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Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register

Reprinted with permission


January 28, 1999 Thursday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 1A
HEADLINE: Pope exhorts crowd to new evangelism
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
St. Louis, Mo. -Pope John Paul II called Wednesday for American Catholics to
enter the Third Millennium with a "new evangelization" in the tradition of
missionaries who settled the Midwest three centuries ago.
The new evangelization "must include a special emphasis on the family and the
renewal of Christian marriage," the pontiff told more than 100,000 people, the
largest indoor crowd in American history.
"As the family goes, so goes the nation," the pope added, drawing the loudest
applause of his homily.
The flock, including just more than 1,600 from Iowa, began gathering before
dawn at the Trans World Dome and adjoining Cervantes Convention Center in
downtown St. Louis.
Archbishop Justin Rigali, a former Vatican aide to the pope, welcomed John
Paul, saying the people of St. Louis had been praying for his health and for
good weather.
On both counts, providence appeared to have responded. Temperatures soared
into the 70s by afternoon. And the 78-year-old pontiff had considerable stamina,
though he clearly felt the pain of old injuries and the neurological condition
that has afflicted him in recent years.
John Paul walked slowly, leaning heavily at times on his crosier, the staff
the pontiff carries when celebrating Mass. The Polish pope preached a half-hour
homily in clearly understood English and presided at a morning Mass lasting more
than two hours. He sat during the homily and most of the liturgy and cut the
sermon short by omitting three passages from his prepared text.
The pope coughed several times during the service, and his hands, shoulders
and face were visibly stiff from his condition.
Following the Mass, the pope had lunch with American cardinals and bishops.
After an evening service with about 2,000 people at the Cathedral Basilica of
St. Louis, he met with Vice President Al Gore at Lambert-St. Louis International
Airport. A brief farewell ceremony concluded John Paul's fifth pastoral visit to
the United States, and he flew back to Rome.

Though this was his first visit to St. Louis as pope, he had visited 30 years
ago when he was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla.
The pontiff had several private audiences in St. Louis. In addition to
meeting with Gore and President Clinton, John Paul met briefly Tuesday with St.
Louis Cardinals home run king Mark McGwire and former presidential press
secretary James Brady. Wednesday he met with civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.
Both at Tuesday's youth rally and at Wednesday's Mass, the pope was drawn to
children and youth. He touched, blessed and embraced many young people
personally, especially reaching out to those with visible disabilities.
At Wednesday morning's Mass, a young boy bringing gifts to the pope with his
parents hid shyly behind his father. The crowd laughed, then applauded as the
pontiff gently summoned the boy forward for a hug.
The new evangelization, John Paul said, must bring an end to abortion,
euthanasia, assisted suicide, capital punishment and racism. To each of these
points, the throng responded with loud clapping.
John Paul said America must "put an end to every form of racism, a plague
which your bishops have called one of the most persistent and destructive evils
of the nation."
Standing in front of a replica of the Gateway Arch, the pope repeated a call
he made at every appearance in his two-day St. Louis visit. Followers of Christ,
he said, must "proclaim, celebrate and serve the gospel of life in every
situation."
He asked the crowd, "How can we fail to see that abortion, euthanasia and
assisted suicide are a terrible rejection of God's gift of life and love?"
Speaking in a state that had postponed a murderer's execution originally
scheduled for this week, the pontiff renewed his call "for a consensus to end
the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary."
Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron said the pope's strong words "left no doubt
in the continuity of these life issues."
The Mass, as well as programs before and afterward, included special music
composed for the pope's visit to St. Louis. Reflecting the worldwide nature of
the church, prayers were offered during the Mass in English, Spanish, German,
French, Vietnamese and Polish. About 1,000 priests, including several from Iowa,
distributed Holy Communion to the crowd, a process that took nearly a half hour.

After the rousing greeting, the crowd listened solemnly without interruption
for the first 10 minutes of the papal homily. When John Paul paused for breath,
the hum of electrical equipment could be heard in the quiet arena. When the
pontiff praised Rigali, the throng finally applauded. After that, the flock felt
free to interrupt 20 more times with polite clapping.
John Paul, shepherd of the world's 1 billion Catholics, issued a special plea
to those in his flock who have strayed. On the eve of the Millennium, he said to
Catholics who are not practicing their faith, "Christ is seeking you out and
inviting you back to the community of faith. Is this not the moment for you to
experience the joy of returning to the Father's house?"
Whatever the obstacles and hurts, the pope said, "there is assurance of God's
love and mercy."
GRAPHIC: _By: ERIC DRAPER, Associated Press: A young girl hugs Pope John Paul II
at the Trans World Dome in St. Louis, Mo._By: MICHAEL S. GREEN, Associated
Press: A priest gives Holy Communion in St. Louis, Mo., on Wednesday as the
image of Pope John Paul II is shown on a giant television at the America's
Center during a papal Mass at the Trans World Dome. On The Web; Some American
Catholics disobey the pope and resent his control of the church, yet he remains
popular. Why? Join a discussion at: 00DesMoinesRegister.com; , news, forums,
Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register
Reprinted with permission
January 28, 1999 Thursday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 6A
HEADLINE: Though physically weak, pope is strong in spirit
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
St. Louis, Mo. -Though frail in body, Pope John Paul II was powerful in
spirit, Iowans who attended his Mass Wednesday said.
"He's not as vital physically as he used to be," said Greg Schwager, who came
to St. Louis with a tour bus from the Basilica of St. John in Des Moines. "But
he still has a powerful emotional impact."
The 78-year-old pontiff has a neurological condition that appears to be
Parkinson's disease.
The Rev. Frank Chiodo, St. John's pastor, sat in the third row, with other
priests who distributed Holy Communion during the Mass. "I could see how
physically he was in pain," Chiodo said. Every movement seemed labored.
"Yet he has this tireless spirit, which I believe is the Holy Spirit," Chiodo

