Religion and Faith

Among the hundreds of thousands of mourners at Pope John Paul II's funeral Friday was the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Harry Flynn. From his hotel room in Rome, Archbishop Flynn reflected on the day's events, and their place in history, in a conversation with MPR's Tom Crann.
Catholic leaders in Minnesota say the attention being paid to the pope's death and the church as a whole, might encourage more men to join the priesthood.
Jim Wallis, executive director and editor of Sojourners magazine, says that politicians from both sides of the aisle could use a little Bible study. Wallis, author of the best-selling book "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It," speaks live from the Westminster Town Hall Forum in Minneapolis.
The funeral for Pope John Paul II is expected to draw millions of people. A group of Minnesota students has been in Rome watching all the developments related to the Pope. They are on a study abroad program through the University of St. Thomas, which has a campus in Rome. Thanos Zyngas is the director of that campus, and he spoke with MPR's Cathy Wurzer.
John Paul II's papacy was dramatic and historic on many fronts. Speaking of Faith explores some of the critical religious issues of his 26 years as pontiff and discusses the great and contradictory impact he made on the Catholic Church in America and abroad.
Martha Sawyer Allen covered Pope John Paul II extensively during her 19 years as a religion writer for the Star Tribune.
Followers and admirers of Pope John Paul II begin to pay their respects Monday. The world considers the impact of the charismatic and conservative Catholic leader.
Thousands of Catholics and others attended services and vigils around Minnesota Saturday night to honor the memory of Pope John Paul II. One of the largest was at the St. Paul Cathedral. Archbishop Harry Flynn led a mass and offered his memories of Pope John Paul.
Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history's most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.