Pope John Paul the Second - Prophetic Church Doctor or Traditionalistic Church Doctor?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

"Somewhere around September, 1919, God created an extraordinary soul who would be named Karol Wojtyla."

These words from the Inside the Vatican magazine were just one of the many praises we heard after John Paul's II departure. We listened to the numerous tributes, and shared our own memories of him, in hope to have his presence preserved in some common Testimony.

When the initial grief started to ease a little, more and more commentators took on a task to summarize this great pontificate, and an impact that one Great Man had at the world, and the Church.

Read some of the comments at CNN.com Special Report and share your thoughts.



The topic of our recent Consilience Forum meeting, presented by Robert S., was:

Pope John Paul the Second - Prophetic Church Doctor or Traditionalistic Church Doctor?

We wanted to reflect on what were the main achievements of the late Pontiff, and his legacy to the Church - in the teachings as well as in the spiritual testimony of a person he was.

Hence the question that was brought in by the topic - will the Pope John Paul II become a Doctor of the Church? And which part of his heritage will gain recognition?

Papal analysis by Father Robert

The Doctors of the past were in the first place the scholars of the doctrine. They helped to preserve it against heresies, and answer new intellectual challenges as they appeared.

People that were recognized as the Doctors of the Church during 20. Century, like St. Theresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, or St. Teresa of Lisieux, were mystics, possessed inner Wisdom, and derived their teachings from personal experience rather than any theological studies.

John Paul II gave a great recognition to these "new" Doctors of the Church. It is during his pontificate that the very idea changed, to reflect the need to base the Church teachings on the supernatural wisdom and spiritual experience as well as elaborate theological dissertations.

"If you would like to know how to recognize a prophet, look at him who gives you knowledge of your own heart." ~Persian Wisdom

What part of late Pope's teachings will be more important to people, and the Church - his personal testimony, or his theological works? Which will be more remembered in ten years from now?

Please, share your views and opinions at Consilience Forum Blog.

Read more about the Doctors of the Church, and how are they established, in the Catholic Encyclopedia

Links:

written and spoken - messages of John Paul II
More on JPII on the Catholic.net

let us know of more links in English!

Thank you Robert!

Work and Study in the United States

Welcome to the CF Blog!

The following discussion is devoted to the subject of the April 14, 2005 (Thursday) US Embassy's America Presents (formerly, or aka, American Thursday presentation:

“Working and Studying in the U.S.” by Lisa Piascik and Aleksandra Augustyniak

This time it will be a special presentation on Working and Studying in the U.S. It will be a great opportunity to find out about applying to universities in the US, the university system and financial aid, and also about specific visa requirements for studying in the U.S. and the requirements for the Summer Work and Travel program.

From the Warsaw Voice - American Dreams:

A record number of Polish students are expected to participate in the U.S. Summer Work & Travel Visa Program, which allows them to work in the United States for up to four months.

Work in the USA - Earn & Learn


Presenting this information, and answering all your questions will be Lisa Piascik, Consul General at U.S. Embassy Warsaw and Aleksandra Augustyniak, Educational Advisor for the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission.

So, if you are students who are thinking about studying in the U.S. in the upcoming year, are interested in the Summer Work and Travel program, or know a person that might be interested in any of these offers, we invite you to attend and share the information.

The presentation will take place on April 14 at 3:00 P.M. at the American Embassy.

How to attend:
1. Get on the Guest List by e-mailing americanthursday@state.gov or by calling the embassy: 504-2395.
2. You have to do it by April 13 (one day before the presentation)
3. Please enter at Piekna 14A

More useful links: http://exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges/about.htm
http://wise.wisefoundation.com/index.php?sect=1
list of other useful links in polish

Check here to see if a University is the USA has official accreditation

Find a good Distance Learning Program in the USA

Keep Talking! Keep Typing (here)!

We invite You here to continue the opinion exchange started in the Q&A part of the presentation. If You havn't had a chance to ask Your question to the presenters, or would like to add something more - here's an opportunity for You to do so.

As most of You are probably non-native English speakers, the written form of this discussion may allow You to express ourselves more fully. Share Your thoughts and impressions about the presentation with fellow participants. Comment on other people's posts. You can include links to sites containing related info.

