Transformative Leadership of Pope John Paul II: Empowering Followers and Driving Cultural Change

Abstract

Pope John Paul II Introduction A leader is a person with defined abilities to guide other individuals, teams or organization. However, such a simple definition does not define whether being just a “leader” can enhance realization of the set goals. So, in such a case it is wise to ask what defines a successful leader with regard to the set goals of this person as the sole leader and the followers’ expectations. From such a perspective, a leader can be seen as a person that has the potentials to empower the teams/followers to embrace their unique leadership qualities while acting with independently accountable passion. Such a person is able to communicate on what needs to happen and then act in accordance with the demands of such a need while maintaining a bias for action. What does this mean? Such a leader with a bias for action does not freeze in times of uncertainty or in decision-making but rather face such situations with courage, act and take responsibility of their actions and decisions. Pope John Paul II is such a leader as his leadership approaches remained defined by his relational and transformative engagements driven by the spirit of servant-hood and solidarity as all his teachings revolved around transforming individuals, community of believers and culture. Background Information Pope John Paul II also known as St. John Paul II was born on 18th May 1920 as Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland (Navsaria, 2014). Wojtyla’s father Karol Senior served as a lieutenant in the polish army while Emilia Kaczorowska his mother died when Wojtyla was eight years and had only a single brother that died less than four years after the mother’s death. Wojtyla was an outgoing youth with a serious side and excelled in academics and dramatics. He was also a football player though under the guidance of his father living a disciplined life that demanded routine religious observance. Since childhood, Wojtyla paid frequent visits to Father Kazimierz Figlewicz at Wadowice main church that was next door to their tiny apartment. Kazimierz was his confessor and first teacher in Catholicism. It is after graduating from secondary school that Wojtyla moved with his father to Krakow and attended Jagiellonian University with his studies ending abruptly with Nazi invasion of Poland on 1st Sep 1939. The invasion spelled a period of tension and agony with drastic killings and deportations of Jews and non-Jews cultural and political leaders. After fleeing and getting back to Krakow, Wojtyla resumed his studies in clandestine classes and for four years worked in a factory owned by a person Nazi’s considered essential to their war effort to avoid arrests and deportation. It is during this period that Wojtyla started writing nationalistic plays and joined Rhapsodic Theatre but did not last long as was influenced to join church ministry by a tailor “Jan Tyranowski” who conducted a youth ministry for the local church (Navsaria, 2014). With the introduction to the teachings of St. John of the Cross, Wojtyla became convinced redemption could be gained through suffering and spirituality of abandonment. When Wojtyla returned from work one day in February 1941 and discovered his father had died alone, he prayed by the body all night and decided to enter priesthood by the autumn of 1942. While still serving as a laborer at the chemical factory, he attended illegal seminary classes run by Prince Adam, Krakow’s cardinal Archbishop. Wojtyla narrowly escaped Nazi round-up of able-bodied men and boys in 1944 and spent the rest period f war time in archbishop’s palace disguised as cleric while witnessing Nazi’s horrors which shaped the real meaning of priesthood. Sapieha ordained Wojtyla into catholic priesthood in 1946 and began two years of study in Rome completing his first doctorate in theology making him an author and a lecturer in philosophy and social/sexual ethics by 1949. Upon completion of second doctorate Wojtyla received full appointment to professorship at Catholic University of Lublin where he taught theology. As a spiritual leader and mentor of a group of young adult friends, they celebrated mass in open during an era when unapproved worship outside churches was forbidden by communist regime and these experiences with friends led him to compile his first book Love and Responsibility in 1960 (Foss, Eriksson & Nåden, 2018). Wojtyla’s ability to operate a dynamic pastorate despite communist restrictions impressed church leaders and by December 1963, Pope Paul VI named him archbishop of Krakow and by 1965 became commissioned for the study of family problems, population and birth rate (Costello, 2016). Wojtyla became a cardinal in June 1967 and worked closely with Poland’s powerful primate cardinal of Warsaw who declared Christianity not communism as the true protector of the poor and oppressed enhancing Wojtyla’s urge to transform all through gospel ministry. After publishing his philosophical work The Acting Person in 1969, his moral actions, not just his thoughts and statements created authentic personality that defined what a person truly stands for as communist authorities had now started giving up on limiting him access to open mass holding and public speeches. Although these authorities tried to deny Wojtyla unlimited access to public speeches, these denials ironically shaped his public speaking style as communicated with large crowds impacting the message he aimed to deliver at that time and even after attaining the Pope title. When Pope Paul VI died in August 1978, the College of Cardinals split between two powerful Italians resulting to the election of Pope John Paul I who died 33 days later. As the only potential candidate who could hold together the divided church, Wojtyla became elected as Pope on 16th October 1978 making him the first non-Italian Pope since the reign of the Dutch Adrian VI between 1522 and 23. Leadership Life It is through his charismatic and dynamic personality combined with unlimited dedication to social justice that endeared Wojtyla to the people globally. Since his appointment to catholic priesthood in 1946, Wojtyla expressed defined charismatic traits enabling him attain his colleagues and followers trust leading him to the most powerful leadership position in the catholic faith thirty two years later (Bialokurec, 2022). For instance, Wojtyla always spread the gospel despite the communist restrictions and ensured that his services were in line with transformative mission for all that he embraced aimed at enhancing human relationships regardless of the differing religious and cultural beliefs....