英文摘自Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_II教宗若望·保祿二世（1920年5月18日－2005年4月2日），是羅馬天主教第264任教宗、
梵諦岡城元首。他於1978年10月16日被選為教宗，任職近27年。他是在位時間第二長的教宗，僅次於教宗庇護九世。他是唯一的波蘭人教宗，亦是自教宗阿德裏安六世的1520年代以來，首位非意大利人教宗。
Pope John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) served as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate; only Pope Pius IX served longer. He was the only Polish Pope, and was the first non-Italian Pope since Dutch Pope Adrian VI in the 1520s.
若望·保祿二世，被譽為二十世紀最具影響力的領袖之一。他為終結波蘭、中歐、南歐、東歐的共產主義政權發揮了重要作用，且大大改善了天主教與猶太教、東正教、英國國教的關係。
John Paul II has been widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. It is widely agreed that he was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Central Europe, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion.
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與其他宗教及派別的關係。
Relations with other religions and denominations教宗若望·保祿二世頻繁出行，與各種不同信仰的信眾接觸。他一直試圖尋找不同信仰在教理上的共通點。在1986年10月27日的世界和平祈禱日，許多不同宗教的代表，及基督系各教派代表，共120多人，一齊進行了為期一日的齋戒和祈禱。
Pope John Paul II travelled extensively and came into contact with believers from many divergent faiths. He constantly attempted to find common ground, both doctrinal and dogmatic. At the World Day of Prayer for Peace, held in Assisi on 27 October 1986, more than 120 representatives of different religions and Christian denominations spent a day together with fasting and praying.
英國國教
Anglicanism前任教宗保羅六世稱英格蘭教會為「我們摯愛的姊妹教會」， 而若望·保祿二世亦與英格蘭教會有著良好關係。他訪問英國期間曾在坎特伯雷大教堂講道，並接受了作為友好表示的「坎特伯雷大主教」稱號。
Pope John Paul II had good relations with the Church of England, referred to by his predecessor Pope Paul VI, as "our beloved Sister Church". He preached in Canterbury Cathedral during his visit to Great Britain, and received the Archbishop of Canterbury with friendship and courtesy.
1980年，若望·保祿二世頒佈了一個特許令，允許已婚的前英國國教牧師成為天主教牧師，並將前英國國教的教區納入天主教會。他還允許創立英國國教形式的拉丁祭儀，這種祭儀裏融合了英國國教的祈禱文。
In 1980 John Paul II issued a Pastoral Provision allowing married former Episcopal priests to become Catholic priests, and for the acceptance of former Episcopal Church parishes into the Catholic Church. He also allowed the creation of the Anglican Use form of the Latin Rite, which incorporates the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. John Paul II's historic ecumenical effort with the Anglican Communion was realised with the establishment of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church (Anglican Use), in cooperation with Archbishop Patrick Flores of San Antonio, TX in the United States.
路德宗
Lutheranism1999年10月31日（宗教改革週年紀念日），作為融合的標幟，梵諦岡與
路德世界聯盟的代表簽署了《辯護教理之聯合聲明》。
On 31 October 1999 (the anniversary of Reformation Day, the posting of the 95 Theses), representatives of the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation signed a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, as a gesture of unity.
猶太教
Judaism若望·保祿二世任職期間，天主教與猶太教的關係大為改善。他經常談及教會與猶太教徒的關係。
Relations between Catholicism and Judaism improved during the pontificate of John Paul II. He spoke frequently about the Church's relationship with Jews.
在孩提時代，Karol Wojtyla（若望·保祿二世的俗家名）曾與猶太人鄰居玩耍。1979年，他訪問了波蘭境內的納粹奧斯威辛集中營，成為首位訪問此地的教宗。（德國納粹佔領期間，他的許多同鄉，其中大部分是波蘭猶太人，死於此處）1998年，他發表了《我們記得：對大屠殺的反省》，其中敘述了他對大屠殺的看法。他於1986年4月13日訪問
羅馬猶太大教堂後，又成了首位正式訪問猶太大教堂的教宗。
As a child, Karol Wojtyla had played sports with his many Jewish neighbours. In 1979 he became the first Pope to visit the Nazi Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, where many of his countrymen (mostly Polish Jews) had perished during the German Nazi occupation. In 1998 he issued "We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah" which outlined his thinking on the Holocaust. He also became the first pope known to have made an official papal visit to a synagogue, when he visited the Great Synagogue of Rome on 13 April 1986.
