I was always impressed with Pope John Paul II. I respected him for his courage in the face of adversity (e.g., the attempt on his life), for his compassion for others, his dedication to his calling, and especially for his positions on morality and other pressing issues of our world. With the world sinking ever deeper into carnality and moral abandon, the Pope was one of the few clear voices calling for morality and restraint. I wish more people, both Catholic and non-Catholic, would listen to his pleas for morality. (And to the pleas of other moral leaders, including our own Gordon B. Hinckley.)
I was in Mexico when the Pope died. The nation is in deep mourning for a dear friend of their country, a friend who visited them five times and gave special attention to their land and people. His respect for Mexico was obvious and great, and, as one newspaper said, truly “opened the heart” of Mexico’s people to him. He was a Pope who reached out to all the world and cared for the peoples of this planet.
If you have any doubts about the goodness of Pope John Paul II, one possible way to verify it is to observe that he was strongly disliked by the New York Times. That may just be prima facie evidence, in my opinion (blogger bias alert!). Look at the original article the Times Website ran on the Pope, as captured and discussed on PowerLine. The Times couldn’t find anyone with something positive to say about the Pope, though they inadvertently let the world know that they had made a failed last-minute effort to find something positive.
My heart goes out to Roman Catholics for the loss of their beloved and truly lovable leader. May the next Pope continue in the humble and steady footsteps of John Paul II.
One of the last courageous acts of Pope John Paul II was to stand up for Terry Schiavo’s right to live. He was criticized by many for that, but his commitment to the sanctity of life moved him to speak out. Though the woman was mentally incapacitated, she was not on artificial life support as we generally understand the term, she was not terminally ill, she was not comatose. She was a human being and should he given the right to live, not sacriced for our convenience.
Thank you for your courage and commitment to life, Pope John Paul II.
There are few men that will leave as large of a legacy as the former Pope, my condolences go out to those who know, honor, and loved the man. I can only wonder what his experience has been, having now passed on to the other side knowing the things that I know and believe as LDS. I hope that his reward is great, and am happy for him to have completed a great work in his lifetime.
The image I will always remember of JP2 was his visit to prison in order to meet, talk with, and forgive the man who attempted to asassinate him. I also remember his first years in office when he traveled to Central American and confronted priests… many of whom were Jesuits… for their political activism. When he said NO he meant it!
His strength, his compassion, his unfailing dedication to the Gospel are all qualities that will leave us looking for a very long time. He truly was one in a generation.