Today is the third anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II; and his successor, Benedict XVI, marked the occasion with appropriate solemnity. John Paul the Great had a keen appreciation for the Fathers, which informed many documents of his pontificate. Unfortunately, only a few of his patristic-themed works have been translated into English. Here’s hoping that some enterprising patrologist will take up the task, or at least study them for a doctoral dissertation. Some samples from John Paul’s apostolic letters: