Dân chúng Âu Châu nghĩ gì về ĐGH Gioan Phaolô II
Hãng truyền hình quốc tế CNN đã yêu cầu thính giả trên khắp thế giới bày tỏ cảm nghĩ của mình đối với ĐGH Gioan Phaolô II vừa mới qua đời vào hôm thứ Bảy. Sau đây là những lá thơ trong số hàng triệu cái gửi về cho cơ quan truyền hình CNN qua địa chỉ WWW.CNN.COM. Truyền hình CNN đã chia các thư này theo từng lục địa. Hôm nay chúng tôi trích đăng nguyên văn các thư gửi từ Âu Châu để quý độc giả VietCatholic tham khảo.
The world has lost the greatest pope and man to ever live and I am very proud and grateful that Pope John Paul II served the world in my life. I will never forget him and I am grateful to have seen the pope in 1979 when he visited Ireland.
Kevin Ryan; Athlone, Ireland
Well, to be honest, I am an atheist. And yet, despite this, I feel that John Paul II was an extraordinary figure, indeed a "champion of peace and freedom." Somehow the world will not be the same, as he was to many a moral authority -- one that even nonbelievers could count on. His actions to promote peaceful conflict solutions in South America and the Middle East are a perfect example of the latter. My condolences to those of Catholic faith.
Adam S.; Stockholm, Sweden
John Paul II was more to me than a pope. He was the greatest son of my land, Polish land. He told us about freedom, faith and morality. He has shown us the way that we walk ever since -- the way to love and respect for all the nations, religions and points of view. He made us believe that the church is the people -- and freedom is the gift of God to every human being, and it can never be taken away from us anymore. And we are all grateful for that gift of wisdom that he gave us.
M. Rabel; Warsaw, Poland
In this turbulent time when the demarcation line between morality and immorality is so thin, this pope's presence takes a greater meaning and importance. But now that he's gone, it is hard to find someone who mustered all the traits like John Paul II. The only hope we have is to pray for his successor to be half as good as this pope was.
John Elkass; Athens, Greece
I will always remember John Paul II for the moment when -- during his first visit to Poland in 1979 -- I experienced the feeling of freedom for the first time in my life. I was going down the street to the papal Mass for the youth, held in front of the Academic Church in the Old Town section of Warsaw. It was early in the morning and first people started to appear in the streets and one by one they began to step down from sidewalks to take over the streets to themselves, growing crowds of people going against the early morning traffic in then-communist Poland. That was the first moment that I had ever felt freedom and the power to claim my right to pursue freedom.
Tomasz Jurewicz; Warsaw, Poland
I had the luck in 1987 to shake the pope's hand during an audience. It was a great moment. John Paul II was and still is a great soul with a loving heart and spirit. May he rest in our hearts as one of the most precious human beings forever. May young and old take him as an example and follow his words, because his words were just, honest and true.
Myriam; Luxembourg
I am not a religious person, but mankind has to be thankful for such a person that brought his holiness and wisdom to us. His death will keep a memory of good and righteousness for this world of uncertainty. May he rest in peace, and the world shall rejoice in his being.
Mechille Stoof; Woerden, Netherlands
My heart is bleeding for the departure of our pope. He was a brave man who held firmly the principles of Christian religion, and fought with all his soul and all his body against death and war.
Michele; Piacenza, Italy
Polish poet, priest Jan Twardowski wrote: "Hurry to love people, they go away so quickly." For me, Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla, was a man who was explaining this sentence to the whole world with all his life. I, friends of mine, almost every person asked here in Poland, we all feel like orphans. Seems like we have all lost a close family member. Rest in peace, father.
Andrzej Browarski; Opole, Poland
I am a Muslim but still I have had a high regard to the moral and religious values as projected by the pope in his 26-year papacy and also an admirer to his teachings of liberalism and maintaining of human dignity in the eyes of every human being, as all are equal under the divine principles.
Rizwan; Southampton, England
I admire his charisma, his unshakeable stand in what he believed. He certainly made a lot of impact on respect for human dignity, freedom and religious tolerance all around the world as well as made a case for the poor. Adieu, papa.
Nnah Kay; Bucharest, Romania
Let him rest in peace. He was a great man, he has made so much for the whole world. Without him, my country wouldn't be democratic. It is a great loss for Poland and the world. For me, he was the greatest Pole in history.
