Hailing the Holy Father

Dark clouds and gloomy weather greeted somber members of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church as they left Sunday’s noon Mass.

They were in mourning, and Mother Nature only seemed to intensify their dreary emotions.

Just the day before, at 2:47 p.m. local time, their spiritual leader, Pope John Paul II, died at age 84 after several weeks of deteriorating health.

The charismatic pontiff’s far-reaching impact was underscored by nonstop lines of mourners waiting outside St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their respects this week. Romans expected up to 2 million visitors would pass through before the pope’s funeral tomorrow.

A smaller but just as heartfelt outpouring of emotion took place at local churches Sunday.

To area Catholics, Pope John Paul II was not an untouchable leader who ruled from afar, but a people person whose warm presence reached deep into their neighborhoods.

Grace Villa, who attended Sunday Mass at St. Nicholas, 910 Pierce St., wept profusely after hearing about the pope’s death.

"I loved him," said Villa, tears flooding her eyes. "He did wonders for this world and he made peace with so many countries."

During the pope’s visit to Philadelphia in October 1979, Villa left her job at a diagnostic and rehabilitation center to witness the event.

After running through the crowds, she finally got within a few feet of the pontiff.

"I only wish I could have touched his hand," lamented Villa, of the 1900 block of South 11th Street.

One million people lined the Benjamin Franklin Parkway during that visit – the only one of the papacy – and then-Mayor Frank Rizzo famously knelt and kissed the pope’s ring.

Jeannette Konopka said she would remember the pontiff for always striving to do what was right.

Pope John Paul II was considered a champion of human rights and set precedents by fighting against communism in his native Poland and praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in 2000.

"He’s a saint," said Konopka, 73, of the 1700 block of South 10th Street. "I don’t think there will be another pope like him again."

PRIOR TO ACCEPTING the title of Holy Father in 1978, the pope toured Philadelphia as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla in 1976.

He celebrated Mass with a handful of bishops at St. Stanislaus Church, a Polish parish at 242 Fitzwater St., before attending the Eucharistic Congress at Veterans Stadium, said Michael Blichasz, director of the Polish American Cultural Center, 308 Walnut St.

While serving on the publicity committee for the pope’s return visit, Blichasz noticed the pontiff’s ability to connect with the city’s throngs of nationalities and races.

"It took a pope from Poland to unite people around the world for a common cause," he said. "In the history of the papacy, there was no other person that traveled around asking people to unite in faith, freedom and justice. He traveled to more countries than most international figures, but what he also did was that he united people in a way that I have not seen anyone else do."

The pontiff frequently told his fellow Poles that "the communist government may rule your life, but not your heart or your emotional well-being," noted Blichasz.

The Rev. Martin Cioppi, parochial administrator of St. Stanislaus Church, noted the pope’s ability to connect with the local community’s Polish population.

"Pope John Paul II had such an identity with Polish people everywhere," he said. "They felt as if he was their father, someone who exemplified their heritage, and part of that heritage was linked to their faith."

The Rev. Louis Bellopede, pastor of St. Paul’s Church, 808 Hutchinson St., joined Cioppi in celebrating Mass in the pontiff’s home during the 1990s.

"It was a very touching part of my priesthood to celebrate Mass with him not in a big arena, not in a big stadium, but in a small chapel," said the priest.

The event also stands out as one of Cioppi’s defining moments as a priest.

"When he grabbed your hand, you felt like you were the only one in the room," he said.

Bellopede referred to the pope as a shepherd who tended not only to Catholics but other religions worldwide.

While the pontiff was a charming leader who often let down his guard to relate to his flock – especially young people – he was unrelenting in his conservative Catholic beliefs, which caused some controversy among theologians.

His 26-year papacy contained enough highlights and drama to provide a week’s worth of news coverage that is guaranteed to continue at least through his funeral.

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF Philadelphia will observe a day of mourning tomorrow in conjunction with Pope John Paul II’s funeral Mass. A midday Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul, 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali, now in Vatican City with his fellow cardinals, noted the pope’s admirable temperament.

"In his final years, he suffered from many physical ailments but he never allowed these pains and problems to weigh down his spirit; his suffering was his final gift," Rigali said in a statement.

Many of the faithful believe Pope John Paul II set a Christ-like example through his suffering.

After surviving gunshot wounds in a 1981 assassination attempt, the pontiff tackled a series of health problems, including Parkinson’s disease. He had been hospitalized earlier this year for breathing difficulties, and doctors performed a tracheotomy, leaving him unable to speak. The pope did, however, satisfy the masses in St. Peter’s Square by appearing several times at his window to make the sign of the cross. The pontiff went into septic shock last Thursday as a result of a urinary-tract infection, and the Vatican soon acknowledged that the end was near.

Local pastors know that the 117 cardinals who will gather beginning April 18 to choose the pope’s successor within the next few weeks will have a tough job – as will the successor himself.

The new pope will need to grapple with the child molestation scandals that plagued the Catholic Church, noted Bellopede.

"He should address those situations because the victims and their families are still very hurt and devastated by this," he said.

St. Nicholas parishioner Frank Capone, whose father is suffering from ailments similar to those the pope experienced, said news of the pontiff’s death was hard to take.

"It was a lot more personal because I understand what he was going through," said Capone, of the 1100 block of Moore Street. "It was real painful."

Capone, who never traveled to Rome, said he admired the pontiff for coming to Philadelphia.

"He took the time to come here and visit," said Capone, 54. "He brought the Church of Rome closer to the people here. By him being here, you could see his presence."