Pope John Paul II died at the age of 84 on Saturday, April 2, 2005. He is being mourned by people of all countries and faiths. He was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland and elected Pope in 1978. His life and death can be studied using the INFOhio's Core Collection of Electronic Resources described in INFOhio's Spotlight #4, Current Events Resources, March 2004.

Comprehensive Online Sites

The Associated Press has several excellent resources including a photo gallery of his legacy, a biographical video, a description of how his successor will be chosen, a timeline of his life and Papacy, a tour of the Vatican and much more. See the Chico, Calif., Enterprise-Record site.

CNN’s Pope John Paul II site also contains a wealth of background information on his life, a listing of possible successors, information on his extensive travels, tributes from world leaders and more.

The PBS program Frontline has an in-depth site including a biography, interviews with prominent theologians and journalists, copies of John Paul II's poetry, encyclicals, speeches and letters and much more. There is even a lesson plan for use with the video on John Paul from this series. It can be adapted for use with the television programs and news items which will be printed and shown over the next several days. PBS has also linked several excellent current and past reports from their Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly program. Here you will find a video clip which explains Papal Succession.

You may also want to correlate this event in other curriculum areas:

Art – The Vatican, center of the Catholic Church and home to the Pope, has some of the finest art work in the world. See Vatican Museums Online.

English – Leaders from around the world will be making speeches about Pope John Paul’s life and his effect on world politics. Collect interesting quotes or examine the components of powerful messages. U2 singer Bono calls him the “best front man” the Roman Catholic Church ever had (Reuters, April 3, 2005). Did you know that from an early age, Karol Wojtyla wrote poetry? See it on the Frontline site listed above.

Foreign Languages – This Pope spoke at least eight languages. How did this affect his popularity and his effectiveness as a representative of the Catholic Church?

Geography – Explore Poland, the country of his birth using Britannica Online School Edition. John Paul II was the most widely traveled Pope – explore the areas of the world where he traveled.

Health – Explore Parkinson’s Disease or septic shock using A.D.A.M. Health Illustrated Encyclopedia or NetWellness.

Music – Pope John Paul’s funeral, Friday, April 8, 2005, will be conducted with a great deal of ceremony. What music will be performed, who is performing, and will there be ceremonies in other countries?

Social Studies or Religion – Discuss the impact this Pope has had on world peace and policies in the Catholic Church, how he reached out to young people, how he used modern media (television, Internet, etc.) to spread his message.

Sheila Benedum
Librarian, Bay High School
Electronic Resources Spotlight Coordinator

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