1994年，若望·保祿二世領導下的教廷與以色列國正式建交，並認可其以猶太習俗和猶太信仰為中心。為榮耀此事，若望·保祿二世舉辦了「教廷悼念大屠殺音樂會」。此音樂會由美國音樂家 Gilbert Levine 構思和導演。羅馬首席大法師、意大利總理、世界各地的大屠殺幸存者，出席了此音樂會。
In 1994, John Paul II established formal diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel, acknowledging its centrality in Jewish life and faith. In honour of this event, Pope John Paul II hosted 『The Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust』. This concert, which was conceived and conducted by American Maestro Gilbert Levine, was attended by the Chief Rabbi of Rome, the President of Italy, and survivors of the Holocaust from around the world.
2000年3月，若望·保祿二世到以色列訪問了 Yad Vashem （以色列國立大屠殺紀念碑），稍後更作出了開創歷史的舉動：他觸摸了猶太教最神聖的地方之一 --- 耶路撒冷的西牆，並將一封信放入其中（信中他為過往人們反猶太的行為祈求寬恕）。他在講話中說：「我向猶太民眾保證，對於任何時候、任何地方的基督徒針對猶太人的仇視和迫害，天主教會都深感哀痛。」 他又說：「沒有詞彙足以哀悼大屠殺這一可怕悲劇。」主持接待教宗的以色列內閣大臣 Michael Melchior 法師說，他被教宗的態度 「深深打動了」。
「它超越歷史、超越記憶。」
—— Michael Melchior大師（2000年3月26日）
「在歷史進程中，一些人曾使你們的子民遭受苦難。我們對此深感哀痛，並請求你們的寬恕。為了與
盟約之民 （指猶太人）的誠摯兄弟情誼，我們願意奉獻自己。」
—— 若望·保祿二世（2000年3月12日）。摘自教宗留在耶路撒冷西牆的筆記。
In March 2000, John Paul II visited Yad Vashem, (the Israeli national Holocaust memorial) in Israel and later made history by touching one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, placing a letter inside it (in which he prayed for forgiveness for the actions against Jews in the past). In part of his address he said: 「I assure the Jewish people the Catholic Church ... is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place」, he added that there were 「no words strong enough to deplore the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust」. Israeli cabinet minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, who hosted the Pope's visit, said he was 「very moved」 by the Pope's gesture.
"It was beyond history, beyond memory"
— Rabbi Michael Melchior (26 March 2000)
"We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant."
—Pope John Paul II (12 March 2000) from a note left by the Pope at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
2003年10月，「反誹謗同盟」（ADL）向若望·保祿二世道賀，祝賀他進入第25個任職之年。2005年1月，當猶太法師 Benjamin Blech、Barry Dov Schwartz、Jack Bemporad 在
使徒宮殿的 Clementine 大堂會見這位教宗時，若望·保祿二世又成了史上第一位受到猶太法師祝福的教宗。
In October 2003 the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement congratulating John Paul II on entering the 25th year of his papacy. In January 2005, John Paul II became the first Pope in history known to receive a priestly blessing from a rabbi, when Rabbis Benjamin Blech, Barry Dov Schwartz, and Jack Bemporad visited the Pontiff at Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace.
這位教宗逝世後，ADL 立即發表聲明，稱教宗若望·保祿二世革新了天主教與猶太教的關係，並說 「他任職27年間所促成的良好轉變，比過往2000年都多。」 澳洲的
以色列與猶太事務議會主任，Colin Rubenstei 博士亦發表聲明道：「為了自由與人道主義，這位教宗成為了具啟發性的精神領袖，並將因此而被銘記。在改善與猶太人及以色列的關係這件事上，他的成就遠超天主教會歷史上的所有人物。」
Immediately after the pope's death, the ADL issued a statement that Pope John Paul II had revolutionised Catholic-Jewish relations, saying that 「more change for the better took place in his 27 year Papacy than in the nearly 2,000 years before.」 In another statement issued by the Australia, Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, Director Dr Colin Rubenstei said,「The Pope will be remembered for his inspiring spiritual leadership in the cause of freedom and humanity. He achieved far more in terms of transforming relations with both the Jewish people and the State of Israel than any other figure in the history of the Catholic Church」
「我們與猶太教的關聯，是我們與其他宗教之間所沒有的。你們是我們親近而摯愛的兄弟，而且在某種意義上，可以說你們是我們的兄長。」
—— 若望·保祿二世（1986年4月13日）
"With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers."
