How Did Pope John Paul II Use His Conscience

Pope John Paul II was born in Wadowice, Poland as Karol Józef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920. Even from a young age, it was apparent that Karol was to face many hardships. His mother, Emilia Wojtyla, died when he was very young, and this was just the beginning of his hardships. During the Nazi invasion of Poland, Karol worked among the many poor workers. This ultimately affected his beliefs as a priest and as a pope. From his work among the poor, he developed a sense of understanding and sympathy for them unlike any other clergy. Seeing the suffering of the poor also helped him in his decision to become a priest. His influence on the church only grew as he became a bishop on September 28, 1958. And finally, he became the pope in 1978. As a pope, John Paul II was clearly a man that used his conscience. For example, the way John Paul II handled the assassination attempt on him. On May 13, 1981, John Paul II unfortunately was shot. Although he was severely injured, he preached forgiveness and forgave his attacker. This action was one of conscience since it is always hard to forgive others especially when they try to take one’s life. This action to forgive was a huge moral decision to make, and Pope John Paul II used his conscience to do so.
Conscience is defined as the capacity to respond through moral decision making, and John Paul II did this. Moreover, he spent most of life being conscientious. As the pope, it necessary that he made moral decisions because of the situations that the churches faced. Throughout his time as the pope, he made many of these moral decisions, however, he was not perfect. Pope John Paul II knew of his shortcomings and tried his best to inform his conscience just as a person