The death of Pope John Paul is the end of one of the most remarkable 
pontificates in the history of the Church. It has been our privilege to 
witness his powerful presence, to have recognised his leadership in the 
search for Christian unity, for peace and justice, for greater fidelity to 
the Gospel; we have heard his challenging, deep and wide-ranging teaching 
and guidance to the Church and the world.
Now we, whom he served so faithfully, are joined in prayer for him as he 
crosses the final Threshold of Hope.  He died as the Church celebrates the 
day he designated as Divine Mercy Sunday.  His second encyclical was a 
profound and powerful reflection on the mercy of God the Father. We surround 
him by our prayers and entrust him to that mercy which he described as “the 
most stupendous attribute of the Creator and Redeemer” (Dives in 
Misericordia, 13).

No Pope has ever been so visible and so available. In the course of his 
pontificate he conducted almost 1,200 General Audiences, attended by nearly 
eighteen million people.  He visited 129 different countries on 104 foreign 
journeys. On World Youth Days, unforgettable experiences for those 
privileged to be present, millions of young people gathered to be inspired 
by him. He also made nearly nine hundred visits to various places in Italy, 
including over 300 visits to parishes in the diocese of Rome.

His teaching in Letters, Exhortations and General Audiences, are a treasury 
from which the Church will be drawing sustenance long into the future.  In 
particular his Encyclicals have given us rich reflections on Christ the 
Redeemer, on the Father of Mercies and on the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of 
Life. His deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin to whom he addressed his Papal 
motto, Totus Tuus, was reflected in everything he said and wrote. He 
addressed major issues of social concern and the principles of the Church’s 
social teaching.  He pointed with increasing insistence to the danger of 
losing sight of the human capacity to seek and discover the truth, and to 
how profoundly dehumanising that can be, especially in the sphere of 
morality. In all of this we saw the passionate commitment to human dignity 
and freedom in every moment and condition of life that was expressed in his 
first encyclical. If we look at ourselves in the light of the Incarnation 
and Redemption, he said, this bears fruit not only of adoration of God but 
of wonder at ourselves: “the name for that deep amazement at human worth and 
dignity is the Gospel” (Redemptor Hominis 10).

No Pope has communicated so personally. He published several books, Crossing 
the Threshold of Hope, Gift and Mystery, Arise Let us be on our Way, and 
most recently in Memory and Identity. He even published a book of poetry 
Roman Triptych, which includes a reflection on the conclave which will take 
place to choose his successor under Michelangelo’s awesome portrayal of the 
Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel:

Lo, they see themselves in the midst of the beginning and the End,
between the Day of Creation and the Day of Judgement…
During the conclave Michelangelo must teach them – Do not forget:
Omnia nuda et aperta sunt ante oculos Eius. [Everything is naked and open to 
His eyes (Heb 4:13)]
You who see all, point to him!
He will point him out… (Roman Triptych, CTS, London 2003).

The cardinals who are now gathering for his funeral will shortly be called 
to exercise what he called ‘a shared concern for the legacy of the keys’. We 
pray to the One who sees all, asking the gift of wisdom to guide them in 
choosing the man that God points out; we ask in the words of the liturgy: 
“In your mercy grant your Church a shepherd who will walk in your ways and 
whose watchful care will bring us your blessing” (Mass for the Election of a 
Pope or Bishop, Opening Prayer).

As we pray for Pope John Paul, we in Limerick, have warm memories of the 
vigorous man who visited our diocese in the first year of his pontificate. 
Honouring his memory means listening again to his challenging words. Each 
layperson is ‘an extraordinary work of God’s grace and called to the heights 
of holiness’. He told every member of the lay faithful, ‘you are called to 
fulfil your role in the evangelisation of the world’. He spoke about the 
importance of roots and about the essential role of the family as ‘the 
primary field of Christian action’ for lay Christians. He told us in no 
uncertain terms that Ireland must choose and that this was a time of 
testing, a time of decision.  We can be in no doubt that he would have 
wished to issue the same challenge if had been able to come to Ireland 
again. His words are even truer now than when he spoke them in 1979.

Now his hoped for return visit to Ireland cannot take place.  He has set out 
on the final stage of his pilgrimage to God. Before he became Pope he had 
written that any life lived in the awareness of the mystery of Christ and of 
the fullness of life already begun in Christ ‘is in a certain sense ratified 
by death… that awareness is the distinguishing mark of (the Christian’s) 
dying’ (Wojtyla K, Sign of Contradiction, Chapman, London 1977, p. 161).

The burden of responsibility that he has carried for so long has been taken 
from his shoulders; his illness and frailty are over.  We pray that the Lord 
is receiving him into the joy and fullness of life promised to good and 
faithful servants and that the final words he spoke in Ireland are now being 
fulfilled for him; “Slán go deo le brón is buairt”.

May he rest in the peace of Christ.

+ Donal Murray
Bishop of Limerick
Saturday 2nd April 2005