Undoubtedly, one of the most loved and highly-revered religious icons of all time in so far as Negrense Catholics are concerned, is the late Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtila to his countrymen especially in his local parish church of Wadowice, Poland where he was born and raised as an ordinary manual worker, factory worker, a student leader, an actor, sportsman, philosopher, poet and prince of the Church.

A lifelong friend and biographer tells of the tragedies that marked the youth of Karol Wojtila. These were, the untimely deaths of his mother, brother and his father - of his clandestine life during the Nazi occupation, of his decision to abandon an acting career for the priesthood, of his role in the fight to preserve religious freedom in a communist state, and of his growth within his own country leading to his election as Pope.

Among the most striking things about him and his pontificate, which many have predicted stretched well into the 21st century was that, he was Polish and he loved people, as much as he loved the world, and yes, the earth, the environment.

Known during his papacy as "the kissing Pope," he made it a matter of commitment and gesture of love and concern for his surroundings by getting down his feet and prayerfully kissing the soil of every place he visited for the first time.

Such gesture could only elicit sympathy and respect for the late Pontiff in his deep concern for people’s welfare and preservation of the environment and the world.

A very touching gesture by a man of the cloth and servant of the Lord. We may not see the likes of him in the next ten or fifty years. Only time will tell.

Being the only Roman Pontiff to have so far stepped on Philippine soil and specifically of our own city and province, we cannot but feel elated and nostalgic by the rare gesture of giving lasting tribute to the Holy Father who travelled far and wide all over the world to reach out and touch the hearts and minds of peoples in the universe, both Christians and Non-Christians alike.

Today as we give lasting tribute to the late Pope John Paul II with the blessing, inauguration and turnover of the religious landmark as a memorial during that historic pastoral visit to our city and province on February 20, 1981, we also pay our fitting tribute and the sincere appreciation of our people for all the efforts, sacrifices and determination of generous and civic-spirited leaders, notably the biggest donor of the eight-storey memorial tower, Atty. Simplicio "Sammy" Palanca, president of the Bacolod Real Estate Dervelopment Corporation (BREDCO), the Diocese of Bacolod headed by Bishop Vicente M. Navarra, D.D. who made possible the construction of this P15-M memorial tower in honor of the late Pontiff, whose memory will always linger in the hearts and minds of all our faithfuls in this part of the world.

Of course, to all the working committee members who, in one way or the other, have joined hands to help realize this noble undertaking. Words are not enough to say Thank You to them, especially Fr. Felix Pasquin, rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral who, with his hard-working staff, left no stone unturned to make the project a pleasant reality. The Lord will reward them in His own sweet time.*