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April 1, 2005
Pope John Paul II - an Appreciation
He is perhaps the last of the giants of the twentieth century. His was an era of greatness, or at least of men and women who achieved great things. With his passing, which appears imminent, we will have lost someone who helped make the world a better place.
Who can not fail but to remember as he took the world by storm twenty-six years ago? We were shocked by the untimely death of his predicessor. When it was announced that Karol Wojtyla, a Pole, would be the next Pope... well, the audacity, the courage, of the Catholics to so directly challenge the Soviets took one's breath away.
Along with Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and to a lesser extent Helmut Kohl, he defined an era. We in the United States were coming out of the tragedy of Vietnam and the scandal of Watergate. Carter's "malaise" seemed in full swing. The Soviets were advancing around the globe. Moreover, spirituality was at a low, the radicalism of the '60s having taken their toll. The world was ready for a breath of fresh air.
John Paul II quickly set a new tone. He immediately set out to directly minister to his flock, traveling thousands of miles all over the globe. His message was that he so truely cared about people and their spiritual health. And the people reciprocated, coming to his appearances in droves. He took the world by storm in a manner that even the most popular rock stars could not hope to duplicate.
For several years now we've seen him old and frail, and one's memory stretches to recall how dynamic, how full of energy he was in those early days. He used to go skiing. He made it cool to be Catholic.
Even though I was and am not a Roman Catholic, and even though at the time I did not really know God, I could not help but to be impressed. His message rang true with anyone who was not totally lost.
Stalin once sneered "and how many divisions does the Pope have?" Tyrannies with huge armies and secret police will have their moments on earth. They will wreck their havoc, sometimes far and wide. But in the end it is moral authority that wins men's hearts. And no tyranny, no matter how many divisions it's generals command, could stand up to the moral authority of Pope John Paul II.
Between him, Reagan, Thatcher, and Kohl, they brought down the mightiest empire on earth. It was an age of giants, and we are forever in their debt.
If there were any failings in his papacy, it was that he did not adequately address the sex scandals that have plagued the church in the United States. Biographers will have to grapple with this and admonish him as they will. It would take a small mind indeed, however, to condemn him over this one issue. All great people have their moments when they fall down, and in this John Paul is no different. He is, after all, only human.
I mourn his his passing, as it appears imminent, but I celebrate his life.
Posted by Tom at April 1, 2005 10:00 PM
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