—— Pope John Paul II (13 April 1986)
東正教
Eastern Orthodox Church1999年5月，若望·保祿二世應羅馬尼亞東正教會大主教 Teoctist Arapasu 之邀，訪問了羅馬尼亞。自1054年大分裂以來，這是首次有教宗訪問東正教主導的國家。他到訪時，大主教和羅馬尼亞總統 Emil Constantinescu 向他表示歡迎。大主教說：「在基督歷史第二個千年的開端，教會共同體的身上出現了一個痛苦的傷痕；而在這個千年的末期，基督共同體才真正開始恢復。」
In May 1999, John Paul II visited Romania on the invitation from Patriarch Teoctist Arapasu of the Romanian Orthodox Church. This was the first time a pope had visited a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054. On his arrival, the Patriarch and the President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu, greeted the Pope. The Patriarch stated, 「The second millennium of Christian history began with a painful wounding of the unity of the Church; the end of this millennium has seen a real commitment to restoring Christian unity.」
應烏克蘭總統、烏克蘭希臘天主教會眾主教、烏克蘭的羅馬天主教會之邀，若望·保祿二世於2001年6月23-27日訪問了烏克蘭這一東正教興盛之地。這位教宗向
全烏克蘭教會及宗教組織議會致辭，懇求 「開放、包容、坦誠的對話。」 約二十萬人出席了這位教宗在 Kiev 舉辦的禮拜儀式，而在 Lviv 的禮拜儀式更聚集了近一百五十萬信眾。若望·保祿二世說，結束宗派分裂，是他最大的心願之一。多年來，若望·保祿二世一直積極促進對話與融合。早在1988年，他就在《Euntes in mundum》中說：「歐洲有兩個肺，但難以輕鬆呼吸，除非它同時使用這兩個肺。」
John Paul II visited another heavily Orthodox area, Ukraine on 23-27 June 2001 at the invitation of the President of Ukraine and bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine. The Pope spoke to leaders of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, pleading for "open, tolerant and honest dialogue". About 200 thousand people attended the liturgies celebrated by the Pope in Kiev, and the liturgy in Lviv gathered nearly one and a half million faithful. John Paul II stated that an end to the Great Schism was one of his fondest wishes. For a number of years John Paul II actively sought to facilitate dialogue and unity stating as early as 1988 in Euntes in mundum that "Europe has two lungs, it will never breathe easily until it uses both of them".
在2001年的出訪期間，若望·保祿二世成為1291年來首位到訪希臘的教宗。在希臘，這位教宗會見了
希臘正教的首領，大主教 Christodoulos。在30分鐘私人會晤後，二人公開發言。Christodoulos 宣讀了自
大分裂以來，羅馬天主教會對東正教會的 「13項冒犯」，包括1204年十字軍在君士坦丁堡的搶掠，並對羅馬天主教會從未道歉表示遺憾。他說：「直至現在，我們尚未聽見一句為13世紀狂暴的十字軍請求寬恕的話。」
During his 2001 travels, John Paul II became the first Pope to visit Greece in 1291 years. In Athens the Pope met with Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church. After a private 30 minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Roman Catholic Church against the Eastern Orthodox Church since the Great Schism, including the pillaging of Constantinople by crusaders in 1204, and bemoaned the lack of any apology from the Roman Catholic Church, saying 「Until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon」 for the 「maniacal crusaders of the 13th century.」
教宗回應道：「以前和現在，天主教的兒女，因針對東正教兄弟姊妹的行為，以及對他們的無視而犯罪。願主饒恕我們。」 Christodoulos 隨即表示讚賞。若望·保祿二世又說，對君士坦丁堡的洗劫，是天主教徒的「深切悔恨」之源。稍後，在
聖保羅曾向雅典基督徒宣道之處，若望·保祿再與 Christodoulos 會晤。他們發表了 「共同聲明」，稱 「我們應盡力使歐洲的基督根基和基督靈魂得以保存......以宗教的名義，我們譴責一切暴力的、強求別人改變信仰的、狂熱偏執的訴求。」 然後，兩位領袖一齊念誦
主禱文，打破了東正教不能與天主教徒一起祈禱的禁忌。
The Pope responded by saying 「For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness,」 to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul II also said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of 「profound regret」 for Catholics. Later John Paul and Christodoulos met on a spot where Saint Paul had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a 『common declaration』, saying 「We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved. … We condemn all recourse to violence, proselytism and fanaticism, in the name of religion」 The two leaders then said the Lord's Prayer together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.
