Free Republic

John Paul II firmly believed that suffering was part of man's life on this earth. Throughout his life, the Holy Father had numerous experiences that, in his case, were part of his Way of the Cross. The Bishop of Rome was born of a Polish family. Unfortunately, before coming of age, he had already lost his mother, his father, and his brother, having no immediate family during his adult life. The beginning of the Holy Father's priesthood coincided with the invasion of his beloved Poland by the armed forces of Nazi Germany, whose objective was not only to conquer the...

(English-language translation) Following the death of Terri Schiavo, the woman who was in a vegetative state for 15 years and without food or water for 13 days, several people interviewed by this daily stated that an injustice was committed against this woman. Dominican Sisters of Fatima Magdalena Rivera and María Irene Santiago said that this case was very sad and unjust. "God is the only author of life and death, and we have to wait for God's moment so that a person may leave this world, [which] we must not violate," said Sister Magdalena. She pointed out that there have...

(English-language translation) International public opinion is in consternation over the position taken by the husband of [Mrs.] Terri Schiavo who, despite efforts by the young woman's parents, is not willing to accede to what mankind considers an act of absolute charity towards a human being who cannot defend her life on her own. What is surprising about all of this is that Schiavo's husband maintains the position of removing her feeding tube despite Pope John Paul II's statements as to the obligation we all have to protect the lives of the disabled, especially the lives of those who cannot take...

(English-language translation) International public opinion is in consternation over the position taken by the husband of [Mrs.] Terri Schiavo who, despite efforts by the young woman's parents, is not willing to accede to what mankind considers an act of absolute charity towards a human being who cannot defend her life on her own. What is surprising about all of this is that Schiavo's husband maintains the position of removing her feeding tube despite Pope John Paul II's statements as to the obligation we all have to protect the lives of the disabled, especially the lives of those who cannot take...