Stanislaw Dziwisz, Cardinal of Cracow and John Paul II’s secretary
until his death in April 2005, said Pope Wojtyla decided not to step
down from the Throne of Peter even as he neared the end of his life
because “he was convinced that one doesn’t come down from the cross.”
Apparently John Paul II even consulted the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was a close collaborator of his, about his decision to continue as leader of the Catholic Church despite his illness.