John Paul II’s Travels
 Perhaps
John Paul II is so greatly loved and well known by people because
of the number of his trips around the world. His facility in relating
to the media and his respect for journalists and media professionals
has allowed him in his many trips to carry his mission to the universal
Church and to the world. These trips, he said, were an "application
of the charism of Peter on a universal scale."
John Paul was aware that many criticized him for
his frequent journeys, not the least of which were members of the
Roman Curia. He told a journalist on his flight back from Peru,
"That very fact convinces me they should be made." He
never had the impression that his trips should be 100 percent efficacious.
He remarked in the same conversation that even the Gospel is rarely
100 percent efficacious. "But even if the efficacy were only
ten percent or fifteen percent, such trips would be worthwhile."
(Man of the Millennium, pp. 115-116).
"The Pope travels to announce the Gospel,
to strengthen the brethren in their faith, to consolidate the Church,
to meet the people…. They are voyages of love, of peace, of
universal brotherhood…. In these meetings with souls, in view
of the immensity of the crowds, the modern-day charism of Peter
at the crossroads of the world manifests itself" (John Paul
II, June 28, 1980).
Since the start of his pontificate on October 16,
1978, Pope John Paul II has completed 102 pastoral visits outside
of Italy and 144 within Italy. As Bishop of Rome he has visited
301 of its 334 parishes.
Writings and Travels of John Paul II - Vatican Site
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