The views expressed on this blog discussion are not necessarily those of the USA Embassy.

Keep it in English (of course) and related to the presentation subject, and enjoy blogging! The discussion will be opened since the end of the presentation and will last as long as there is an interest - max. 3 weeks ahead.

Keep Talking! Keep Typing! (06/04/05)

Welcome to the Consilience Forum Blog


Is the EU from Venus and USA from Mars?

The following discussion is devoted to the subject of the April 6 (Wednesday) US Embassy's American Thursday presentation: “United States -European Union Relations During the Second Bush Administration” by Prof. Roy Ginsberg.

We invite You here to continue the opinion exchange started in the Q&A part of the presentation. If You havn't had a chance to ask Your question to the presenters, or would like to add something more - here's an opportunity for You to do so. As most of You are probably non-native English speakers, the written form of this discussion may allow You to express ourselves more fully. Share Your thoughts and impressions about the presentation with fellow participants. Comment on other people posts. You can include links to sites containing related info.

The views expressed during this blog discussion are not necessarily those of the USA Embassy.

Keep it in English (of course) and related to the presentation subject, and enjoy blogging!

The discussion will be opened since the end of the presentation and will last as long as there is an interest - max. 3 weeks ahead.

The Consilience Forum
A JOINT, NON-PROFIT VENTURE IN ENLIGHTENING ENGLISH THOUGHT CONVERSATION.
Stay Consilient!
www.consilienceforum.org
Blog-in at: consilience-forum.blogspot.com

Where to begin...What has John Paul II's impact on the world been?

A Profuse Blesser

"To understand this Pope, you must go back to his Polish roots."

During his 26 years as Pope, John Paul II, has had an influence in many areas of life (both religious and non-religious alike).

What is your opinion of this man? And please share any personal rememberances...use the 'Comment' link below...

For a good blog link to the life and times of the Pope, click here.

A link to NYT (Pope's obit)

"Whatever you set your mind to do, you always should make the road before you wide open, so that all people may traverse it. This is the concern of a great man." ~Zhang River Annals

UPDATE [4/4/05]: According to The Global Language Monitor, Record 35,000 news reports on Pope -- "More than 3.5 Million Internet Citations & 35,000 Major New Stories in First 24 Hours; Words most frequently associated: Historic, Conservative, and Beloved"

"The growth of the Internet in recent years provides an unprecedented opportunity for expanding the Church's missionary outreach, since it has become a primary source of information and communication for so many of our contemporaries, especially the young" ~Pope JPII (February 21, 2003)

Comment

It's been extraordinary, a flood of wonderful memories from people all over the world about how the Pope has personally touched them. I have been listening to quite a few reports via internet and listening to personal tributes. I don't know if it's only me but I have noticed a common thread among most of the non-clergy regarding the Pope. People look at the Pope through their own particular faith or non-faith filters and so, for example, an atheist will present the Pope as a great humanist (sans any mention of God). I heard a Muslim man characterize the Pope as a man of peace -- no mention of the profound Christian faith at the core of the Pope's being. Is this normal - I mean to reduce the Pope to a non-threatening caricature (albeit wonderful) that fits nicely into our faith filters? What about taking a moment to reflect on and confront the fact that what made the Pope such a great humanist, or man of peace was in fact the God whom he worshipped? Are we secularizing the Pope?

In Poland especially, there is a temptation (and rightly so) to take ownership of the Pope as a great Pole. Poland should recall that there are over 1 billion Catholics around the world, the Pope belongs to all of us (to humanity in general). My gripe isn't with this tendency, it happens in all countries fortunate enough to produce from their ranks a truly exemplary person. The lesson that is under threat of being lost is that the Pope was God's instrument, and it is God who deserves the glory. The Pope's faith facilitated God's work through him, and credit belongs to the Pope as a man of great, and steadfast faith. But let's not forget that the warm and inspiring light that came from this Pope to millions of people, originated from somewhere -- and the Pope would be the first one to tell you it wasn't from himself. And that it is available to and for all of us. "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:26-28)

The Consilience Forum
A JOINT, NON-PROFIT VENTURE
IN ENLIGHTENING ENGLISH
THOUGHT CONVERSATION.
Stay Consilient!
www.consilienceforum.org
Blog-in: consilience-forum.blogspot.com