April 11, 2005
Santo Subito
Even as a Jew, I deeply admired Pope John Paul II, feeling that his humanity, charisma and courage more than overshadowed his conservative (actually, reactionary) views on issues like opposing condoms for AIDS prevention. This is a man who helped topple Communism in his native Poland (born Karol Jozef Wojtyla and a priest there for decades) by suporting Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement and helped the Roman Catholic Church, for the first time, apologize for its silent acquiesence during Hitler's Holocaust of World War II.
Now that he has passed away, an old, stooped and silent man, the cry in St. Peter's square is "sainthood now" (Santo Subito in Italian). John Paul II on Fast Track for Canonization? [Catholic World News]. Whether he's got enough living and posthumous "miracles" for beautification is questionable, as is the whole idea of religious miracles, but the man was indeed a saint. The conclave should make him one officially.
Posted by glenn
Too bad this good man did not step down at least ten years ago. Here in Massachusetts - and across the country - we are sensitive to the enormous harm done to the church by the rampant pedophiliac behavior of so very many priets. It is clear to me that for whatever reason, age, Parkinson's and its concomitent brain and physical rigidity, whatever, he was unable to grasp the enormity of what was going on, and his protecting Bernard Law is really an insult to all the victims of that aberrant and criminal behavior. It is equally distressing that, from what I have read, this whole episode does not appear to resonate very loudly across the whole Catholic Church. It is sad, and perhaps there is a lesson in here somewhere for us all. Best wishes, Erstwhile Relative
Posted by: irene at April 15, 2005 11:38 AM
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