Varin; Szczecin, Poland
I think in the coming future he will be declared a saint. He was not a pope of the Vatican but of all the word. I feel proud that in 1999 I was chosen as an altar boy with other 19 altar boys from Malta to go to serve a summer in St. Peter's Basilica... . In 1999 he was already weak.. . but was a man of great courage.
Nicholas Schemri; Malta
I met him 15 years ago and can honestly say it still lives with me as one of the most significant moments in my short life. A truly great man who will be sorely missed. RIP.
Andrew Marshall; Glasgow, Scotland
Even though I am not Catholic I am crying for the loss of the pope. How one man can be loved by all, whatever race or religion, is a miracle in itself.
Susan Bellini; Florence, Italy
The Holy Father's two visits to this country were highlights in the lives of Catholics and many non-Catholics alike. I shall never forget his braving the snow and cold during the outdoor Mass held in Sarajevo in 1997. His intrepidity and tenacity are unique and his work and legacy timeless.
Ksenija Kondali; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
As both an atheist and a liberal, I would be hard pressed to come up with many things on which I could agree with the pope and many of his pronouncements I found downright offensive. But he was a man of peace, a man who loved all humans and a man of conviction, and that must always be respected and honored.
Christopher Hughey; Paris, France
I lost my faith in Christianity some time ago. But I really admire a man like John Paul II. Over his 26 years he has done so many things for the people of the world. And as long as the world remembers him he will never die! Thank you Karol Josef Wojtyla.
Vida Norbert; Budapest, Hungary
When you saw him, you thought he wanted to tell you that he loves you. He had enough love for all the world. The pope has made me who I am and changed my entire life. He has shown the world the dignity of life and that, no matter what, it is forever sacred. Only in this way can we stop our turning into a culture of death. I hope he rests in eternal peace with God. And I hope that whenever we look at the sky, his warmth, love and wisdom will guide our hearts through the night.
Evelina Sernaite; Vilnius, Lithuania
I did not agree with many of John Paul II's ideas, probably because I am not a Catholic or even a Christian. However, no one can deny the immense force for good that this man has had in the last three decades. Whether or not he was in the right, the deceased pope always acted out of the conviction that he was doing God's will, and more importantly he always acted.
Andy Campbell; Rome, Italy
Hãng truyền hình quốc tế CNN đã yêu cầu thính giả trên khắp thế giới bày tỏ cảm nghĩ của mình đối với ĐGH Gioan Phaolô II vừa mới qua đời vào hôm thứ Bảy. Sau đây là những lá thơ trong số hàng triệu cái gửi về cho cơ quan truyền hình CNN qua địa chỉ WWW.CNN.COM. Truyền hình CNN đã chia các thư này theo từng lục địa. Hôm nay chúng tôi trích đăng nguyên văn các thư gửi từ Âu Châu để quý độc giả VietCatholic tham khảo.
The world has lost the greatest pope and man to ever live and I am very proud and grateful that Pope John Paul II served the world in my life. I will never forget him and I am grateful to have seen the pope in 1979 when he visited Ireland.
Kevin Ryan; Athlone, Ireland
Well, to be honest, I am an atheist. And yet, despite this, I feel that John Paul II was an extraordinary figure, indeed a "champion of peace and freedom." Somehow the world will not be the same, as he was to many a moral authority -- one that even nonbelievers could count on. His actions to promote peaceful conflict solutions in South America and the Middle East are a perfect example of the latter. My condolences to those of Catholic faith.
Adam S.; Stockholm, Sweden
John Paul II was more to me than a pope. He was the greatest son of my land, Polish land. He told us about freedom, faith and morality. He has shown us the way that we walk ever since -- the way to love and respect for all the nations, religions and points of view. He made us believe that the church is the people -- and freedom is the gift of God to every human being, and it can never be taken away from us anymore. And we are all grateful for that gift of wisdom that he gave us.
M. Rabel; Warsaw, Poland
In this turbulent time when the demarcation line between morality and immorality is so thin, this pope's presence takes a greater meaning and importance. But now that he's gone, it is hard to find someone who mustered all the traits like John Paul II. The only hope we have is to pray for his successor to be half as good as this pope was.
