There is no doubt from 2nd of April 2005 People are paying tribute to his Holiness Pope John Paul II. He is not only a greatPersonality of our age but a model to follow in love, commitment, forgiveness and service. The world has acclaimed that he was a man of God, champion of the poor, promoter of peace, defender of life and a tireless evangelizer of the Good News. I would like to take this opportunity to recall some significant services he has rendered in the universal church and in the world.

Lover of Vatican II's Teaching
The first thing which comes to mind about Pope John Paul II is that he was a great lover of Vatican II's teaching and he wanted to implement it. He began this by revising the Code of Canon Law. This task was accomplished on 25th January 1983. Then he also desired to renew the catechism. This Gigantic and long project was completed in the form of catechism of the catholic Church in 1994 and this brought new life in the Church.

Preparation for the Jubilee
Another characteristic of his pontificate was that he undertook his mission to prepare the people for the Great Jubilee 2000. For this reason he not only made speeches but gave a long and comprehensive programmed to the whole Church which we find in the form of the Apostolic Letter Tertio Milennio Adveiente which he wrote in 1994. With this programme he invited the believers to renew their commitment to Jesus and ask forgiveness for the sins they have committed and enter into the third Millennium having deep faith and hope in God and humanity.

Human Being is the Heart of his Ministry
In his papacy the human being is the centre. This becomes obvious from his first encyclical Redemptor Hominis, which on 4th March 1979. IN it he states his programme of action, " Man is the primary route that the church must travel in fulfilling her mission: he is the primary and fundamental way for the church". He further clarified that man is the masterpiece of creation and the church cannot remain indifferent to his situation, rather she must utilize all her energies and ministries to protect, defend and cherish his life. The same Phenomenon is found in his later speeches and writings.

Defender of Life and Opposer of Culture of Death
Pope John Paul II is pro-life and defended life in all its forms and Stages. He considered life is sacred and deserves respect whether in the womb as a male formed child, or mentally or physically handicapped person, a terminally ill patient or an elderly person or a criminal. Life is a gift of God and only he has the power to give and take it. People are steward of this life and they must serve and protect it and governments, to promote the Culture of life. In this regard his encyclical Evangelism Vitae if most prominent which he completed on 25th March 1995. It must also be noted that he also proposes such suggestion to promote the culture of life by abandoning wars and conflicts and solving problems by mutual dialogue. He is also of the opinion that money, which is spent on arms, must be used for productive purposes so that everyone may have all the necessities of life and the world may experience peace and tranquility.

Guardian of the Family
This aspect of his ministry is clear that he highly regarded the family. For him family is the vital call of church and society and both depend heavily on it as family's soundness is very essential because it greatly affects the church andWorld. Therefore, wherever he went he spoke to families and tried to strengthen them. He was quite upset due to prevailing vices such as divorce, polygamy, remarriage, contraceptives, abortions, surrogacy, test tube babies, and cloning which were ruining the families. This he also considered as an important task of his ministry to put families on the right path and in the early years of his reign in 1981 he wrote his Apostolic Familiaris Consortio. The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern world. There he stated that the family not only provides new citizens to the world and Church, but it is also the Parents duty to take care of their children and provide them proper upbringing. They should see to their education and religious formation. They ought to respect their rights and talents and enable them to become good citizens and evangelizers in their future that can carry their tasks in a dignified manner. For this reason he asked the youth to receive the sacrament of marriage with great preparation so that they can get all the benefits by his letter to families in 1994 and asked the state and other institutions to join the church for bringing the sovereignty of the family because " the sovereignty of the family is essential for the good of society. A truly sovereign and spiritually vigorous nation is always made up of strong families who are aware of their vocation and mission in society"Promoter of Christian Unity and inter-religious Harmony
Ecumenism and unity among all Christians was an important and recurring theme for him. For this reason he wrote a May 35, 1995 that they may be one. In order to make it practical, he Took drastic steps in his ministry. He invited other Church leaders and opened the jubilee doors with them in Rome.

However, he did not exclude other faiths in this regard. Rather, he fostered inter-religious dialogue as well as cultural and social harmony. This is another dominant theme of his life and mission. He extended a hand of friendship to the publication of Shoah which come from the commission for Religious Relations with the Jews in March 1998

Likewise, he visited a mosque in the Syrian capital Damascus in 2001 and allowed Muslims to construct their place of workshop in Rome. This was seen as a shining example of religious tolerance and of accepting the right of religious liberty.Above all, he asked forgiveness for all the excesses committed by Catholics in 2000 years and recommended that the wounds of the past be forgotten, in doing so he presented the true faith of Christianity.

Lover of the Youth
His love for young people was also a salient feature of his ministry. He never failed to convey the message that all young people were important to him. They were the future of the world and tomorrow's torchbearers. In order to foster this spirit he launched The World Youth Day, which is held every two years. This year's convection is too held in cologne, but unfortunately, Pope John Paul II will not be around to preside over it.

Moral Guide
It is true Pope John Paul II often ended moral dilemmas and ambiguities by providing absolute and clear-cut teachings on moral issues. Though not all theologians agreed with this approach, Pope John Paul II made absolutely clear that there cannot be any compromise in moral matters.

One has to follow moral laws, because only in this way we can become real disciples of Jesus and have eternal life for which everybody aspires. These rules he elaborated in Veritatis Splendor which came from his pen in 1993

Open and balanced Man of his Time
    He was a man of his time, one who was open-minded rational. He did not oppose reason to faith but declared in Fides et Ratio that faith and reason are like two wings on which the human Spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.

Equally, he was capable of reading the signs of the time and utilizing all the possible gifts of communication like radio, television, film, internet, as well as pressing for the new evangelization and enhancement of truth and the promotion of humanity.

But at the same time he also cautioned against any misuse of the media and spoke out strongly against distortions of the truth and attempts to undermine honesty. He also called for the media to serve humankind and not be profit-oriented.

Interested in Social Conditions of Man
    Pope John Paul II was not only interested in the spiritual side of humanity but he also discussed and fair wages. Besides, he also spoke about the rights and responsibilities of trade unions, human rights, worker's rights, justice and peace. Preference or options for the poor, dignity of women, solidarity, charity, peace, religious liberty, minority issues etc.

    By all this he proved that he was giant like Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas. At the same time he also passed on this massage that a pastor of today is unable to fulfill his responsibility just by preaching a sermon in the church.

Rather, he has to go to all places where humanity is waiting for him, and he has to use all possible means to reach others. He also has to speak in a language that can be understood by all

    Thus, this is the only way we can enhance the mission of Christ in our own times and become affective ambassadors of Christ in the Third Millennium.

    May the Almighty God Empower us with such gifts and reward the Holy Father Pope John Paul II for his heroic life and commitment to Jesus, the Truth.