Few modern saints have left as profound a mark on the Church’s relationship with the Jewish people as Pope St. John Paul II. His unwavering commitment to human dignity and interfaith dialogue was shaped by his early life in Nazi-occupied Poland, an experience that profoundly influenced his papacy and his fight against antisemitism.
According to John Paul II’s official biographer, George Weigel, living under Nazi rule was “the most formative experience of Karol Wojtyla’s life,” shaping his dedication to defending human dignity through the Catholic priesthood. Speaking at the conference Catholics and Antisemitism — Facing the Past, Shaping the Future, hosted by Philos Catholic at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., Weigel reflected on John Paul II’s deeply personal connection with the Jewish people.
Weigel noted that John Paul II’s upbringing in a small town outside Kraków placed him in close contact with Jewish families. “Growing up in a small town outside Kraków, Karol Wojtyla had many Jewish friends and lived in an apartment owned by a Jewish family,” Weigel recounted. Tragically, many of these friends perished in the Holocaust. However, the future pope’s father, Karol Wojtyla Sr., instilled in him a belief in a Poland that could welcome minority communities while preserving its cultural integrity.
“That cauldron of hatred and violence was, I believe, the most formative experience of Karol Wojtyla’s life,” Weigel explained. “Because of that experience, he came to dedicate himself to the defense of human dignity and freedom through the priesthood of the Catholic Church.” Weigel described how these harrowing years transformed Wojtyla into a “human diamond, whose cutting edge could break through the seemingly impenetrable, like the Berlin Wall.”
As pope, John Paul II took historic steps to formalize diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See, visiting the Western Wall and the Holocaust Remembrance Center, Yad Vashem, in March 2000. His actions and teachings consistently reaffirmed the Church’s rejection of antisemitism and its call for unity between Jews and Christians.
Weigel asserted that John Paul II, as “a determined foe of antisemitism,” would be “appalled, sad, heartbroken, and very angry at the recrudescence of that ancient plague… in the form of an exterminationist anti-Zionism the world has witnessed since Oct. 7, 2023.” The late pope would have spoken out clearly against this resurgence of hatred, naming it for what it is.
Ultimately, John Paul II envisioned a future in which “Jews and Christians would be a blessing to one another,” as Weigel noted. He believed in addressing not only “the pain of the past” but also “the possibilities of the future.”
His legacy remains an inspiration for Catholics to continue fostering unity, respect, and dialogue with the Jewish people. “If we would honor his memory,” Weigel concluded, “let us commit our minds, hearts, and souls to advancing that collaboration.”
