Statue of John Paul II unveiled at hospital where he recovered from assassination attempt

Rome, Italy, Jul 2, 2009 / 11:15 am

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland, who was Pope John Paul II’s personal secretary for more than 40 years, unveiled an impressive 15 foot statue of the late pontiff at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
 
“Be Not Afraid” is the title of the statue made by Stefano Pierotti, who used marble to make the 47-ton sculpture.

Pope John Paul II spent 153 days at Gemelli Hospital recovering from the assassination attempt on his life in 1981.

During the ceremony, Cardinal Dziwisz recalled that “from this place, (Pope John Paul II) taught the entire Church how to live and how to die with the Lord. The Gemelli Hospital was a unique ‘chair’ for him.  For this reason, the name of this hospital will remain inseparable from the memory of this Pope.”
 
“From the window of the tenth floor,” he recalled, the Pope “blessed the sorrowful multitudes, and now from the center of this small square, where his likeness has been raised with exquisite sensibility, he will continue watching over this place and blessing all those who arrive here, as well as those who serve man in his suffering.”