Iowans are praying for the Pope, as reporters in Italy say John Paul the Second hovers near death with heart failure, a massive infection and a host of complications caused by his Parkinson’s disease. The pope visited Iowa in 1979, a year after his accession to the post, and reporters got color commentary then from a local priest, Father John Ludwig. He says some Catholics have been saying special prayers. This pope’s served such a long time, he says others are saying it’s time for a well-deserved rest and they’re praying that the end comes peacefully. Many churches this weekend will be praying for the Holy Father. Father Ludwig serves the parish at St. John the Apostle church in Cumming, and says he didn’t meet the pope in person till he traveled to Italy almost a decade later. A classmate of Ludwig’s who was working in Rome at the time got him an invitation to celebrate morning mass with the Pope. They attended in the private chapel where we’ve all seen the Pope looking out a window watching events like the Way of the Cross. After the mass that morning, they waited in a reception area and the Pope came around and shook hands. Father Ludwig says many people don’t know what to think about the prospect of the death of the highest leader of the Catholic church. It’s been so long since a papal election, it’s really extraordinary, he says. Pope Paul the 6th held the office for about fifteen years, his predecessor only about five years, and a papacy of over 26 years like this is historically very rare. Now it’s been so long, he notes that a lot of people today who are 30 or younger really haven’t known any other Pope. He says interestingly enough, this pope’s outlived many of those who were considered likely to succeed him. The Pope was born Karol Joseph Wojtyla in Poland on May 18, 1920. When Pope John Paul the second was elected, he was the first non-Italian candidate chosen in almost 400 years, but he’s held the position so long now and the “short-list” of finalists is such that it would be rather a surprise if an Italian were elected.