St. John Paul II tirelessly served church, embraced world, cardinal says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During his long and fruitful pontificate, St. John Paul II embraced the entire world, which stands yet again in need of his blessing, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said.

"Bless us, Holy Father John Paul II. Bless the Lord's church on its journey, that it may be a pilgrim of hope. Bless this lacerated and disoriented humanity, that it may find the way back to its dignity and its highest vocation, that it may know the riches of God's mercy and love," the cardinal said during a memorial Mass in St. Peter's Basilica April 2, the 20th anniversary of the late Polish pope's death.

Hundreds of faithful attended the Mass, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a small government delegation representing Poland as well as cardinals and bishops living in Rome and diplomats accredited to the Vatican.

Retired Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who served as St. John Paul's personal secretary from 1966 until the pope's death in 2005, greeted and thanked all those who were present.

"Our hearts go out to the Holy Father Francis," who could not attend as he continues to recover in his residence, the Polish cardinal said. "We know that right now, he is spiritually united with us."

"We pray for his health, that the Lord will give him the strength he needs to lead the pilgrim church in this Jubilee Year, under the banner of hope in these difficult times for the church and also for the world," the cardinal said.

Pope Francis had sent Cardinal Dziwisz a letter before his hospitalization Feb. 14, expressing his wishes for a peaceful Holy Year lived in a spirit of hope and offering his blessings to all those taking part in events April 2.

Cardinal Parolin, who began serving in the Vatican Secretariat of State under the late pope starting in 1986, gave the homily, which recalled the legacy and spirituality of the Polish pope, whose pontificate of more than 26 years was the third longest in history.

Pope John Paul exclaimed "with impressive force from the very first unforgettable homily at the inauguration of his pontificate, 'Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ,'" who knows what humanity is meant to be and points the way to eternal life, the cardinal said.

Because of that conviction, the late pope "could address with authority and firmness not only the Catholic faithful, but also peoples and government leaders," urging them to "be aware of their responsibility to defend justice, the dignity of human persons and peace," he said.

"We remember with gratitude and admiration his tireless service of peace, his passionate warnings, his diplomatic initiatives trying to avert wars" even when he was experiencing difficult moments in his life and "the fragility of physical strength was already evident," Cardinal Parolin said.

St. John Paul never gave up, he said, even while "many of his appeals remained unfortunately unheeded, as happens even to great prophets."

Another unforgettable hallmark of Pope John Paul's legacy, he said, was the great Holy Year of 2000 and his ushering the church and the world into the third millennium.

The pope invited the church to confidently set out to sea and cast wide its nets with the new evangelization, he said.

"His words continue to inspire us and are echoed today by his successor, Francis, in this new jubilee," which also sees the church's faithful as setting out into "troubled waters, but still pilgrims of hope," he said, "guided by Peter's successor and assisted by the Holy Spirit."

Like the "countless pilgrims who continually come to this basilica and ask for his intercession at the altar where his body rests," Cardinal Parolin prayed the saint would continue to bless all the faithful, the church and humanity so that everyone would know God's mercy and love.

After the Mass, dignitaries processed to St. John Paul's tomb to pray. Cardinal Dzivisz placed a lit white candle on the altar and four representatives of Poland set a large bouquet of red and white roses, the colors of the Polish flag, next to the tomb, which was adorned with many flowers.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the papal vicar of Rome, read a prayer, asking for the saint to bless the world's young people and the faithful so they would be "tireless missionaries of the Gospel today."

"Bless every family," he said, underlining how the pope warned against "Satan's assault against this precious spark of heaven that God has lit on earth. Make us strong and courageous in defending the family."

"Pray for the whole world, scarred by so many injustices and lacerated by absurd wars, which turn the world into a bloody battlefield, deliver us from war, which is always a defeat for everyone," Cardinal Reina said.