Archbishop celebrates memorial Mass
for the late pope

By Brandon A. Evans

For many more photos, click here

About 1,000 people filled SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis to standing-room-only for a noon Mass on April 4 to remember and honor the life and ministry of Pope John Paul II.

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, along with several priests, celebrated a memorial Mass for the late pope, who died on April 2 at the Vatican.

After the Mass, as the people left the cathedral under the black cloth bunting that was draped over the main doors, the archbishop greeted them and spoke to the press.

Freshly printed prayer cards of the late pope were also given to all those who attended the Mass.

In his homily, the archbishop spoke about the importance of the pontiff.

“His lengthy pontificate and the impact of his stature mark the papacy like no other in recent history,” he said. “The world was his mission.”

He spoke of the power of John Paul II’s charisma and of his teaching.

“In a world of relativism, secular materialism and individualism, our pope held to a consistent vision of the truth that valued human life in all its dimensions,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “His writings will be mined for decades to come.

“Pope John Paul could speak of the dignity of the human person with measured conviction because he had experienced oppression personally as a young man, as a priests and as a bishop in Poland,” he said. “He suffered the reality of totalitarian regimes.

“He remarked once that what surfaced in his mind and heart was the confident conviction that the dignity of the human person ultimately would win out over atheistic ideologies.”

The late Holy Father was a “credible spokesman” for the poor because of his total commitment to his ministry and because of his own background.

“His great feeling for the dignity of work came with the calloused hands of smashing rocks in a quarry in his youth,” the archbishop said. “He had a deep empathy for those for whom work is their only source of human dignity. He had been there. And he once said bluntly, ‘The Church is on the side of the poor, and that is where she must stay.’ ”

The pope will also be remembered for his struggle for “mainstreaming ecumenism in challenging and uncertain circumstances,” the archbishop said, as well as for his deep love for youth.

In his final days, Pope John Paul II because a witness to the value of suffering, he said.

“Truly our Holy Father fought the good fight, he ran the race and he kept the faith,” he said. “He was a splendid, holy pope. May he rest in peace.” †

To listen to archbishop's homily from this Mass, click here