They really got turned on to their faith. The students that I took really got fired up in their faith through this man.”

And it wasn’t because the pope told them what they wanted to hear. In all of his addresses to the youth of the world, he challenged them to live their faith authentically, to be heroic Christians.

Young people respected him because he respected them, Marshall said.

“They’re very attuned to that charism,” he said. “For young people, this is the only pope they know. They listen to him, they trust him. It’s almost like he has a relationship to them like that of a grandfather. He’s a real wisdom figure to them. He starts his messages to them with the words, ‘Do not be afraid to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.’”