JOHN PAUL II: (1920-2005) Pope of the Roman Catholic Church 1978-2005. A.L.S., with his initials J P II, as Pope ...

JOHN PAUL II: (1920-2005) Pope of the Roman Catholic Church 1978-2005. A.L.S., with his initials J P II, as Pope, to the inside of an 8vo folding Easter greetings card, n.p. (Vatican City, Rome), 21st March (1989), to Grazyna, in Polish. The Pope writes to one of his friends and fellow countrymen, stating, in part, 'Thank you very much for your Easter wishes which I received from Danuta. I wish that our Lord, crucified and resurrected, will always be with you, and accompany you in your day to day life....' The Pope's letter is written to the left panel of the inside of the card and to the right panel appears a facsimile Biblical quotation, greeting, date and full signature of the Pope, with a gold printed Papal seal at the head. The colour printed cover of the card features a reproduction of a liturgical text and illustration from a Breviary owned by Ferdinand II of Aragon ('Ferdinand the Catholic') and contained in the Vatican Apostolic Library. Rare in this form. About EX £1000 - 1500 The second longest serving Pope in modern history, Pope John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. One of the most travelled world leaders in history, John Paul II visited 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. John Paul II was canonised on 27th April 2014 and is widely known to Catholics as Saint John Paul the Great.