教宗還說，他任職期間一直有個最大的夢想，就是訪問俄國，可惜未能實現。對於多個世紀以來，天主教會與俄國東正教會之間產生的問題，他多次嘗試解決之。例如，他於2004年8月歸還了「聖母與耶穌」畫像.
The Pope had also said throughout his pontificate that one of his greatest dreams was to visit Russia, but this never occurred. He had made several attempts to solve the problems which arose over a period of centuries between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches, such as giving back the icon of Our Lady of Kazan in August 2004.
佛教
Buddhism藏傳佛教精神領袖，十四世達賴喇嘛丹增嘉措，訪問若望·保祿二世多達八次，超過其他任何一位主教。教宗與達賴喇嘛經常有相似的觀點、理解彼此的境況，因為兩者都來自深受共產主義影響的國家，又都是主要宗教的首領。
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, visited Pope John Paul II eight times, more than any other single dignitary. The Pope and the Dalai Lama often shared similar views and understood similar plights, both coming from peoples affected by communism and both being heads of major religious bodies.
伊斯蘭教
Islam2001年5月6日，教宗若望·保祿二世成為首位進入伊斯蘭清真寺、並在裏面祈禱的天主教教宗。他恭敬地脫掉鞋，進入了位於敘利亞的大馬士革的倭馬亞大清真寺（以前是拜佔庭屬地的基督教堂，專奉
聖若翰洗者 -- 據說他被葬於此地），併發表講話，其中說到 「鑒於回教徒與基督徒之間互相冒犯的歷史，我們需要請求神的寬恕，並互相寬恕。」 在敘利亞，他親吻了《古蘭經》。此舉令他在回教徒中大受歡迎，又令他在傳統天主教徒中更不受歡迎。
On 6 May 2001, Pope John Paul II became the first Catholic pope to enter and pray in an Islamic mosque. Respectfully removing his shoes, he entered the Umayyad Mosque, a former Byzantine era Christian church dedicated to John the Baptist (who is believed to be interred there) in Damascus, Syria, and gave a speech including the statement: "For all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another, we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other forgiveness." He kissed the Qur』an in Syria, an act which made him popular amongst Muslims and more unpopular amongst traditionalist Catholics.
2004年，教宗若望·保祿二世在梵諦岡舉辦了 「以調和為主題的教宗音樂會」，與會者有伊斯蘭教、猶太教、天主教的眾領袖，演出者有來自波蘭的 Krakow 交響樂唱詩班、來自英國的倫敦交響樂唱詩班、來自美國的匹茲堡交響樂隊、來自土耳其的安卡拉音樂唱詩班。此音樂會由 Sir Gilbert Levine, KCSG 構思和指揮，並向全世界廣播。
In 2004, Pope John Paul II hosted the "Papal Concert of Reconciliation," which brought together leaders of Islam with leaders of the Jewish community and of the Catholic Church at the Vatican for a concert by the Kraków Philharmonic Choir from Poland, the London Philharmonic Choir from the United Kingdom, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from the United States, and the Ankara State Polyphonic Choir of Turkey. The event was conceived and conducted by Sir Gilbert Levine, KCSG and was broadcast throughout the world.
若望·保祿二世監督了《天主教義理問答》的出版，書中有專為穆斯林準備的內容：「拯救的計劃裏也包含那些認可
造物主的人 -- 穆斯林。這表示，我們都奉持
亞伯拉罕信仰。他們與我們一起，愛著唯一而仁慈的神、末日的審判者。」
John Paul II oversaw the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which makes a special provision for Muslims; therein, it is written, "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."
道歉
Apologies若望·保祿二世曾誠摯而動情地多次道歉。在他長久的任職期內，他道歉的對象有猶太人、伽利略、婦女、異端裁判所的受害者、被十字軍屠殺的穆斯林、以及幾乎所有曾遭天主教會迫害的人。在成為教宗之前，他就是一位卓越的編輯，支持一些創舉 -- 比如1965年的《調和波蘭主教與德國主教的信》。作為教宗，他正式、公開地為超過100件錯事道歉。
John Paul II was sincere and passionate with his many apologies. During his long reign as Pope, he said 『sorry』 to Jews, Galileo, women, victims of the Inquisition, Muslims slaughtered by the Crusaders, and almost everyone who had suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church through the years.[7][99] Even before he became the Pope, he was a prominent editor and supporter of initiatives like the Letter of Reconciliation of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops from 1965. As Pope, he officially made public apologies for over 100 of these wrongdoings
「籍口比謊言更壞、更可怕，因為籍口是被守護的謊言。」
—— 若望·保祿二世
"An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded."
—Pope John Paul II