16 Oct 1978 – St. John Paul elected Pope

As the Robber Synod is underway, during which it seems that some people want to set aside John Paul II’s Familiaris consortio, we observe that this is the anniversary of the election of Karol Wojtyla.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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11 Comments

  1. CatholicMD says:

    Ora pro nobis!

  2. Mike says:

    I was 17 and a junior in high school. Absolutely no memory whatsoever of it. I do remember something of his visit to the USA in ’79. While I was plenty at fault, the good ole 70s catechesis was really kicking in as the 80s arrived. Thank you, Lord, for waking me up!

  3. Geoffrey says:

    I cannot help but wonder if there aren’t more than a few critics of St John Paul II’s reign who now miss those days…

    Sancte Ioannes Paule Magne, ora pro nobis! Ora pro Ecclesia!

  4. Skeinster says:

    Wasn’t a Catholic yet- not ’til ’85- but we Anglicans were very pleased.
    I remember the gob-smackedness of everyone that a non-Italian had been elected.
    How long ago that seems- the baby I was carrying then is now a 35 yr. old mom of three…

  5. Giuseppe says:

    I was in elementary school, and I remember that my family was shocked that Pope John Paul I had died suddenly and very worried that he had been killed (leading suspect in my family and other kids in school was the Russians.) I really have no memories of popes before that day.

  6. Giuseppe says:

    The irony was that why would the Russians kill a pope and wind up with a Pole?

  7. Roguejim says:

    Perhaps, this new Saint, St. John Paul II, will intervene at this Sin-od.

  8. The day of my birth happens to be the same day just some years later, that’s my connection to Pope St JP II.

  9. And audio for the ABC coverage brought to you courtesy of Vatican Radio pool, yours truly at the ABC console, watching on a monitor in the TV trailer parked just outside the wall. You could hear the cheers coming through the walls of the vehicle. Was too busy to rejoice (most of the rest of the crew were either actively agnostic or non-Catholic), but, nonetheless, like most things, we realized that we were witnessing history in the making.

  10. JCF says:

    Remember watching this in Catholic school in 2nd grade. Also, remember the Yankees winning the World Series the next day. Pretty good back to back days for Catholic Yankees fans, bonus if you had a Polish last name.

  11. teejay329 says:

    That one brought tears to my eyes. The commentary and the wonderment of this virtual stranger being elected as Pope is truly poignant. If only they had known how monumental that evening was. I was a 9-year-old Bible-thumping-Baptist back then, so thanks for posting that broadcast…something our old console TV would NOT have been tuned to!
    And, Mr. Boyle, what a blessing for you to have been there and played a part in that!

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