`` Why he is a Saint : The True story of John Paul II '' also says he slept on a bare floor . Pope used `` a particular pant-belt '' to beat himself , book says . Pope John Paul II used to beat himself with a belt and sleep on a bare floor to bring himself closer to Christ , a book published Wednesday says . John Paul wrote an apostolic letter on suffering in 1984 . He was the first pope to visit North Korea and South Africa.
`` Why he is a Saint : The True story of John Paul II '' also says he slept on a bare floor . Pope used `` a particular pant-belt '' to beat himself , book says . John Paul wrote an apostolic letter on suffering in 1984 . He was the first pope to visit North Korea and South Africa.