said. "He was able to draw on that power and connect with us in spite of that
pain."
Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron said the pope actually appeared to be in
better health than when Charron visited Rome last June. Charron was one of the
few Iowans to attend Tuesday night's prayer service for youth, where the pontiff
appeared more energetic in response to the boisterous crowd.
Wednesday's crowd of more than 100,000 at the Trans World Dome included 1,600
Iowans who received tickets distributed to the four Iowa dioceses. That number
did not include the Iowa bishops and the priests who assisted in Communion.
One of those priests, the Rev. Patrick O'Kane, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish
in Early, Ia., said the pope's condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, assisted
suicide and capital punishment was stirring.
"It gave me a ray of hope," O'Kane said, "another reason to commit to what
the Holy Father says about being people of light and life in a culture of
death."
Charron said John Paul's frank words, always accompanied by words of love,
are part of his appeal, even among people who sometimes disagree. "He speaks to
an authenticity that they're looking for and I think they find that in the Holy
Father."
One Iowa priest who was scheduled to join the pope in celebrating the Mass
had to watch on television from a hospital. The Rev. Bill Dolan of Queen of
Apostles Parish in Council Bluffs had a heart attack Sunday morning. He still
was hoping Monday to get out of the hospital and make the trip. An irregular
heart rhythm and discouraging stress test scratched those plans.
"I'll just have to save my money to go to Rome and see him," Dolan said in a
telephone interview from his hospital bed in Omaha. The Rev. Thomas Crowley,
pastor of Queen of Apostles, took Dolan's place in helping distribute Communion.
Long before sunrise, the streets and sidewalks of downtown St. Louis were
clogged with pilgrims waiting to see John Paul.
"I'd just like to be able to tell my children that I saw the pope," said
Wendy Denning, a junior at Mar-quette High School in West Point, Ia.
Denning and most of the Iowans had seats in the convention center adjacent to
the Trans World Dome, home of the St. Louis Rams, where John Paul celebrated
mass. The pontiff rode through the convention halls in his Popemobile before
entering the dome. The convention center crowds watched on large television
screens.

That glimpse was enough for the Iowans, many of whom traveled through the
night on buses to attend the Mass.
"I think it's amazing that he's so close to us," said Trisha Box, a Marquette
junior.
Ann Eatherton of Council Bluffs pointed to a stuffed fanny pack and said, "I
think I have about 20 pounds of rosaries from co-workers that I have to get
blessed."
Eatherton and her mother, Virginia, saw the pope at Living History Farms in
Urbandale 20 years ago. Oddly, this January day had better weather than that
chilly October day in 1979. Even before dawn, the temperature in St. Louis
Wednesday morning was in the 50s as Iowans waited outside. By afternoon, the
temperature was in the 70s.
"He's the people's pope," added Eatherton. "It's inspirational. He sets a
wonderful example for all of us to live by." John Paul's appeal does not rest
solely in his position as the head of the world's 1 billion Catholics. Time
after time, the Iowa pilgrims cited his personal example.
The pope's personal appeal transcends the divisions within his church. Large
numbers of American Catholics are calling for changes in the church's positions
on such issues as birth control, ordination of women and mandatory celibacy of
priests. Such disputes were set aside Wednesday in a display of respect and
unity.
"I'm kind of a dissident myself," said Karen Wente of West Point, who
organized a busload of youths to ride through the night to St. Louis. "The
Catholic Church is special to us. It allows all of us to participate even though
we don't agree on everything."
GRAPHIC: _By: ERIC DRAPER, Associated Press: Pope John Paul II holds his crosier
during a prayer said at the Mass that was celebrated in St. Louis, Mo., on
Wednesday.

Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register


Reprinted with permission
January 27, 1999 Wednesday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 1A
HEADLINE: Pope chastens U.S.
America must make a choice between cherishing all life or dehumanizing much of it,
he says.
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
St. Louis, Mo. -Pope John Paul II, his walk and speech slowed by age and
failing health, brought strong words and a lively spirit Tuesday to President
Clinton and young people gathered here.
"Only a higher moral vision can motivate the choice for life," the pope said,
as the president, first lady Hillary Clinton and a crowd of about 2,000 listened
after his afternoon arrival at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
John Paul exhorted his American audience to celebrate and preserve life.
In his airport remarks, he urged the United States to avoid "a culture that
seeks to declare entire groups of human beings -the unborn, the terminally ill,
the handicapped and others considered 'unuseful' -to be outside the boundaries
of legal protection."
Later, at a daylong youth rally, he told his young audience: "Do not listen
to those who tell you that chastity is passe."
At a prayer service concluding the youth rally, the 78-year-old pope
struggled up a flight of steps and used a cane to walk to his presiding chair.
He seemed to draw energy, though, from the enthusiastic teen-agers and young
adults in the crowd. They interrupted his two homilies nearly 50 times with
applause and chants of "Viva Il Papa!" and "John Paul Two! We love you!"
By the end, the pontiff was clowning with the youthful crowd. Among the gifts
he was presented were a hockey stick and a personalized jersey (No. 1, of
course) from the St. Louis Blues, who play in the Kiel Center auditorium, where
the service was held.
The seated pontiff waved his hockey stick, smiled and made a slow-motion
slap-shot gesture. Then he struggled to his feet, walked over to a microphone
stand and pulled out the mike. "So I am prepared to return once more to play
hockey," said the grinning pontiff, drawing another round of thunderous
applause.
"It's amazing how he picks up on those kids," said Des Moines Bishop Joseph

