79R11848 KO-D

By:  Dunnam                                                     H.C.R. No. 139



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, Catholics around the world are mourning the loss of 
their extraordinary leader, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, who 
died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84; and
	WHEREAS, Born on May 18, 1920, to a retired army officer and a 
schoolteacher in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Jozef Wojtyla suffered 
tremendous personal loss early in his life, with the deaths of his 
mother when he was eight and his brother when he was 12; in 1938, he 
and his father moved to Krakow, where he enrolled at Jagiellonian 
University to study literature and philosophy; when the Germans 
invaded Poland and closed the university the following year, he 
took a job as a stonecutter in a quarry; his father died shortly 
thereafter, and the young man, now on his own, continued to work in 
the quarry and later at a chemical factory to earn his living and 
avoid deportation to Germany; and
	WHEREAS, Answering the call to the priesthood in 1942, John 
Paul began taking courses in the Krakow seminary; he was ordained in 
1946 and spent the next few years earning two master's degrees and a 
doctorate before assuming duties as an assistant pastor in 1949; he 
served as a chaplain to university students at St. Florian's Church 
while working on a second doctorate in philosophy; throughout his 
career, he continued to pursue his scholarly studies, and his 
writings now fill more than 150 volumes; and
	WHEREAS, In 1954, he was hired as a faculty member in the 
theology department at Catholic University of Lublin, the only 
Catholic university in the communist world, and also served as 
professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary 
of Krakow; in 1956, he was appointed to the chair of ethics at 
Catholic University and, two years later, was named the auxiliary 
bishop of Krakow; when the Vatican Council II began deliberations 
in 1962 that would revolutionize the Catholic Church, John Paul was 
one of its intellectual leaders, taking particular interest in 
religious freedom; that same year, he was named the acting 
archbishop of Krakow; and
	WHEREAS, His rapid ascent through the hierarchy of the church 
was evidenced by his appointment as cardinal in 1967; widely 
respected for his remarkable intellect and leadership abilities, he 
was selected as the next pope after the sudden death of John Paul I, 
who died only 34 days after taking office; and
	WHEREAS, Choosing the same name as his predecessor, Pope John 
Paul II began his Pontificate on October 16, 1978, earning the 
distinctions of being the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, the 
first Slavic pope ever, and, at age 58, the youngest pope in 132 
years; and
	WHEREAS, The Catholic Church that he inherited was undergoing 
tremendous upheaval with reforms begun by the Vatican Council II; 
John Paul II embarked on restoration of the church's conservative 
traditions and was not afraid to voice his opinion on nonchurch 
matters, criticizing dictators, supporting the Solidarity Movement 
in his homeland, hastening the collapse of communism in Europe, and 
condemning materialism in all its forms; and
	WHEREAS, He is widely revered as one of the most popular 
leaders that the Catholic Church has ever elected; nearly 18 
million people participated in the General Audiences held on 
Wednesdays during his more than 26 years at the Vatican, and his 
travels throughout the world have been international news events; 
while his predecessors generally stayed close to Rome, John Paul 
made it his mission to walk among his followers around the globe; 
despite a 1981 assassination attempt, he remained undeterred in his 
travels, visiting more than 115 countries over the past 20 years; 
the most traveled pope in history, he met with great success 
expanding the church in Africa and Latin America, with the latter 
accounting for approximately half of the estimated one billion 
Catholics in the world today; voted Man of the Year by Time Magazine
in 1994, John Paul spoke eight languages fluently and shepherded 
the church into the modern age, welcoming technology into the 
Vatican with satellite transmissions and other innovations; and
	WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II was a staunch defender of human 
rights who reached across geographical borders, political 
persuasions, and divisions of race, ethnicity, and even religious 
ideology to inspire millions around the world with his strength, 
compassion, and faith; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby pay special tribute to the life of His Holiness Pope John 
Paul II and extend sincere sympathy to all who mourn the loss of 
this brilliant and beloved man of God.