Testament of Pope John Paul II Testament of Pope John Paul II The Testament of Pope John Paul II is a document written by Pope John Paul II, and is similar to a civilian last will and testament. It was modeled on the Testament of Pope Paul VI. The document, written in the Polish language, contains an explanation of several decisions made by Pope John Paul II as to the disposal of his estate and personal belongings of value. It was read before the College of Cardinals by Camerlengo Eduardo Martínez Somalo and Dean of the College of Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger (who became Pope Benedict XVI
Pope John Paul II modern history after Pope Pius IX, who served for nearly 32 years from 1846 to 1878. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523. John Paul II's cause for canonisation commenced in 2005 one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed Venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to his intercession,