Two saintly popes displayed courage, holy zeal

How excited were you by the canonizations of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII?
I was very excited. Though I had the privilege to met John Paul II many times – and, of course, he visited New Orleans in 1987 – I didn’t have the opportunity to meet John XXIII. However, I vividly remember John XXIII when I was a kid and he was elected pope. When he opened the Second Vatican Council, I remember watching the opening ceremony. When I was a student, we prayed every day after morning recess for the success of Vatican II.

It took a lot of courage for John XXIII to convene a council, didn’t it?
Yes. John XXIII admitted that when he talked to some of his advisers, they told him he was foolish and living dangerously. But through prayer and further consultation, he really believed that the Holy Spirit was calling him to do this, and he took that risk and should be admired for that. His real intent in opening Vatican II was not to change any teachings of the church but to have the church address and respond to the signs of the times. He called it “opening the windows.” He said he didn’t want the church to be a museum, and that wasn’t a negative comment on the past. Sometimes, I think unfairly, people say that something negative happened in the church because of Vatican II. That’s really unfair and a misrepresentation of Vatican II. First of all, we believe the Holy Spirit guided the bishops during Vatican II. Secondly, the aftermath of Vatican II was the time of the sexual revolution, a time when people were told not to trust authority. It was also a time of worshipping the environment instead of God. It was the “me generation” and the idea of freedom as license. Sometimes people will look back and say, “All these priests and religious sisters and brothers left because of Vatican II.” I think that’s a false statement. They left because of the things that were going on in the world, and it happened to be at the same time. The purpose of Vatican II was not to change the teachings of the church but to make them more explainable in the present time. The council also addressed issues of morality, spirituality and the liturgy that had not been addressed before. The very fact that Pope John Paul II was the one who beatified John XXIII – and now it’s Pope Francis who canonized him – makes it clear to me that both of these men saw him and what he did in Vatican II as a blessing for the church that was a moved by the Holy Spirit.

What are your thoughts about St. John Paul II?
He was a historic pope that most people can relate to. He was a holy man. He knew the Lord very well. He was prophetic. He preached the word of God, and he did it in a respectful way but did not mince words as he went around the world. He was a missionary pope. He said he did not want people to have to come to Rome to see the pope – he would go to them. Toward the end of his papacy as his health became impaired, he obviously found it difficult to travel. But I remember the young John Paul II, who visited New Orleans. I remember the young John Paul, who I met in Rome when I was a young priest working with the Pontifical Mission Societies. He was a man who was in love with the young church. I remember all the times that I went to World Youth Day. The young people would chant, “John Paul 2, we love you!” and he would reply, “John Paul 2, he loves you!” That was his mantra. He also used his gifts of drama in a good way. That helped him become comfortable with some of the more public things he had to do. I was privileged to be in his chapel many times and to see him kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. That was a spiritual experience in itself.

You were rector of Notre Dame Seminary when he came to New Orleans. Do you have any specific memories of his visit to the seminary?
When he arrived on Friday night, he was really tired but he got out of the car and came over to meet the seminarians and the people who were there to welcome him. The next day, he had done many presentations and he came back to the seminary in the popemobile. He drove around the circle in front of the seminary, and Archbishop Hannan wanted him to get out of the car to shake hands with the Polish choir, but the Secret Service and other security people closed the door and said, “I’m sorry, archbishop, that’s not possible.” Then the pope tried to open the door, and they slammed it shut on him, too. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen both the pope and the archbishop being limited by security!

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].