Out of curiosity, I decided this past week to look back at the old
Chattanooga News-Free Press from 1978 on microfilm at the Bicentennial
Library to see how Chattanooga first learned about Karol Wojtyla, now
known for all time as Pope John Paul II.
What I found were numerous hints clearly evident now that this man
might one day hold a special place in church and world history, despite
the initial shock that a non-Italian had been chosen to the Catholic
Church's highest office.
Using its trademark banner headline across the top of the page, the
Free Press summed it all up in its Oct. 17, 1978, edition by stating
simply, "Pope Choice Surprises World."
In a style perhaps not as common today in this age of instant media
reports and visual images, United Press International writer Jack
Payton visually captured the emotion of the moment by telling how the
news came. He wrote that as the 300,000 people gathered at St. Peter's
Square with much excitement and anticipation, a cardinal came out and
said in Latin, "We have a pope."
The crowd then went wild with cheering, Mr. Payton said.
However, he wrote that the masses did soon gasp in disbelief after they
learned a Polish man had been chosen as the next holy father, the first
non-Italian in 455 years. Not only that, but he had not even been
considered among the front runners to replace Albino Luciani, who had
died in September 1978 after only 33 days in office.
But that would be perhaps the only time in his 27-year papacy he would
not be warmly received. As soon as he stepped forward at the papal
balcony and uttered his first words, "Praise be to Jesus Christ," he
began being well received. And by the time he told the crowd in a
Polish accent that he had not quite mastered Italian, or "our Italian"
as he said, he had won them over.
Almost immediately, everyone noticed that he had a very warm manner. As
longtime Free Press editor Lee Anderson wrote in the lead editorial of
the man who had chosen to take his new name as a tribute to his
predecessor, "It was immediately evident that he is friendly and
informal."
One person who was already family with his warm manner was Chattanooga
court reporter Mrs. Richard (Casey) Smith of Valleybrook in Hixson. The
new-deceased Mrs. Smith, whose parents were from Pope John Paul II's
native Poland, said in that day's paper that she had met the pope at
the Vatican in 1967, when the pope was still a cardinal.
She was in Rome for the installation ceremony of Cardinal John Crol of
Philadelphia, who was a St. Mary's Seminary classmate of Mrs. Smith's
brother, Monsignor S.B. Podbielski. While there, she was introduced to
then Cardinal Wojtyla.
"He was so nice and gentle," Mrs. Smith said. "He spent the entire
afternoon with us."
She said she tried to carry on a conversation with the future pope in
her broken Polish, not realizing he also spoke and understood English.
But she did realize he had a lot of good qualities. "He impressed me as
a kind man, a man of great intelligence. It just showed through his
communication with people from all walks of life."
Mrs. Smith said she also told the pope about Chattanooga.
News-Free Press reporter Steve Baker, who interviewed Mrs. Smith, wrote
that the young-for-a-pope 58 year old was "expected to have political
impact of historic dimensions that cannot be full gauged at this time."
Mr. Anderson wrote in his editorial that the election of this man from
what was then a Communist satellite country "may be interpreted as
notice by the Roman Catholic Church that it is not surrendering to
godless Communism."
Another headline said that the new pope was lending hope to the
oppressed, pointing out that not only did he come from a Communist
country, but that he also came to adulthood at a time when Poland was
controlled by Nazi Germany.
In a foresighted manner, the paper let it be known that the cardinals
had made a pretty good choice with this kind and humble man from a land
far away.