Charron.
The pope's two-day visit to St. Louis concludes today with a Mass at the
Trans World Dome and the adjoining Cervantes Convention Center. The crowd of
more than 100,000 will include 1,600 from Iowa. Each diocese in the state was
allotted 400 tickets to the Mass.
Both at the airport arrival ceremony and at the youth rally, the pope mixed
kind words of praise for his hosts with strong messages about difficult moral
choices.
He told Clinton and the welcoming crowd that America faces a test similar to
the civil-rights movement. "Today," the pope said, "the conflict is between a
culture that affirms, cherishes and celebrates the gift of life and a culture
that seeks to declare entire groups of human beings -the unborn, the terminally
ill, the handicapped and others considered 'unuseful' -to be outside the
boundaries of legal protection."
Neither the pope nor Clinton publicly mentioned the impeachment trial under
way in Washington or the behavior that led to it. They met privately after the
public welcoming ceremony.
Clinton hailed the pope with a Polish blessing that translates, "May you live
a hundred years and more." The crowd applauded enthusiastically and the
president added, "And may you keep working and teaching and lighting the way for
all of us and all of the world."
The pope, who came to St. Louis after a five-day visit to Mexico, had seemed
more weary at the airport appearance. In both events, his speech was sometimes
slurred and his hands shook as they held his text. The pontiff has a
neurological condition that observers say appears to be Parkinson's disease. He
rarely looked up during the airport talk and omitted several lines of his text.
By contrast, at the prayer service, he ad-libbed occasionally and drew loud
applause by joking after he muffed a line in his text.
John Paul, who entered the arena to a 10-minute ovation from the crowd of
20,000, addressed the youths twice, after readings from St. Paul's first letter
to Timothy and from the Gospel of Matthew.
"You are called," he told his young audience, "to make the light of Christ
shine brightly in the world."
Sometimes, he said, "The world itself seems filled with darkness." He listed
many sources of darkness: "violence against the unborn child, violence in
families, the violence of gangs, the violence of sexual abuse, the violence of

drugs that destroy the body, mind and heart."


The pontiff told his young audience: "Do not listen to those who tell you
that chastity is passe. In your hearts you know that true love is a gift from
God and respects his plan for the union of man and woman in marriage."
He told the youths to get to know God better through prayer and to consider
carefully their callings in life. "To those of you who think that Christ may be
inviting you to follow him in the priesthood or the consecrated life, I make
this personal appeal: I ask you to open your hearts generously to him."
Like St. Louis's shimmering Gateway Arch, the pope told the youth, "You must
reflect the light of Christ through your lives of prayer and joyful service to
others."
Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register
Reprinted with permission
January 27, 1999 Wednesday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 4A
HEADLINE: 'Once in a lifetime,' Iowans chorus
Pope's visit to St. Louis leaves Iowa teens and parents in awe of his role and his
personal example.
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
St. Louis, Mo. - Teen-agers and parents alike used the same words over and
over to explain why they traveled from Iowa to join the throng welcoming Pope
John Paul II to St. Louis:
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Andrea Hoffman, a junior at
Notre Dame High School in Burlington.
"I'm never going to get another chance," echoed Sarah Brown, a senior at
Camanche High School.
About 1,600 Iowans, 400 from each diocese in the state, have tickets for this
morning's Mass at the Trans World Dome and Cervantes Convention Center.
Iowans who were in St. Louis on Tuesday joined a tide of teens, accompanied
by parents, priests and youth leaders, who gathered at the base of the Gateway
Arch, which glistened in the morning sun.
The throng, many of them carrying signs and some chanting "John Paul Two! We
love you," marched in waves down Market Street to the Kiel Center, where the
pontiff addressed more than 20,000 at an evening prayer service.

The Iowans and others who didn't have tickets to get into the Kiel Center
celebrated across the street at the "Papal Plaza," where there were speakers,
musical groups and vendors selling shirts, pennants, rosaries, prayer cards and
trinkets.
Part of Tuesday's fun was the anticipation of today's Mass. "It's just
great," said Katie Weber, a senior at Davenport West High School. "I can't
believe he's going to be this close. I love it."
Anna Deevers, a senior at Davenport Assumption, confessed with a laugh that
she made the trip to St. Louis because "my mom wanted me to, but I'm glad I
did."
The pope's appeal, the Iowans said, stems not only from his position as the
leader of the world's 1 billion Catholics but also from his personal example.
"Actions and feelings speak more than words," Deevers said.
Valerie Frels, a parent accompanying the Burlington youth, praised the
"gentle but firm" leadership of the pope. "As the world around us changes and
social mores change, he stays firm in the teachings of the church and doesn't
waver to public opinion."
Frels said she particularly is inspired by "the amount of time he spends
daily in prayer."
The group from southeast Iowa spent the night in a church gymnasium in
Ferguson, Mo. The youths, excited about the week's events, slept only briefly.
"We woke up an hour before we were supposed to," said Brown, who could not
recall the last time she had awakened at 5:30 a.m.
Seeing the pope wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of the Iowans.
Dolores Lech traveled from Burlington with her family to see the pontiff for the
third time. A native of Mexico, she saw John Paul in Mexico City in 1979 on the
first of his 85 trips abroad as pope. Her family also traveled to Rome seven
years ago to see the pope.
John Paul has slowed noticeably from the vigorous pope who visited Iowa in
1979. Now 78, his health was much on the minds of the Iowans.
"This could be his last trip to America," said Christine Ewinger, a
Burlington eighth-grader.
Phillip Potter, a junior at Notre Dame in Burlington, summed up the
excitement the Iowa pilgrims felt about today's Mass: "I've heard from different
people who've seen the pope that it's just a wonderful feeling when you're in

the same place. I just want to experience that."

Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register


Reprinted with permission
January 30, 1999 Saturday
SECTION: METRO IOWA; Pg. 4M
HEADLINE: Sacraments highlight visit
For Catholics who saw the pope, sharing Communion helped them make a
connection.
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Religion Writer
St. Louis, Mo. - When the pope visits town, much of the media attention
focuses on his words or his very presence, as people wait hours to attend a
papal service or catch a glimpse of him in the Popemobile motorcade.
For the Catholics attending and for the Holy Father himself, a major part of
the experience of a papal visit is the sacraments, the rites through which
Catholics believe they encounter God's grace.
Communion, also called the Eucharist, is a major logistical undertaking for
the multitude the pope attracts. At Wednesday's Mass in St. Louis, it took 1,000
priests about half an hour to distribute hosts (the bread that Catholics believe
becomes the body of Christ) to more than 100,000 worshippers.
Tuesday's events did not include a Mass, which involves Communion. But still
the sacraments were a central part of the youth rally that drew an audience of
20,000 to the Kiel Center and still more to the "Papal Plaza" across the street.
In booths around the Kiel Center concourse, priests met face-to-face with
young people who wanted to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, also known
as penance or confession.
"In this sacrament," the pope said in his message to the youth, "you
experience the savior's tender mercy and love in a most personal way, when you
are freed from sin and its ugly companion, which is shame."
John Paul also stressed to the young people the importance of the
once-in-a-lifetime sacraments of baptism and confirmation and urged them to make
weekly Communion "a real encounter with Jesus."
"Connected"
For many in Wednesday's multitude, the most memorable moment in a mountaintop
pilgrimage this week was that encounter during Communion with the Holy Father.
"When he elevated the Eucharist after the consecration," said Greg Schwager
of St. John's Parish in Des Moines, "I felt connected with him and all the

people past. It had a huge impact."


When John Paul held aloft the bread and wine of the Eucharist, the dome
twinkled from camera flashes, like a silent, solemn fireworks display.
The pope's visit was not always so ceremonious.
His prayer service Tuesday concluded a raucous daylong youth gathering that
was part rock concert, part pep rally. And John Paul was perhaps the most
enthusiastic participant, if not the most nimble.
The spirit of the rally was visibly contagious. Almost 200 bishops sat
together, clad in black robes with red skull caps and sashes. The bishops' usual
dignity was no match for the wave of youthful excitement.
Along with the dancing, swaying crowd, the bishops clapped rhythmically (or
nearly so) to the throbbing beat of the rock bands before the pope appeared.
Master of ceremonies Steve Angrisano joked that the bishops would appear in the
next music video of dc Talk, one of the groups that played for the rally.
Spirited
The musicians split the arena in half for a spirited adaptation of a shouting
contest you may remember from high school. "We've got Jesus, yes, we do!"
shouted one half of the crowd. "We've got Jesus, how 'bout you?" The other half
responded in kind, only trying to be louder.
Many bishops stood and shouted, pointing energetically to the other side of
the arena at the end of their challenge.
Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron happily admitted to being swept up in the
youthful vigor. "We were just in a high-decibel situation," Charron said. "It
was deafening."
Mass with the pope Wednesday was special, Charron said. But the week's
highlight was attending the youth rally and watching John Paul connect with the
adoring youth.
A neurological condition has rendered the pope's facial features nearly
rigid. "The Holy Father smiles with his eyes more than he does with his lips,"
Charron said.
But several times the youthful enthusiasm brought a stiff but noticeable
smile to John Paul's face.
"The electricity of the youth rally probably touched me the most," Charron

said.
That, perhaps, explains the amazing appeal of John Paul within and beyond his
own flock. Yes, he reveres and elevates the rituals that are central to
practicing the Catholic faith. But he is reminding a church steeped in tradition
that God's grace also can be experienced in the joyful shouts and songs of the
young.
-----Reporter Stephen Buttry can be reached at (515) 699-7058 or buttrys
@news.dmreg.com
GRAPHIC: _By: MICHAEL S. GREEN, Associated Press: A priest gives Communion at
the papal Mass in St. Louis Wednesday. It took 1,000 priests about half an hour
to distribute hosts to more than 100,000 worshippers.

This is the first part of a three-part series, 20 Years Later, advancing the popes 1999 visit
to St. Louis and recalling his 1979 visit to Iowa.
Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register
Reprinted with permission
January 24, 1999 Sunday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 1A
HEADLINE: A bold, beloved leader
John Paul has energized papacy
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
When Pope John Paul II visits the American Midwest this week, the crowds who
fill the streets and arenas of St. Louis will see a much different pope from the
energetic man who celebrated Mass on an Iowa hillside nearly 20 years ago.
Then John Paul was new to the papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church and the
world were just getting to know him. Now, frail from illness and advancing age,
he is a familiar figure whose impact on the church and the world are renowned
and profound.
"His presence in so many countries demonstrates his worldly vision," said
Kevin Pokorny of Des Moines. "It's not just something he says. It's something he
lives."
Like many Catholics, Pokorny voices frustration and even anger about the
pope's positions on many issues. But, personally, John Paul still commands their
admiration. "He's had a global ministry that no one has ever matched," Pokorny
said.
Popes once were seen as "prisoners of the Vatican," but this pope is seen as
a man of the people, traveling the globe and mixing with the faithful. He visits
the sick, touches the children, talks to the people in their many languages and
attracts crowds surpassing the throngs of any rock star, politician or athlete.
At least 1,600 Iowans plan to travel, mostly by bus, this week to St. Louis,
the 20th city the pope has visited in five trips to the United States. He visits
St. Louis Tuesday and Wednesday following his fourth Mexican visit, which
started Friday. In all, he has taken 85 trips abroad to nearly 120 countries,
traveling more than 700,000 miles.
"He seems to be driven to reach all people," said Mary Coan, who helped write
the Vision 2000 plan -a program focusing on possibilities for the church in the
21st century -for the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
A New Impact

Over the centuries, papal influence in matters beyond the church had
diminished greatly. Historians, as well as former Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev, say that John Paul was the moral force behind the fall of European
communism.
John Paul, who celebrated his 20th anniversary as pontiff last year, is
looking ahead. He has declared the year 2000 a Jubilee Year throughout the
church and is planning events and initiatives to carry Catholicism into the next
millennium.
He also clearly is anticipating his own end. The 78-year-old pope reportedly
cut off discussion of some plans recently after projecting a couple of years
into the future. That, he indicated, would be someone else's concern.
The Vatican has acknowledged that the pope has a neurological disorder.
Experts say it appears the often-trembling pontiff has Parkinson's disease.
Without saying so directly, American Catholics imply and act as though they see
this week's St. Louis visit as their last chance to see the pontiff in their
midst.
Role Changed
However much longer he reigns, Karol Wojtyla, the Polish cardinal who became
Pope John Paul II after being elected the bishop of Rome on Oct. 16, 1978, has
fundamentally changed the pope's role in his church and in the world.
Admirers note his unprecedented outreach to people of the world, his
voluminous scholarly writings, his popular appeal as a best-selling author, his
courageous confrontation of world leaders, his tireless advocacy for the poor.
Critics say he has reversed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council,
concentrating power in the Vatican and excluding women from full participation
in the church.
Many Catholics count themselves among both the admirers and the critics. They
view him with pride as a champion of freedom and democracy throughout the world,
and they view him with anger as an obstacle to freedom and democracy in their
church.
Before becoming pope, Wojtyla was a poet, playwright, actor and philosopher.
He studied for the priesthood underground during the Nazis' occupation of Poland
in World War II and rose to the papacy under communist rule.
"All of that," said Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus, "brought a richness to
his service as pope that is really inestimable."

Age has not daunted the pontiff's worldwide campaign for freedom. He visited
Cuba last January and met with Fidel Castro. The pope's sting is not reserved
for the communists. He spoke out for human rights last year while visiting
Nigeria, which is under a military dictatorship. He has rebuked the materialism
in the capitalist West. He has condemned capital punishment, nuclear arsenals
and legalized abortion in nations of varying ideologies.
He's Unafraid
"He is a forthright person who is not afraid to confront the leadership in
Eastern Europe and Cuba, as well as the United States," said Des Moines Bishop
Joseph Charron.
Many see John Paul as a model of courage and Christian charity. He has asked
forgiveness for the church's passivity in the face of the Holocaust and has
granted forgiveness to the would-be assassin who shot him in 1981.
"His preaching is filled with issues of justice and concern for the poor,"
said the Rev. Doug Wathier, a priest who teaches religious studies at Loras
College in Dubuque.
John Paul has strengthened ties with other branches of Christianity and has
reached out as well to leaders and people of other faiths.
The pope has been decisive in leading his own flock, directing a rewrite of
the catechism, which compiles the church's teachings about how Catholics should
worship, believe and behave.
A scholar who spoke on philosophy at Harvard University before becoming pope,
John Paul has written extensively himself on issues facing the church and the
world.
"He's had deep involvement in the intellectual issues of the day," said
Hanus, who read and admired Wojtyla's work even before he became pope.
The Rev. Frank Bognanno, pastor of St. Augustin's Church in Des Moines,
compares John Paul to Pope Gregory VII, an 11th-century pope whose writings
guided the church long after his death.
"I think that Pope John Paul's writings, especially on the relationship of
faith and reason and the dignity of the human person, will carry the church for
decades and perhaps centuries to come," Bognanno said. "He's the most prolific
teacher and writer that the papacy has had in recent history."
Encyclicals Ignored

Others say the pope's teachings are not guiding the church even in his own
time. "There's an incredible compilation of social encyclicals that are largely
ignored," said the Rev. Dave Polich, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in
southeastern Warren County.
On one side of the divide, Polich and others noted, Catholics ignore the
pontiff's criticism of capital punishment, nuclear arms and the excesses of
capitalism. Other Catholics routinely disobey the pope's teaching against
artificial birth control and criticize his support for the church's
long-standing prohibition against ordination of women or married men.
"A Man of God"
But affection for the Holy Father, as Catholics call him, remains strong,
even among many who disagree.
"He's a man of God," said Jessica LaFleur, a Loras College junior who thinks
the church should ordain women. LaFleur explains the pope's personal popularity
as similar to a teen-ager's love for a well-meaning parent whose restrictions
are not always reasonable. "They realize what he is saying comes out of that
faith that he has."
LaFleur will be among those in St. Louis this week. Depending on the weather,
planners expect as many as 1 million people to line the city's streets for the
pope's parade.
The Trans World Dome and Cervantes Convention Center in St. Louis will hold
more than 100,000 for Wednesday's Mass, the largest St. Louis event. Each of the
four dioceses in Iowa received 400 tickets to the Mass, and they were snapped up
quickly. Each diocese had more requests than it could accommodate. Tickets were
awarded by lottery or on a first-come, first-served basis.
Bus, Van Trips
Across Iowa, parishes that received the tickets have organized bus and van
pilgrimages to see and hear the pope who has led the church longer than any
other pontiff this century.
Whatever issues divide the church, this pope still maintains a powerful
personal appeal. Said Sister Mary Montgomery, director of pastoral planning for
the Archdiocese of Dubuque, "He's added a humanness to the papacy."
-----Reporter Stephen Buttry can be reached at (515) 699-7058 or buttrys
@news.dmreg.com

