When the news that the health of Pope John Paul II had declined dramatically overnight reached me, I was at “Celebrate” (a Catholic family conference held in Ilfracombe, Devon). I was surrounded by 1500 practising Catholics at a time potentially so historic, this was a great privilege! The sun shone across Devon on Friday afternoon and though we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus we also awaited the imminent news about Pope John Paul II. It was a weird feeling. Some people described it as waiting for the death of their grandfather. In the middle of a session with 200 young people I received news that Radio 1Xtra wanted to interview me about the Pope! In the interview I spoke of how the Pope had affected so many young people, how he had lived his “life to the full” even in the days of his illness and this was an inspiration to so many young Catholics. The interviewer asked why so many young people were bothered about the Church, which after all is ancient and old fashioned. I explained that the Jesus we believe in not only died, but rose again and we believe that He is interested in us, he cares for us. He’s alive today and gives us true peace. In a world where so many people are searching for the truth and for meaning in their lives we, as Catholics believe that Jesus is the only one who can fulfil the deepest desires and longings of our heart. My new found media fame swept across the conference and on Saturday I was driving home from the Celebrate conference when I received news of the Pope’s death. My friends and I pulled over to listen to the news on the radio. The next part of our journey was a mixture of prayers and sadness, but also excitement. We spoke of the times we had seen Pope John Paul and we how he had been a wonderful witness to us as young people. |
On the Death of Pope John Paul II