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Mar 25th, 2025
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Layperson
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Hello all.
Somewhere a litle tweety bird told me that the mother of the Pope was of the Eastern Church. If so did the Pope ever mentioned it.
Anyone who has the ins and outs of the subject.
Will from New Zealand
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Well I found this article on the Pope. Havn't read the whole thing seems good. Though I didn't read all of it, so I am not positive. Usually dont trust PBS too much. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pope/etc/bio.html She is of Eastern Catholic heritage. I know it is on the forum somewhere.
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Will, Good to see you. Rose is right, there have been a number of Forum threads/posts on this subject. The article below was posted back in 2002: Originally posted by RichC:
THE PAPAL VISIT TO UKRAINE, JUNE 23-27, 2001
The pontiff's Ukrainian roots
by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau
KYIV - Although it seems to be one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Vatican, the head of the Vatican's press service admitted in very convoluted language on June 24 that indeed Pope John Paul II has Ukrainian blood on his mother's side.
During a press conference the holy father's press secretary, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, told hundreds of reporters that one of the reasons the pope placed special significance on his trip to Ukraine was because he has roots here.
"I believe that there is a reason, and it is the biological element of his biography," explained Mr. Navarro-Valls somewhat obtusely.
But his statement, along with assertions by other sources, makes the matter clear: the pope's mother was Ukrainian and that makes him at least partly so.
Emilia Kacharovska, the mother of Karol Wojtyla Jr., who would become Pope John Paul II in 1978, was born in a village outside of Drohobych. During the tsarist effort to rid Ukraine of the "Uniate" element in Ukraine, that is the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, the Kacharovskys moved into the Krakow area, according to materials released by the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church's press service. In time, the Kacharovsky clan, which had spoken both Ukrainian and Polish, became completely Polonized.
In Krakow, Emilia met Karol Wojtyla Sr., and they were married. In 1920 the future pope was born. At the age of 8 young Karol lost his mother, when she died of heart problems.
The holy father has never denied his Ukrainian roots, although he refers to his mother as a Rusyn rather than a Ukrainian. The Ukrainian government news organ, Uriadovyi Kurier, in a June 23 story claimed that Pope John Paul II made such an assertion at Harvard University in a speech he gave at the Ukrainian Research Institute. The newspaper did not mention the date of the speech but cited a book by Prof. Isidore Nahaievsky as the source of the information.
Copyright � The Ukrainian Weekly, July 1, 2001, No. 26, Vol. LXIX Many years, Neil
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."
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Dear Friends, The Holy Father really breathes with both lungs! His Mama's and Papa's.  Paul
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Dear Brethren, Can someone please enlighten me why the Pope's Ukrainian side was being kept a secret by the Vatican???? Is it because of the Eastern rite?  Thanks for your responses, Alice
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Dear Friends, Yes, the Pope's mother was a Greek-Catholic. She did die when he was at a tender age. I don't have any references for that statement other than the Pope's own word to me personally that it was so. Hopefully, he can be trusted . . .  Alex
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Dear Alex, That still doesn't answer my question.  Is it because the Roman Catholic Church's faithful would have a problem with their Pontiff having had a parent who worshipped in a rite different than the Latin one? As for the Pope personally giving you his word--come on--OUT WITH IT--when did you meet him? PLEASE share with us! (pretty please?) Fondly, Alice P.S. I have been immensely enjoying your eloquent writing on the many spiritual and religious topics you respond to on the Ukrainian Orthodox website. That you are gifted by the Holy Spirit to share knowledge in the form of writing is obvious!
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Hi, Alice.
I don't think the Vatican is keeping it a secret at all, in light of the fact that it is being talked about.
When they want to keep a secret, they are usually pretty good at doing so.
There is no reason WHY this would need to be secret.
Most Catholics don't know their knee from their elbow when it comes to Eastern Churches anyway.
Ltrad
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I don't think the Vatican is keeping it a secret. As was indicated by LatinTrad, they are the world's best at keeping secrets. I suspect that if it isn't talked about much, it would be because his mother died so long ago. But I think it does explain JPIIs regard for the Eastern rites.
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Dear Alice:
I concur with Brendan and Charles that the ethnicity and the religious background of Pope John Paul II's parents were never kept a secret by the Vatican.
A few years ago, "Time-Life" published its own biographical book on Karol Wojtyla, Jr., who would become Pope. It shows a portrait of his parents with an accompanying write-up about his mother, Emilia, that she was Eastern Catholic of Ukrainian (Rusyn) ethnicity, and not Polish.
That book includes pictorials of some of the idiosyncratic Popes in history and the "Popessa," the alleged "female Pope."
It's now becoming a treasure after I bought it at a discount from an obscure bookstore in a Chicago suburb.
Amado
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Dear LatinTrad, and Charles, First of all, LatinTrad, it is GOOD to see you back with us! We missed you! I thank you both for your responses, and ofcourse, they make sense. I was, however, asking what I did, in reference to the article posted on the top of this page from 2001: THE PAPAL VISIT TO UKRAINE, JUNE 23-27, 2001
The pontiff's Ukrainian roots
by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau
KYIV - Although it seems to be one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Vatican , the head of the Vatican's press service admitted in very convoluted language on June 24 that indeed Pope John Paul II has Ukrainian blood on his mother's side. In Christ, Alice
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Dear Amado, So perhaps the above statement was the journalist's own bias? Perhaps, in his mind, it was not being publicized enough?! In Christ, Alice
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Dear Friends:
Mr. Navarro-Valls made the statement at the time of the Ukrainian visit, that because of the Pope's involvement in the struggle for Polish self-determination, he had wanted to maintain a fully Polish identity in public.
Privately, the Pope never denied his Ukrainian "Rusyn" heritage.
I personally have always heard of his Ukrainian roots.
There is even an understanding that at least one of his grandmothers was Orthodox.
defreitas
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There is even an understanding that at least one of his grandmothers was Orthodox. I have also heard this. I believe that it was on EWTN. P.S. Dear Defreitas: your hypothesis makes much sense to me! Thank you!
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Dear Alice,
"...one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Vatican,..."
News writers are masters at exageration and hypebole particularly when they report on religion, politics, and celebrities.
God bless,
Paul
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