John Elkass; Athens, Greece
I will always remember John Paul II for the moment when -- during his first visit to Poland in 1979 -- I experienced the feeling of freedom for the first time in my life. I was going down the street to the papal Mass for the youth, held in front of the Academic Church in the Old Town section of Warsaw. It was early in the morning and first people started to appear in the streets and one by one they began to step down from sidewalks to take over the streets to themselves, growing crowds of people going against the early morning traffic in then-communist Poland. That was the first moment that I had ever felt freedom and the power to claim my right to pursue freedom.
Tomasz Jurewicz; Warsaw, Poland
I had the luck in 1987 to shake the pope's hand during an audience. It was a great moment. John Paul II was and still is a great soul with a loving heart and spirit. May he rest in our hearts as one of the most precious human beings forever. May young and old take him as an example and follow his words, because his words were just, honest and true.
Myriam; Luxembourg
I am not a religious person, but mankind has to be thankful for such a person that brought his holiness and wisdom to us. His death will keep a memory of good and righteousness for this world of uncertainty. May he rest in peace, and the world shall rejoice in his being.
Mechille Stoof; Woerden, Netherlands
My heart is bleeding for the departure of our pope. He was a brave man who held firmly the principles of Christian religion, and fought with all his soul and all his body against death and war.
Michele; Piacenza, Italy
Polish poet, priest Jan Twardowski wrote: "Hurry to love people, they go away so quickly." For me, Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla, was a man who was explaining this sentence to the whole world with all his life. I, friends of mine, almost every person asked here in Poland, we all feel like orphans. Seems like we have all lost a close family member. Rest in peace, father.
Andrzej Browarski; Opole, Poland
I am a Muslim but still I have had a high regard to the moral and religious values as projected by the pope in his 26-year papacy and also an admirer to his teachings of liberalism and maintaining of human dignity in the eyes of every human being, as all are equal under the divine principles.
Rizwan; Southampton, England
I admire his charisma, his unshakeable stand in what he believed. He certainly made a lot of impact on respect for human dignity, freedom and religious tolerance all around the world as well as made a case for the poor. Adieu, papa.
Nnah Kay; Bucharest, Romania
Let him rest in peace. He was a great man, he has made so much for the whole world. Without him, my country wouldn't be democratic. It is a great loss for Poland and the world. For me, he was the greatest Pole in history.
Varin; Szczecin, Poland
I think in the coming future he will be declared a saint. He was not a pope of the Vatican but of all the word. I feel proud that in 1999 I was chosen as an altar boy with other 19 altar boys from Malta to go to serve a summer in St. Peter's Basilica... . In 1999 he was already weak.. . but was a man of great courage.
Nicholas Schemri; Malta
I met him 15 years ago and can honestly say it still lives with me as one of the most significant moments in my short life. A truly great man who will be sorely missed. RIP.
Andrew Marshall; Glasgow, Scotland
Even though I am not Catholic I am crying for the loss of the pope. How one man can be loved by all, whatever race or religion, is a miracle in itself.
Susan Bellini; Florence, Italy
The Holy Father's two visits to this country were highlights in the lives of Catholics and many non-Catholics alike. I shall never forget his braving the snow and cold during the outdoor Mass held in Sarajevo in 1997. His intrepidity and tenacity are unique and his work and legacy timeless.
Ksenija Kondali; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
As both an atheist and a liberal, I would be hard pressed to come up with many things on which I could agree with the pope and many of his pronouncements I found downright offensive. But he was a man of peace, a man who loved all humans and a man of conviction, and that must always be respected and honored.
Christopher Hughey; Paris, France
I lost my faith in Christianity some time ago. But I really admire a man like John Paul II. Over his 26 years he has done so many things for the people of the world. And as long as the world remembers him he will never die! Thank you Karol Josef Wojtyla.
Vida Norbert; Budapest, Hungary
When you saw him, you thought he wanted to tell you that he loves you. He had enough love for all the world. The pope has made me who I am and changed my entire life. He has shown the world the dignity of life and that, no matter what, it is forever sacred. Only in this way can we stop our turning into a culture of death. I hope he rests in eternal peace with God. And I hope that whenever we look at the sky, his warmth, love and wisdom will guide our hearts through the night.
Evelina Sernaite; Vilnius, Lithuania
I did not agree with many of John Paul II's ideas, probably because I am not a Catholic or even a Christian. However, no one can deny the immense force for good that this man has had in the last three decades. Whether or not he was in the right, the deceased pope always acted out of the conviction that he was doing God's will, and more importantly he always acted.
Andy Campbell; Rome, Italy