As Roman Catholics around the world today celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Paul II becoming Pope, for two Bermuda priests it will trigger happy memories of a special encounter with the pontiff.

Bishop Robert Kurtz and Father Vladimir Sobolewski were among five clerics given a personal audience with the Pope just over a month after he became head of the world-wide Catholic Church, in October 1978.

In the famous small room in the Vatican overlooking St. Peter's Square in Rome, which the Pope had used to address euphoric crowds when he was elected weeks earlier, the five had an intimate chat with the newly-crowned Holy Father.

It was an unforgettable moment for Fr. Vladimir of St. Michael's in Paget, because he, too, is Polish and had met John Paul on a number of occasions in Krakow when he was a seminary student in the early 1970s and the future pontiff was Archbishop of Krakow.

And Bishop Kurtz, who comes from the large Polish community of Chicago, also went to meet the Pope on a number of occasions in Rome.

“The meeting in 1978 was quite overwhelming as we didn't expect it,” Fr. Vladimir told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

“There was a pulpit and microphones in the room and a small table at the centre with a few chairs and we had this unofficial audience with him just after breakfast.”

Bishop Kurtz and Fr. Vladimir are members of the Congregation of the Resurrection, the religious order which provides Bermuda with its priests.

Fr. Vladimir was on his way to Australia to form the Congregation's first mission there, and Bishop Kurtz was the assistant superior general based in Rome. The Pope was keen to know about the work the order would do in Australia.

Bermuda's Catholics will hold a special mass in St. Theresa's Cathedral tonight, and will pray for the ailing 83-year-old pontiff, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, and at masses over the weekend.

Fr. Vladimir was in Poland on October 16, 1978, when the Communist nation was electrified by the announcement of the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years.

“It was a very joyous occasion when we heard the news and it was very, very difficult to describe the real tremendous feelings of joy and happiness,” he said.

“In Krakow, all the people gathered at the cathedral to give thanks to God for his election. In Poland, the television was state controlled and they had never shown a religious service before so we did not know whether they would show the inauguration ceremony, but they bowed to public pressure and showed it.

“At the seminary in Krakow, I met him a couple times when he came every year at Easter. We always looked forward to him visiting, especially at lunch when he told us humorous stories.

“It was a very entertaining lunch and he was always very approachable, without any sense of it being hierarchical. He chatted to us and was always interested in our spiritual and educational development.

“Whenever he was in Rome, he would visit the Resurrectionist shrine to Our Lady near Rome and on the day when the conclave began to elect the Pope, he was at that shrine.”

Fr. Vladimir met the Pope again in Rome ten years ago when the Resurrectionists celebrated mass with him in his private chapel in the Vatican.

Recalling the meeting with the Pope in November 1978, Bishop Kurtz said yesterday: “It was a tremendous feeling to be in the same room as these priests from Poland, like Fr. Vladimir who were going to Australia, to see their reaction.

“The Pope has been a gift of God to the Roman Catholic Church because of his holiness, his life and his great talents as a philosopher and theologian - and also as a poet and a mystic.

“He has certainly influenced the political course of events because of the fact of his coming from Poland and probably being one of the major forces in terms of influencing the downfall of the communist regime in the East.

“That's not so important in my eyes as his intense spiritual gifts to the church and the world. He is conservative in doctrinal matters because he is called to maintain the traditions and truth of the teachings of the church, but he is very philosophical and challenging on questions of social justice and solidarity with the poor and challenging members of the church and the world to seek peace, justice and equality.

“He has made tremendous contributions in that regard, but it is hard to make a simple assessment of such a complex figure.

“I lived in Rome for 18 years from 1975 to 1993 and was in Rome when he was elected. And he was the man who assigned me to Bermuda when he made me bishop of Hamilton in Bermuda, so I have a personal relationship with him in that regard.

“When I was in Rome, I had occasion to be with him on several occasions and in May last year I met him with the bishops of the Antilles conference when he invited all bishops of that conference to lunch and I was privileged to sit next to him at lunch, which was quite an honour.

“We also had personal interviews when he asked about the life of the church in Bermuda. I learned Polish from my grandmother and it was nice to share a few words with the Pope in his own language.”

Bishop Kurtz said although the Pope's health was ailing, he believed he would continue to lead the church until he dies.

“I don't think he will stand down. He is fully prepared to die in office,” he said.

“There is really not much precedent or legislation as to how to tell a pope what to do, so we are in a kind of bind. He does look as though he is failing. The body is disappearing, but the spirit is so great and his love is so obvious.

“He is also a humble and prudent man and when the time comes when he cannot function, I am sure he will transfer authority to ensure there is a smooth transition.”