John XXIII and John Paul II, saints

Long before Pope Francis announced last Friday that the late popes John Paul II and John XXIII will be canonized, Cebuanos immortalized these pontiffs.

A statue of Blessed John Paul the Great stands as the centerpiece of the Archbishop’s Residence on D. Jakosalem Street.

The monument commemorates his apostolic visit to Cebu in 1981, a visit during which he was inspired by the joy of the Cebuano youth to conceive the annual World Youth Day.

Juan Luna Avenue, which cuts through barangays Mabolo and Kasambagan and which was previously known as San Jose de La Montaña is now Blessed John Paul II Avenue.

Along that street stands the archdiocesan minor or high school seminary, which is named after Blessed John XXIII.

As we wait for the Vatican’s announcement of the dates of the canonization of the two blesseds (John Paul after the cure of Costa Rican Floribeth Mora’s aneurysm was attributed to his intercession and John on the authority of Pope Francis), it is time we refresh ourselves with their lives and teachings.

John XIII was the Pope who convoked the Second Vatican Council, the 21st ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, which prompted the renewal of the faith.

One of the most important fruits of the council was the eventual offering of the Holy Mass, the center of Catholic life in the faithful’s native tongues.

The council has also resulted in a new wave of evangelization of the faithful as they were reminded of the universal call to holiness and encouraged anew to learn and live Sacred Scripture.

One of the most memorable writings from John XXIII, pope from 28 October 1928 to 3 June 1963, was the encyclical “Pacem in Terris” (Peace on Earth).

Its message remains urgent today: “Peace on Earth—which man throughout the ages has so longed for and sought after—can never be established, never guaranteed, except by the diligent observance of the divinely established order.”

John Paul II, pope from 16 October 1978 to 02 April 2005 is remembered for many things, including canonizing more saints than his predecessors did.

Among his most memorable works is the encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life).

In this letter, John Paul said, “It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.’’

“A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.”