Pope John Paul II: Gave himself completely to God  

(Archbishop Gaudencio B. Rosales
Archbishop of Manila
On the passing away of His Holiness Pope John Paul II)

I ask all our countrymen to pray for our beloved Pope John Paul II, who has peacefully returned home to the Father. With the rest of the world, we mourn the loss of a shepherd and father, who led, guided, and accompanied us in our journey through life. As Filipinos, we especially recall the times he was physically present with us, being amongst us and blessing us. And at this moment of grief, we find comfort in prayer for our Holy Father, whose zeal for service is incomparable.

Pope John Paul II was an extraordinary leader, an extraordinary person. He was truly a special man of God, who gave himself completely. Totus Tuus (I’m All Yours) – that was his motto, the one he lived out to the end of his days.

This was a different man. He spoke on issues he believed in, especially on life, truth, justice, compassion and love. He became the conscience of mankind.

That is why the entire world is grieving. Prayers had been offered by millions of people all over the world since the days when his health began to fail. Many times, in answer to our prayers, our dear Holy Father was restored back to health. It seems now that our Lord took him way, but slowly, to prepare us for the day when we will never see the man again. His once booming voice was not abruptly silenced, but gradually lowered down to hardly a whisper. It was perhaps to ease our pain of loss – for the Pope had already established his legacy even as God was withdrawing him from the scene.

Let us join the entire Christendom in this grief for our loss. But in our sorrow, we continue to have hope. We thank God for giving us Pope John Paul II who has for a long time served the Church. Let us also pray for the Church, for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the choice of a new pastor for the Church and the flock of believers. Let us pray for a new pastor who will continue the leadership of Pope John Paul II, who we love and who has loved so much.