Pope John Paul II - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Posted by: 
BruceS
S 33° 52.283 E 151° 12.788
56H E 334727 N 6250668
Statue of Pope John Paul II located near a side entrance to St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia.
Waymark Code: WMFPD6
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 11/12/2012
Views: 7
The statue is about 2/3rds life size. The bronze statue stands on a concrete base. The Pope holds a branch in his left hand and has his right raised up in a welcoming gesture. He is wearing his papal robes and a mitre hat. The statue was sculpted by Italian sculptor Fiorenzo Bacci. The statue was donated to St. Mary's Cathedral through the efforts of the Italian-Australian community of Sydney. The sculpture was unveiled April 19, 2008.
From Wikipedia:
"John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II), sometimes called John Paul the Great, born Karol Józef Wojtyla (Polish: ['kar?l 'juz?f v?j't?wa]; 18 May 1920, Wadowice, Republic of Poland – 2 April 2005, Vatican City), reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the second-longest serving Pope in history and the first non-Italian since 1523.
A very charismatic figure, John Paul II was acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe.[1] John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. Though criticised by progressives for upholding the Church's teachings against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, and by traditionalists for his support of the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reform, he was also widely praised for his firm, orthodox Catholic stances.
He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonised 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. He named most of the present College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world's past and current bishops, and ordained many priests. A key goal of his papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great [religious] armada". On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011."
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