SIDEBAR HEADLINE: Path led back to seminary


An Iowan ordained at age 64 will participate in a Mass with the pope.
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
Council Bluffs, Ia. -When John Paul II became pope 20 years ago, Bill Dolan
was a father but not a priest. Now he's Father Bill Dolan, one of about 1,000
priests who will join the pope in celebrating Mass this week in St. Louis.
Dolan grew up in an Irish Catholic family in St. Louis, one of eight
children. He attended Catholic schools, including seminary briefly. After a
hitch in the Air Force, he went into sales, peddling mimeograph machines and
later copy machines. Eventually, he moved to Wichita, Kan., where he sold
insurance and later started an oil-drilling business.
Along the way, Dolan married and reared two daughters. In a church where
celibacy is mandatory for the clergy, the priesthood could hardly seem more
remote.
In the mid-1980s, semiretired and divorced, Dolan was praying and pondering
what to do in his middle age. Back in the St. Louis area, he attended some
Jesuit retreats and sold insurance part time. Delivering a policy to a farmer,
he noticed a country church nearby and inquired about it. The pastor was an old
seminary classmate, so Dolan dropped in for a visit.
As they talked about the turns Dolan's life had taken, the classmate
suggested, "Bill, why don't you come back to the seminary?"
It was like a spark igniting a fire within. "I think that was when the Holy
Spirit called me," Dolan said.
Hearing the call was easier than answering it. Dolan needed to go through the
process of having a marriage annulled. He wrote to 59 bishops, seeking a diocese
interested in sponsoring a 57-year-old who hadn't finished college.
The Rev. Phillip Kruse, who was director of vocations for the Des Moines
Diocese, was the first to show an interest, inviting Dolan to send an
autobiographical sketch. Dolan decided to drive up to Des Moines. "I thought
that was a better way to do it, kind of eyeball each other."
After Dolan demonstrated academic ability in tests and summer courses at Des
Moines Area Community College, the diocese sent him to seminary for five years
at Sacred Heart School of Theology in suburban Milwaukee. He was ordained Dec.
14, 1996, at age 64. His first assignment is at Queen of Apostles Church in
Council Bluffs.

His office has the books on theology and doctrine that you might find in any
priest's office -plus photographs of his daughters and his four grandchildren.
Dolan has been selected as one of the Iowa priests to join the pope in
celebrating Mass in Dolan's hometown. He will travel by bus to St. Louis on
Tuesday night with a group of Catholics from western Iowa. At Wednesday's Mass
at the Trans World Dome, Dolan will join the pope on the altar and assist in
serving Communion to the 100,000 assembled Catholics.
"It's a wonderful opportunity," Dolan said. "The priesthood is a great life."
GRAPHIC: _By: SHER STONEMAN, The Register; Father Bill Dolan prays before
Communion during a recent funeral Mass at Queen of Apostles Church in Council
Bluffs
SIDEBAR HEADLINE: Previous papal meeting thrilled Charron
The Most Rev. Joseph Charron starts his sixth year as bishop of the Des
Moines Catholic Diocese in a most memorable way: joining Pope John Paul II in
St. Louis for a Mass, luncheon and youth rally.
Charron observed his fifth anniversary as bishop last Thursday. He was
appointed in 1994, replacing Bishop William Bullock. Previously, Charron had
been auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.
Charron said the highlight of his tenure has been the work of a diocesan task
force to plan how to address future shortages of priests. The project has
involved people at the parish level in developing solutions, he said.
Charron, who has a doctorate in moral theology, already has fond memories of
the pope. When they met early in the 1990s, "he looked at me and said, 'Moral
theologian,' " Charron said. "It thrilled me that he would recognize me."
For many Catholics, their admiration for John Paul stems from his outreach to
people around the world. Charron joins that view and has a deep appreciation for
the pontiff's intellect as well: "As a theologian, I have a great respect for
the vast amount of work and writing that the Holy Father has done."
-Stephen Buttry

This is the second part of a three-part series, 20 Years Later, advancing the
popes 1999 visit to St. Louis and recalling his 1979 visit to Iowa.
Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register
Reprinted with permission
January 25, 1999 Monday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 1A
HEADLINE: Pope's flock often disobedient
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
Dubuque, Ia. -Mary Moody cherishes the sacraments, the ancient rituals
through which Catholics experience God's grace.
But something is missing, said this "cradle Catholic" who attended parochial
schools in Cedar Falls, made the trek to Des Moines at age 14 for a historic
Mass with the pope and spent two years as a missionary in Bolivia. "I'd like to
hear from women in the pulpit," Moody said, "and receive sacraments from women
as well as men."
In an outdated stereotype still believed by misinformed Protestants, the
Roman Catholic Church is a monolith, obediently following the teachings of an
infallible pope.
Nearly four decades ago, John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president
of the United States after assuring uneasy Protestant voters that he would not
take orders from the Vatican.
The truth today is that Catholics by the millions question, challenge,
disobey and defy their pope.
"We're living in a time when the fullness of the Catholic Church isn't being
realized," Moody said. "Sometimes we as humans deny the work of the Holy
Spirit."
Pope John Paul II, leader of the church for 20 years, is to visit St. Louis
this week. Catholics by the thousands are expected to flock to Wednesday's Mass
to receive Communion from the man they revere as the Holy Father. Then many will
go home to their local parishes to grouse about his refusal to ordain women and
married men as priests. And in their bedrooms, they will disobey his teachings
against artificial birth control.
Moody's husband, Rick Mihm, a former priest, voiced a common view among
dissident Catholics, that this pope has stopped and even reversed the reforms
that swept the church following the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. And, he
acknowledged, "There's a whole big segment of the Catholic Church that would

like to see that happen."


Indeed, many Catholics wish the flock would follow the pope's commands. "He's
the voice of St. Peter on this earth," said Al Mescher, a lifelong Catholic from
Dubuque. "Obedience is the name of the game."
Others say individual conscience is a more important guide than the pope's
teachings. They long for a revival of the Vatican II reforms that replaced the
Latin Mass with local languages, turned priests around to face the people and
encouraged a generation of independent-thinking Catholics.
In contrast to the "fresh air" that swept through the church following
Vatican II, said Jeanette Bauer of Des Moines, "I hate to say it, but I think
John Paul closed the windows and shut the doors."
The frustration is expressed not only by disillusioned Catholics who long ago
stopped attending Mass but also by dedicated Catholics who do the hard work of
the church.
Sister Mary Montgomery, director of pastoral planning for the Archdiocese of
Dubuque, remembers a meeting of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council after the pope
forbade further debate about ordination of women. Around the table, Montgomery
recalled, person after person expressed dismay. "They were definitely not in
agreement with this decision."
Sometimes the dissidents are a vocal minority. Sometimes they are a clear
majority, at least among American Catholics. Whatever the percentages, the
issues on which Catholics openly disagree with their pope are plentiful:
* Mandatory celibacy of priests often is linked with ordination of women,
blamed together for the church's growing shortage of priests. From 1987 to 1997,
the number of active diocesan priests in Iowa dropped by 23 percent, while the
Catholic population declined by less than 6 percent.
Resignation, retirement and death are diminishing the ranks of the clergy
faster than young men can be recruited to the life of celibacy. In the Dubuque
Archdiocese, two-thirds of the parishes share a pastor.
When Mihm decided at about age 30 that he wanted a family, he had to choose
between that and priesthood. Knowing that a priest so young would never receive
approval, he resigned rather than go through the process to leave the clergy
with the church's blessing.
The couple married in 1997 and have a 6-month-old son, Francis. And in the
eyes of the church, Mihm said, "We're both living in sin." They are forbidden to
receive the sacraments. They run the Catholic Worker House in Dubuque, housing

and feeding the homeless. They have invited Archbishop Jerome Hanus, an old
friend of Mihm's, to visit, but he declines because he cannot condone their
scandal, they say. Hanus declined to comment on the matter.
* Widespread disobedience of the church's teaching on birth control is
evident in the pews, where the once-common large Catholic family is now the
exception.
The church's position on birth control "has the same effect in the Catholic
Church that Prohibition had in the United States," said Deacon Bob Bray of Des
Moines. "It teaches a whole lot of people to question laws and ignore laws."
* Language that refers to God, and especially to the people of the church,
using masculine pronouns, grates on many Catholics.
"I would be so angry when I came out of church it was like, why bother?" said
Mary Ryan of Des Moines, who stopped going to Mass years ago but is active in
the controversial Catholic reform group Call to Action. "Everything was 'he' and
'men.' It doesn't include women. It's like they've written off over half the
population."
U.S. bishops in 1991 approved a new lectionary, the Scripture translation
used in Masses, using inclusive language. The Vatican initially approved the
decision but later revoked its blessing. A committee headed by Hanus, the
Dubuque archbishop, made further revisions, focusing on inclusive language that
had upset some bishops who lost the first vote.
The re-revised lectionary received even stronger support from the U.S.
bishops, Hanus said. "We're dealing with a few words in Greek and Hebrew that
were critical points," he said.
* Some American Catholics, used to democracy in their secular life, want more
say in the governance of their church. At the least, they say, the Vatican
should give bishops more autonomy to adapt the practice of the faith to varying
cultures.
Some dissident Catholics are pessimistic about ever seeing change. Others
hope for a sympathetic ear in the successor to John Paul II, now 78 and in
declining health. "If the new pope doesn't take the lead, bishops will, or it
will happen," said Kevin Pokorny of Des Moines. "And that will create schisms."
Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron does not encourage wishful thinking: "People
who tend to think there are dramatic swings from one pope to the next are going
to be disappointed."
For all their complaints, many dissidents say they could no more leave their

church than leave their families. "It's home," Pokorny explained. "It's in the
core of your being."
Pokorny's outrage over the refusal to ordain women illustrates how far many
modern Catholics are from the obedient flock Protestant voters feared in 1960.
"There's no way you can explain that to your daughter," he said. "All you tell
her is that it's wrong and someday it's going to change and the pope is wrong."
Whether the Catholics who favor lifting restrictions on the priesthood are
right or wrong, they certainly are numerous. When the Dubuque Archdiocese,
working on its Vision 2000 plan, asked Catholics in parish meetings to identify
the most pressing challenges facing their church, more than 11,000 people
attended. The priest shortage and ordination of women topped their list of
concerns.
"Their first reaction is, 'Why are we making this a problem? Let the men get
married and ordain the women,' " said Montgomery, one of the Vision 2000
authors.
Like many Iowa Catholics interviewed for this series of articles, Moody knows
women who feel called to the priesthood. "To deny that," she said, "is to deny
their openness to God's call."
-----Reporter Stephen Buttry can be reached at (515) 699-7058 or buttrys
@news.dmreg.com
Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register
Reprinted with permission
January 25, 1999 Monday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 4A
HEADLINE: A thrill, but disappointment as well
Some of Creston's faithful are hoping women's roles in church will change
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
Creston, Ia. -Even when church officials were saying no tickets would be
available, the religion teachers of Holy Spirit Catholic Church here were
determined to take their confirmation students to St. Louis to see Pope John
Paul II.
They did the traditional bake sale to raise money for their trip. They sold
Advent wreaths. They raffled off a Nativity scene. They took up a couple of
collections at church. "It was just kind of a blind-faith thing, that somehow
we'd get those tickets," said Karen Walter, director of religious education.

