POPE JOHN PAUL II Autographed 8" x 12" Photo Certified Authentic by GAI & Popes Secretary Start Price USD 3,850.00 Current Price USD 3,850.00 Time Left 12 days 13 hours 52 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, September 24, 2008 End Time Thursday, January 22, 2009 Location Overland Park, KS See more about 'POPE JOHN PAUL II Autographed 8" x 12" Photo' Description DESCRIPTION:  Original 12" x 8"  photo of Pope John Paul II  authentically signed in Latin  - "Joannes Paulus II" - by the late Holy Father. This   fine art photo (from the original negative) was shot by Official Vatican photographer, Arturo Mari.  It depicts the Pope lovingly embracing a young child.  His devotion to children was a hallmark of his papacy.  The Pope's signature was obtained directly from a member  of Pope John Paul II's Vatican City staff whose reputation is beyond reproach.  The Pope boldly penned his autograph in black marker. AUTHENTICITY: The autographed page contains a raised Vatican seal applied by the Pope's private secretary, which was only affixed to documents and photographs authentically signed by the Pope.  The embossed seal, visible from the scan, reads - "Segreteria Particolare di Sua Santita."  In addition, the autograph is accompanied by a  Certificate  of Authenticity from GAI (Global Authentication, Inc), one of eBay's approved autograph authenticators.    They assigned certification #GV 350108  to the autograph, and also affixed the back of the photo with a sticker containing the cert #. BACKGROUND OF THE SELLER: I have been fortunate to have cultivated close personal and professional relationships with important members of the Holy See.  These contacts not only have been a source of amazing memorabilia from the papacy's of John Paul II and Benedict XVI - but also have enriched me with the intimate knowledge of papal autographs and signing practices.  I have worked closely with trustees of the John Paul II Cultural Center and most recently helped sponsor a private reception, lunch, and dinner in Washington, DC   for Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former personal secretary to Pope John Paul II.  At these events,  I had an opportunity to obtain first hand knowledge from several former members of John Paul II's staff  (as well as some of his closest friends) regarding his signing habits and autograph style.  I had a chance - for the second time - to closely examine the numerous autographed photos of John Paul II on display at the Cultural Center.  There is no question that the signatures are consistent with the one on this photo and all the other memorabilia from John Paul II I have available for sale. DISPELLING MYTHS:  There are  misconceptions  held by some experts in the autograph community that lead them to cast doubt on the authenticity of Pope John Paul II signatures that date to the last 5 years or so of his life.   These  apparent misconceptions are summarized below: John Paul's Parkinson's Rendered Him Incapable of a Steady Signature - There is no doubt that the Pope suffered from Parkinson's which he was first diagnosed with in 1993.  Its effects progressively ravaged him over the years.  It did cause a noticeable trembling of his hand, which steadily worsened until his passing.  Importantly, his disease affected primarily  his left and not his right hand, which was the one he used for writing.  Any one who met the Pope in person in the 2000's or viewed him on television would confirm that his left hand at times would tremble markedly - but that his right hand was relatively steady and free from tremor.   Parkinson's  therefore did not affect the Pope's ability to sign with his right hand. John Paul II Was Too Feeble  or Too Preoccupied to Sign During the Last Year of His Life - Stanislaw Dziwisz's remarkable book , A Life with Karol,  poignantly discusses John Paul II's decision to suffer the ravages of old age and Parkinson's in a very public manner.  The book also clearly points out that the Holy Father, despite enormous pain, continued to conduct his routines and activities (to the extent he could) as he always did.  In this regard, he continued his daily routines,  even mundane ones, until he breathed his last breath.  According to an American  Monsignor of Polish decent who befriended John Paul for more than 20 years and who has the largest private collection of John Paul letters, manuscripts, memorabilia, and garments in the world, Pope John Paul continued to sign his autograph up until 5 days before his passing.  This Monsignor, who donated many of the treasures on exhibit at the John Paul II Cultural Center in DC (including  Pope's skis, gifts from dignitaries, garments, altar vessels, and several signed photos and letters), reaffirmed my understanding that Pope John Paul II was  relatively prolific in his signing of autographs - up to the very end. The Presence of the Secretary's Seal Raises Doubts -  There seems  to be  a sort of conspiracy theory that a forger somehow obtained an embossing stamp to create seals identical to  the ones that appear on this book and other photos signed by John Paul II.  This speculation cannot be substantiated.  First of all, the provenance for  this photo  and for other autographs accompanied by the Papal seal nullify any argument that the autograph was forged - and therefore the seal was also.  Equally important, the Monsignor mentioned above confirmed that the established practice in the last 3-4 years of John Paul II's papacy was to use to seal to attest to  an autograph's authenticity.  The veracity of this statement is iron clad.OTHER PAPAL AUTOGRAPHS:  Please check out my eBay store for four other rare photographs signed by Pope John Paul II as well as a rare autographed book. Place a Bid!