Elmendorf priest recalls experiences with pope

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Austin May
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  Perhaps the single-most discussed issue in the media lately has been the passing of Pope John Paul II. No matter where one looks for news, the pontiff's death is being mourned and his life celebrated in all corners of the globe.

Chaplain (Maj.) Patrick Fletcher, a Catholic priest here, said he has been inundated with calls of every type, from devout Catholics just wanting to talk to someone and express their feelings, to those who have been inspired to seek out religion for themselves.

While he does his best to assist those who seek out his spiritual guidance, Chaplain Fletcher said he sees the pope's death on a different level, as the loss of a personal friend.

While studying clinical psychology at the University of Krakow in Poland throughout the mid-1970s, years before entering ministry, Chaplain Fletcher was asked to teach English to seminary students in Krakow. He accepted the challenge, not knowing he would eventually become the future pontiff's English professor.

Chaplain Fletcher said the pope, who at the time was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, was an amazing student and learned the relatively difficult subject matter with very few problems.

"He never had to be corrected twice," Chaplain Fletcher said. "If he said something incorrectly, I would correct him, and he never made the same mistake again."

With no plans of entering the seminary, and intentions to begin a family, Chaplain Fletcher said he remembers with reverent enthusiasm the night in 1975 when the future pope predicted his ordination to the priesthood, 10 years before it became a reality. It was Christmas Day.

"He looked at me and said, 'Patrick, I am going to ordain you,'" Chaplain Fletcher said. "I told him I had other plans, to which he replied, 'No, no, no Patrick, I am going to ordain you.'"

In 1981, Chaplain Fletcher received his calling to serve God, and in 1985, Pope John Paul II, his former student, ordained him a priest.

Hailed in the media as a great pope, but also as a controversial one, it is widely known that Pope John Paul II publicly spoke out against the war in Iraq. However, Chaplain Fletcher said the Pope has had ties to the military since his birth in 1920.

"His father was an officer in the Polish army," Chaplain Fletcher said. "He is the world's most famous military brat."

The pope was a man of God and a man of peace; however, he was still an enthusiastic supporter of the military.

"He was a big supporter of the troops," Chaplain Fletcher said. "Wherever he spoke, he always had a special audience for the military."