Unlike any other pope, John Paul II has reached out, creating dialogue or creating uproar, but always striving to unite the human community. Drawing on years of personal interaction with the Pope, and on his unique understanding of the intersection of religion and politics, Flynn, with co-authors Robin Moore and Jim Vrabel, shows how John Paul II changed the papacy, perhaps forever. “ John Paul II is a closely observed and deeply felt portrait of pope John Paul II as a man of encompassing human compassion, consuming devotion to the Church and its mission, and a faith in God strong enough to support, or renew, the faith of other people. It is a close-up that lets us see the Holy Father's goodness.” ― Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston “A lovingly personal description of the pope as a human being, John Paul II is a personal testament to Flynn's friend and hero, not an ideological or theological tract. I have read almost all of the full-length biographies of the pope. They all have their merits, but none of them captures John Paul II as a person as well as Flynn has done.” ― Monsignor George G. Higgins, The Catholic University of America, recipient of the Medal of Freedom Ray Flynn served as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 1993 to 1997 and as the Mayor of Boston from 1984 to 1993. He hosts a daily, nationally syndicated political television talk show and lives in Boston. Robin Moore (1925-2008) is the best selling author of The French Connection and The Green Beret . He lived in Concord, Massachusetts. Jim Vrabel is a former newspaper reporter and speechwriter. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. John Paul II A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man By Ray Flynn, Robin Moore, Jim Vrabel St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2001 Ray Flynn All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-312-28328-5 Contents TITLE PAGE, COPYRIGHT NOTICE, DEDICATION, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, PREFACE A personal description of the pope — from someone who had a front-row seat, 1 FIRST IMPRESSIONS A Polish cardinal talks about dockworkers in a church in Boston, 2 A POLISH POPE IN ROME And a celebration in South Boston, 3 FIRST PAPAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES Returning to Boston, "John Paul Superstar" takes the city by storm, 4 KEEPING TRACK OF HIM Following his exploits and growing in admiration, 5 THE DAY THE POPE WAS SHOT Somehow everyone understood how much he meant, 6 THREE MEETINGS IN ROME "We're going to mass with the pope.", 7 BEING OFFERED THE JOB A chance to represent my country to my church, 8 PRESENTING MY CREDENTIALS My first official meeting — and seeing more sides of the man, 9 WORLD YOUTH DAY, DENVER Rocky Mountain high, 10 FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS To understand him, you have to understand where he came from, 11 RUNNING FOR POPE Trust the Holy Spirit — but line up the votes, 12 PIAZZA DI SPAGNA A special day — and a special devotion to Mary, 13 DIPLOMATIC CORPS BRIEFING Standing up for the U.S.A., 14 SANTA SABINA Not so much a pope as a priest among friends, 15 "WHERE IS RAYMOND'S FRIEND?" Answering a dying boy's prayers, 16 HOLY WEEK IN ROME Can't get enough of these long religious ceremonies, 17 THE SHOAH CONCERT Reaching out — and reaching — our Jewish "elder brothers", 18 THE CAIRO CONFERENCE Fighting a war for life, 19 EVEN THE POPE SOMETIMES FEELS THE BURDEN Sensing a melancholy pope, 20 A DEDICATION AT THE ANGELICUM "Saint Thomas was not one of my professors!", 21 A MOTHER'S LOVE IS A BLESSING Easing a mother's pain, 22 THIRD PAPAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES The conscience of America, 23 A FRIEND IN NEED Reaching out to my family and me, 24 DEDICATION OF A NEW CHURCH Always at work, always reaching out, 25 TRIP TO SLOVENIA Seeing him in action in another country, 26 FIFTY YEARS A PRIEST Two lions of the church, wrestling to show their respect, 27 ARRIVEDERCI, ROMA Glad to be going home, sad to be leaving him, 28 BRINGING THE SPIRIT TO ST. LOUIS And calling for an end to capital punishment, 29 THE MILLENNIAL POPE Leading the church into another century, 30 LOOKING BACK THIRTY YEARS And reflecting on John Paul II's legacy, EPILOGUE September 2001 ... Turning Once More to Our Lady, ABOUT THE AUTHOR, COPYRIGHT, CHAPTER 1 FIRST IMPRESSIONS A Polish cardinal talks about dockworkers in a church in Boston The first time I met Karol Wojtyla was in September 1969. I was running for public office — state representative from South Boston, Massachusetts — for the first time, and I got a call from a friend of mine, Joe Aleks, who was very active in Boston's Polish American community. "Ray," he said, "they're having a time down at St. Adalbert's in Hyde Park on Sunday. If you want to get the Polish vote, you oughta be there." Before I had a chance to ask any questions, Joe hung up. But I had enough confidence in his political instincts that when Sunday came around I headed out to St. Adalbert's. A "time" in Boston political, social, and religious circl