Twenty years after the death of Saint John Paul II, an Italian journalist reveals how those historic moments transformed his life. Gabriele Manzo, a reporter for the Italian radio station RTL, has just published a book titled The Last Days of Karol Wojtyła. John Paul II, the Pope Who Lived Twice, in which he recounts his spiritual journey marked by the saintly pope's pontificate.
An Unexpected Conversion
In 2005, while covering the final days of John Paul II for his media outlet, Gabriele Manzo experienced a profound inner transformation. "I had to talk a bit about myself and that period, and I did," he confided during a presentation of his work at the Mondadori bookstore in Rome. Those two months spent at the Holy See Press Office were a decisive turning point in his life. It was there, in contact with the suffering and sanctity of the Polish pope, that his faith was rekindled.
The death of Karol Wojtyla was one of the most important events of the last two decades and more. His personality dominated the last twenty years of the 20th century, capable of conveying emotions not only within the Catholic world. Images of his suffering, due to a flu that led to an acute laryngeal infection and laryngospasm, contributed to the enormous wave of interest and affection. Hospitalized on February 1, 2005, on the tenth floor of Rome's "Agostino Gemelli" Polyclinic, which he called Vatican III, he went to intensive care, then returned—and it was he who insisted—to his residence in the Vatican. He died on April 2. The funeral took place on April 8. At that time, the Vatican and Rome were even more the Caput Mundi. As happens in such moments, each day tells something special and hides details that are not secondary. Also secrets and mysteries that this book reveals. Starting with the bulletins from the Vatican press room, which announced his death.
A Testimony That Transcends the Personal
Fausta Speranza, a journalist at L’Osservatore Romano who wrote the preface to the book, emphasizes the importance of this account:
"The death of John Paul II touched not only millions of believers individually, but also entire nations and the universal Church. Gabriele has managed to capture this collective dimension."
She adds that, contrary to the modern tendency to reduce faith to a private matter, this work shows how much it can unite peoples.
The author, born in Bologna in 1959, began his radio career at age 18. Since 1998, he has worked for RTL 102.5, where he had the grace of meeting John Paul II. His book, published by Infinito Edizioni, does not merely recount historical facts; it also transmits "a true breath of fresh air," in his own words.
Through these pages, Manzo pays tribute to this pope who, even in his final breaths, knew how to draw souls to God. A lesson for our time: holiness remains the most powerful testimony of all.