Miracles in St. Louis As Pope John Paul II Saves a life!

Pope John Paul II Saves a Life

While Pope John Paul II was in St. Louis from Jan. 26 - 27, 1999 with a giant welcome from St. Louisians, he met with Governor Mel Carnahan. The Pope has actually asked Governor Carnahan to meet him at the Archbishop Justin Rigali's residence to discuss the scheduled execution of Darrell J. Mease.  He asked the governor to commute the death sentence of the inmate who was supposed to have died in late January. The execution was delayed till February for respect of the Pope's visit since he is strongly against death penalty.

In his address to the people at one of the largest worship at the TWA Dome, Pope John Paul II again appealed to people against death penalty. He said, "I appeal to the people to end death penalty which is cruel and unnecessary, even in case a person who has done great evil."

Before noon on Thursday January 28, 1999 --  less than 24 hours after Pope John Paul's plane lifted up from St. Louis airport, Governor Mel Carnahan commuted the death sentence of Darrell J. Mease. His punishment was reduced to life imprisonment in respect for the Pope's request and appeal. The governor said he commuted the death sentence of Darrell J. Mease because he was personally moved by Pope's passionate appeal for mercy.

Pope John Paul II did not only lifted people's hearts and spirit while in St. Louis, he also saved a life of a convicted criminal who could have died from the hand of the state. On hearing the good news the Pope sent a message of appreciation to Governor Carnahan for his consideration of his request for the sake of mercy.

The Second  Miracle

Saving a life was not the only miracle witnessed at the Pope's visit, there was another powerful incident. St. Louis has experience a bad weather of snow storms around December and part of January this year - 1999. However, a group of Pink Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have been praying for good weather while the Pope was visiting St. Louis for months before his arrival. The power of prayer was reinforced when the two days the Pope's visited St. Louis experienced the best weather ever in January. On the first day, the temperature which was usually in sub-zero went up to forties and the second day the temperature went even higher to the fifties -- the weather was dry. On Thursday after the Pope left, the winter weather came back. Seeing such miracles, how then can we question the effectiveness of prayers, or the audacity to question the existence of God?

V. 'Yinka Vidal -- reporting for OUTCRY Magazine from St. Louis Missouri.