Finally, they got the tickets. "I feel really honored to have the opportunity
to see him," said Barb Hudson, a parent and religious education teacher who
helped Walter organize the trip.
Their bus, with 36 students from Holy Spirit and some people from neighboring
parishes, is to leave Tuesday evening for St. Louis. The group plans to travel
through the night and join 100,000 other Catholics from around the United States
for a Mass Wednesday morning celebrated by John Paul. Then they will board the
bus for the return trip.
"I'm really excited," Hudson said.
This is not the radical fringe of the Roman Catholic Church. Even among these
loyal pilgrims, desire for change is strong.
They did not sound off about their disagreements in a recent interview. Only
when asked specifically did they acknowledge the hurt they feel about the
refusal of their church and their pope to ordain women as priests.
"It's OK to do the work, but when it comes right down to it, no, you can't
have the job," Hudson said.
"I think it's kind of discouraging," Walter said. "But I don't think it's
changed my commitment to being involved."
It's frustrating, they said, every year during "Vocations Week," when the
church encourages boys and girls to consider religious vocations. "The very
first question out of some girl's mouth," Hudson said, "is, 'Why can't we be
priests?' "
As far as the pope is concerned, the matter is closed.
The Creston women are not so sure. "I don't think it will always be that
way," Walter said. "The church will have to recognize that women will have to be
ordained."
After all, Hudson noted, girls once wondered why they could not be altar
servers. This pope removed that barrier, and some future pope, both women
believe, will remove the barrier to ordination.
In the meantime, they look forward to the trip of a lifetime. "Just because I
disagree with him," Walter said, "doesn't mean I don't think he's a holy
person."
GRAPHIC: _By: GARY FANDEL, The Register; Barb Hudson, left, and Karen Walter

will escort 36 Creston confirmation students to St. Louis to see Pope John Paul
II. "I feel really honored," Hudson says about the trip.

This is the final part of a three-part series, 20 Years Later, advancing the popes
1999 visit to St. Louis and recalling his 1979 visit to Iowa.
Copyright 1999 Des Moines Register
Reprinted with permission
January 26, 1999 Tuesday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Pg. 4A
HEADLINE: As a tot, he slept through pope's talk
But now he's a seminarian at Loras, and will listen carefully to the pope in St. Louis.
By STEPHEN BUTTRY
Register Staff Writer
Dubuque, Iowa - This time, David Muenchrath figures he'll stay awake for the
pope's Mass.
You can't blame him for having nodded off the first time. David was a toddler
then, cold and tired from waiting all morning.
This week he will see Pope John Paul II for the third time. Now a seminarian
at Loras College, Muenchrath is one of 1,600 Iowans with tickets for Wednesday's
papal Mass in St. Louis.
Almost 20 years ago, when the pope visited Iowa on his first trip to the
United States, the Muenchrath family had just moved to the Des Moines area from
Le Mars. Because their Clive home was within the area where traffic was
restricted on the day of the visit, the Muenchraths provided lodging for
relatives from western Iowa as well as their former pastor from Le Mars and
three other priests.
They arose at 6 a.m. to walk to Living History Farms and stake out their spot
on a hillside for the historic Mass.
The whole day was amazing, recalled Beth Muenchrath of Windsor Heights,
David's mother. "This was something we never thought would happen in our
lifetime: to get to see the pope."
She remembers talking with others sitting nearby, about where they were from
and why they had made the journey to Des Moines. She remembers the anticipation
as the altar was prepared for the Mass, the excitement as the pope's helicopter
landed. She remembers how smoothly the priests distributed Communion to the
crowd of 350,000.
She remembers 2-year-old David, the youngest of three children, falling fast
asleep when the Mass finally began. She has the photograph to prove it.
Actually, that was better than most Masses early in David's life. "He didn't

show an early interest in church," Beth said, laughing. "I think he spent his
first three years in the cry room."
His interest in church grew, though, as he attended St. Theresa's School,
then Dowling High School. He worked as a counselor at the St. Thomas More
Center, a church youth retreat in Panora.
Muenchrath went with the Dowling choir to Rome, Italy, and performed for the
pope. "That was an incredibly powerful experience for me." Seeing the Catholics
visiting the Vatican from around the world and hearing the pope address them in
various languages "helped me see how universal and big the church is."
John Paul recalled his Iowa visit for the youthful visitors to the Vatican.
"He remembered it fairly vividly" and talked about the farm where he celebrated
Mass, Muenchrath said.
This audience with the pope made the young man feel an obligation to "use the
gifts that we had to express God's presence in the world."
His junior year of high school, Beth Muenchrath recalled, David "told us that
he wanted to be a priest." As a junior at Loras, Muenchrath has started the long
process toward priesthood.
Last semester, he took a course in the documents of the Second Vatican
Council, taught by the Rev. Doug Wathier. Muenchrath was among the winners in a
lottery for 20 tickets Wathier got for Wednesday's Mass in St. Louis. Wathier
and another priest, both of whom will concelebrate Mass with the pope, will take
the students in two vans. They will drive down this afternoon and stay in a
private home.
Muenchrath cherishes his family's experiences with this pope who has reached
out to people around the world with his frequent travels.
"He's changing the idea of what exactly the pope is."

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