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Jews, Catholics plan friendship memorial May. 30, 2006 at 10:14AM Poland's Catholic church has agreed to turn the house where the late Pope John Paul II was born into a memorial of the Jewish-Catholic friendship. During his four-day stay in Poland, the German-born Pope Benedict XVI Saturday paid a brief stop in Wadowice, the birthplace of his predecessor and mentor John Paul II, to enter and bless the house, the Washington Post reported. Some 20 years ago the house was turned into a museum. About 200,000 pilgrims from Poland and around the world annually visit the site, containing memorabilia of...

Chennai, April 1: A 22-foot-high bronze statue of Pope John Paul II will be unveiled in Chennai tomorrow. The statue, costing Rs 400,000, has been sculpted by Shihan Hussaini, eminent sculptor and karate expert. The statue would be unveiled on the premises of the Sculpture Mission at Besant Nagar, Chennai, to coincide with the first death anniversary of St John Paul II, tomorrow. Shihan said this would be an event of historical significance as this was the world's first statue of the Pope sculpted soon after his death. The statue was completed and mounted on a pedestal six days after...

Poles want pope's heart buried in country By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER Nuns and children pray for the late Pope John Paul II in Krakow, southern Poland, on Monday, April 4, 2005 in front of the residency of the archbishop. Pope John Paul II died in his Vatican apartment Saturday, April 2, 2005. He was 84. John Paul was a bishop in Krakow before he became the Pope. (AP Photo/Jockel Finck) KRAKOW, Poland -- Some officials in Krakow, where Pope John Paul II was archbishop, hope his heart can be buried in their cathedral alongside Poland's medieval kings and...

Poles Awake to New World Without Pope Mon Apr 4, 2:46 AM ET Europe - AP By VANESSA GERA, Associated Press Writer WARSAW, Poland - Amid grief at the death of Pope John Paul II, Poles began asking what they'll do now without the inspiring figure whose 26-year papacy offered moral guidance and helped bring the nation from behind the Iron Curtain to its new home in the European Union. As they mourned Sunday in Masses throughout the country, Poles repeated a common refrain: the death of the national hero has left them feeling orphaned. "This death is a shock...

Poles Head for Rome to Bid Farewell to 'Their' Pope Mon Apr 4, 2005 1:57 PM BST By Pawel Kozlowski WARSAW (Reuters) - Thousands of grieving Poles struggled Monday to find spare seats in trains, planes and buses headed for Rome to take part in the funeral of their country's greatest son, Pope John Paul. "Within 15 minutes after our announcement of extra trains to Rome one million people clicked on our Web site, which just collapsed," Jacek Przesluga, head of state railway PKP Intercity told a news conference. PKP said it can offer no more than 4,000 seats on...

Poles Pray for Most Famous Native Son Sat Apr 2, 9:59 AM ET Europe - AP By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA, Associated Press Writer WADOWICE, Poland - Poles prayed for Pope John Paul II on Saturday with grief over their beloved native son's approaching death mixed with a wish to see an end to his long and public suffering. At a noon Mass in St. Mary's basilica in Wadowice, the southern Polish town of 20,000 where the pope was born 84 years ago, the Rev. Krzysztof Glowka told a packed church that "we are here to be with John Paul in his...

Papal reflections: An attempt to bring Western Christians back in line RAY DRENNAN Freelance Saturday, March 19, 2005 Memory and identity, perhaps the last book by pope john paul II, explores the big questions of modern existence, including the coexistence of good and evil. Here are two views on it - - - Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium will probably stir up some excitement, whether you are a believer or not. We expect spiritual leaders to be bridge-builders, fostering respect on our tiny, interrelated planet. We look for wisdom that transcends the narrow sectarianism and...

<p>Sickness is not preventing John Paul II from fighting out his last battle. But in the meantime, maneuvers over his succession are underway.</p> <p>In short, two or three Italian candidates might enter the conclave and jockey for leadership, as happened between Giuseppe Siri and Giovanni Benelli in the memorable head-to-head of the second conclave of 1978, the one from which a new man, Wojtyla, finally emerged.</p>