His theology and philosophy reached however even further than his religion. Despite his lack of interest in politics, he has met and spoken to leaders of many countries. This was most noticeable after the fall of the Berlin wall on November 9, 1989. It was of his request to visit, then, Czechoslovakia, shortly after the fall of communism. A country once ruled by the communist regime and in which, as stated by the Pope himself, with a silent church was his first stop on the way to share his greatness. In his own words he said "It is providential that it falls to me to be the first pope to enter this land in order to bring it a greeting of peace. The faithful of Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia have in Rome a pastor who understands their language. He also understood their silence, when the Church in this country was the Church of silence, and he considered it part of his mission to be their voice." Perhaps the most significant statement the Pope made after the fall of Communism throughout his entire pontificate was that "the claim to build a world without God has been shown to be an illusion" (Prague, April 21, 1990). For John Paul II it was only a matter of time when Communism would fall. As a system, Communism, in John Paul II’s opinion, fell not only by the hand of the divine Providence, but as a consequence of its own mistakes and abuses. John Paul II repeated the content of Christianity, its religious and moral message, its defense of the human person, insisting that this is a principle to be followed. Thus in his estimation, Christianity itself became the determining factor in the fall of Communism. His actions were even acknowledged by various people worldwide. The most recognized of them all, during that period, was Gorbachev itself. He was the first to recognize the Pope and his role in the fall of Communism, "What has happened in Eastern Europe in recent years would not have been possible without the presence of this Pope, without the great role even political that he has played on the world scene" (quoted in La Stampa, March 3, 1992). All these events meant that the new Europe was being reborn. John Paul II however also warned of the dangers of capitalism in his teachings, "Unfortunately, not everything the West proposes as a theoretical vision or as a concrete lifestyle reflects Gospel values."
Alongside his political contributions, he also tried to share his word with different religions. His most noticeable work had to be the asking for prayers for forgiveness from the Jews. He was the first ever Pope to step into a Synagogue in Rome in 1986. He has publicly stated that he deplores the hatred, persecution and anti-Semitism directed at the Jews at anytime and by anyone. In many prayers he had asked for forgiveness for Christians for the passivity with regards to the Nazi Holocaust. In 1998 the document on the Shoah that was published under the title, We Remember: A Reflection on the "Shoah", he openly mentioned the mistakes and wrongdoings of Christians, “We deeply regret the errors and failures of those sons and daughters of the Church. This is an act of penitence (teshuva), since as members of the Church we are linked to the sins as well as to the merits of all her children. We wish to turn awareness of past sins into a firm resolve to build a new future in which there will be no more anti-Judaism among Christians or anti-Christian sentiment among Jews. The spoiled seeds of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism must never again be allowed to take root in any human heart.”
Pope John Paul II also has shown much concern for women around the world. It first became apparent when he visited the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena in Rome. At that time he encouraged his listeners to walk hand in hand with the feminine world. A few days later on November 16th 1978 he addressed the International Union of Superiors General of Women Religious. In his speech he concluded that all women and men have to first look at the fact that all are Christians and all should be equal. John Paul had a deep admiration for women and a high regard for women’s role in society. He has openly advertised the role of women in church and communities, "Today I appeal to the whole Church community to be willing to foster feminine participation in every way in its internal life… This is the way to be courageously taken. To a large extent it is a question of making full use of the ample room for lay and feminine presence recognized by the Church’s law, […], Who can imagine the great advantages to pastoral care and the new beauty that the Church’s face will assume when the feminine genius is fully involved in the various areas of her life" (L’Osservatore Romano, September 3, 1995). He has also summed the re-reading of the concept of Feminity in the Bible. He was not afraid to admit that the Catholic Church has not been a faithful bearer of her Founder and that he is aware of all the wrongdoings and injustices committed against women.
With many philosophies and theologies heard, and being read by the Pope himself, it is easy to omit some of which are smaller, but still play a big role in the life of young Christians worldwide. The most noticeable would be his thoughts on War and violence. Throughout his whole papacy he has cried and prayed for peace. He was born in the aftermath of one war and has lived through another one in his early years. This has opened his eyes to all violence against one another and led him to change this world to a peaceful one. He understood that his mission was to show all that violence is evil and it is most definitely not a solution to problems that many nations face. He has visited many countries touched by wars and violence and has asked all humans to pray for peace worldwide.
In the twenty odd years of his papacy John Paul II was a person that was known all around the globe for his teachings and missions. He has not only touched hearts of many Christian but all people in all religions. His work was respected everywhere and proved that he was the messenger here on Earth, like he claimed he was. His wisdom and love for all people has earned him a great place in the history and evolution of Religion and all its aspects. His work was also widely acknowledged within his own Church, ever so much now, that the normal period of 5 yrs until beatification and canonization was waived in order to speed up the process and recognize John Paul II as a St. John Paul II.