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Press Release Source: The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
Pope John Paul II Papal & Polish Heritage Room Captures Spirit and
Personality of the Pope
Monday April 4, 11:32 am ET
NORWALK, Conn., April 4 /PRNewswire/ — The Pope John Paul II Cultural
Center in Washington, D.C. contains more than 50,000 square feet of museum
and exhibit space, but one of the most beloved areas of the impressive
building is the one room that concentrates on Pope John Paul II.
The Papal & Polish Heritage Room is the only area in the Cultural Center
exclusively dedicated to the life of Pope John Paul II. “The Pope did not
want the building to be a monument to him,” said Msgr. William A. Kerr,
Cultural Center director, “but he did allow this one room to be focused on
him and his papacy.”
As you enter the room you see Pope John Paul II’s papal crest etched in
glass on the doorway. A special place for reflection and study of the Holy
Father, the Papal & Polish Heritage Room features personal items and papal
gifts as well as photographs of the Pope.
The Cultural Center possesses a collection of approximately 2,300 objects
related to Pope John Paul II, more than half of which are photographs. The
artwork, personal memorabilia, photographs and other artifacts show various
aspects of his life, mostly during his papacy. The items capture the
charisma and humanity of the Holy Father as the Vicar of Christ and
spiritual leader of the world.
Among the items currently on display are a red cape worn by Pope John Paul
II in the 1990s; a cassock he wore throughout the 1980s; a pair of Alpine
Skis the Pope used during the late 1980s; and a pair of his Cordovan leather
shoes.
Also included is a replica of the Holy Father’s famed Papal Staff. The
silver staff was designed and cast by artist Lello Scorzelli, the maker of
the original piece. It is one of very few replicas of the one Pope John Paul
II carried throughout his papacy.
Some of the items and gifts on display from people and leaders throughout
the world include:
— A wooden sculpture of the Last Supper from Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat.
— A gold cross from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the
Armenians. The cross contains a piece of bone from a martyr who
perished in the Syrian desert in 1915, a victim of the Armenian
genocide.
— A gilt chalice, a gift from Pope John Paul II. The chalice was
presented on the occasion of the grand opening of the Pope John Paul II
Cultural Center to Cardinal Adam Maida, archbishop of Detroit and
president of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, by Cardinal Edmund
Szoka, papal delegate and Latore and president of the Pontifical
Commission for Vatican City State.
— The Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Pope John Paul II in January
2001. The medal, the most distinguished civilian award that the
Congress of the United States can bestow, bears an image of the Pope on
one side and the symbolic bald eagle on the other.
Source: The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress