PRINTER'S NO.  2738

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

No.

481

Session of

2009

  

  

INTRODUCED BY McGEEHAN, ADOLPH, BELFANTI, BOBACK, BOYLE, BRENNAN, BROWN, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, CRUZ, DALEY, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GODSHALL, HARHAI, HESS, KILLION, KORTZ, LEVDANSKY, MARKOSEK, McCALL, MELIO, MILLARD, MOUL, PALLONE, PASHINSKI, PHILLIPS, READSHAW, REICHLEY, SAINATO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, STEVENSON, SWANGER, VULAKOVICH AND KULA, OCTOBER 2, 2009

  

  

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, OCTOBER 2, 2009  

  

  

  

A RESOLUTION

  

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Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit

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to the City of Philadelphia on October 3 and 4, 1979.

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WHEREAS, Ordained as a priest in 1946, Karol Jozef Wojtyla of

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Poland spent years devoted to his scholarly duties, earning a

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master's degree and two doctoral degrees in theology and

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philosophy; and

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WHEREAS, With such a significant reputation, Karol Jozef

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Wojtyla was elevated to the position of archbishop at the age of

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38; and

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WHEREAS, Archbishop Wojtyla was later elected pope on October

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21, 1978, taking the name Pope John Paul II in reference to his

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predecessors; and

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WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II became the first Slavic pope and

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the first non-Italian to occupy the papacy in 455 years; and

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WHEREAS, Within a year after his election, the 264th pontiff

 


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became the first pope to travel extensively throughout the

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United States and the first to visit the City of Philadelphia;

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and

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WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II visited more than 120 countries

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and delivered more than 2,000 public addresses during the span

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of his pontificate, making him the most traveled pope in

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history; and

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WHEREAS, Before an estimated crowd of more than one million,

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Pope John Paul II celebrated a public mass in Philadelphia's

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Logan Square on October 3, 1979; and

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WHEREAS, The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was a sea of people

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who gathered to be touched by the spirit of His Holiness; and

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WHEREAS, For those brief two days of Pope John Paul II's

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visit, an overwhelming sense of goodwill and optimism pervaded

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the entire Philadelphia region; and

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WHEREAS, Undeniably one of the most significant figures of

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our time, Pope John Paul II preached nonviolence in overcoming

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oppressive regimes and lent his great moral voice and tireless

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efforts to freeing the world of injustice; and

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WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II was fluent in ten languages and

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possessed a unique passion and ability to bridge political and

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religious divides across the globe; therefore be it

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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the

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30th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's awe-inspiring visit to

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the City of Philadelphia on October 3 and 4, 1979.

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