| Re: Pope John Paul II Passes Away [Updated] | Jayhawk |
| I'm thankful that everyone replying here seems to understand what Pope John Paul II believed in and what he did.
It's really amazing the amount of respect he got. I lived in Saint Louis in 1999 when the Pope visited. Many times, various presidents have visited. I don't remember any time that a president got the respect that this Pope did. I recall just about every TV station interrupting the usual programming to show Shepherd One landing at Lambert Field. After that, over 20,000 young people packed Savvis Center to listen to his message. The next morning, he presided over a mass at the Edward Jones Dome at which over 100,000 people attended. The Pope then led a prayer service, which a Jewish rabbi also participated in (a historic event), at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. After this, TV cameras followed the Pope on his trip back to Lambert Field and watched as Shepherd One departed for Vatican City. All of these events were covered on live TV, and many were covered by all of the local channels. I can't think of any time that any person has received this kind of attention for visiting the city.
For those who don't know, in addition to being a religious leader, the Pope is also a head of state. The United States actually has diplomatic ties with the Vatican, which Pope John Paul II restored. In addition, this Pope restored diplomatic ties with Great Britain and established diplomacy with Israel. Also, Pope John Paul II established relations with many religions, even those not considered Christian. The Pope apologized for many mistakes of the Catholic Church in the past. Pope John Paul II traveled to more nations than any other pope and reached out to many diverse groups of people.
Many people portray Pope John Paul II as a divisive person for his refusal to compromise on many issues. In an era when politicans are willing to compromise their core beliefs in search of money and power, it is refreshing to encounter a world leader who rejects these and sticks to his beliefs. How many of us would like this quality in a politician? I expect most of us would. Pope John Paul II wasn't concerned with public opinion, power, or wealth and did not compromise his conservative beliefs. Many criticize him for this, but I greatly respect him for it. In light of his efforts to restore diplomacy, apologize to other religions, and reach out to people in all parts of the world, it's hard to view Pope John Paul II as a divisive person.
In addition, the Pope criticized leaders for unnecessarily using military force. He criticized many wars, including the recent invasion of Iraq. The Pope was actively involved in averting war with Iraq in 1998 and sent envoys to Iraq to attempt to prevent the invasion. Pope John Paul II worked to encourage diplomacy and peace as a means of solving disputes instead of fighting on the battlefield. He promoted human rights and human dignity for all people. The Pope supported life in all cases by opposing genocide, war, unjust use of the death penalty, abortion, and euthanasia. He became a symbol for overthrowing the communist powers from Eastern Europe. Pope John Paul II encouraged the people of Poland to "be not afraid" and to stand up for human rights, human dignity, and freedom against the communist leaders. The people of Eastern Europe took power from the communist regimes that dominated the time in a series of mostly peaceful revolutions. Many people believe that without the efforts of Pope John Paul II that the end to communism would have been a much greater struggle and would've resulted in much more suffering.
It's hard to think of any world leader that has done as much to promote peace and human rights as Pope John Paul II has. I sincerely hope this is how people will remember this Pope. |
| 3 Apr 2005, 15:46 GMT |
