Burnt Orange Report

Pope John Paul II Dies at 84

By Andrea Meyer

Well, it's official. The Pope has passed. Karol Jozef "Lolek" Wojtya has been an enigma as pope--contradictory, a man of changing views, but nonetheless a strong religious leader. For his unwavering faith, for the life he has lived, for the questions he has raised, I admire him.

I want to pick up with what Katie wrote the other day. I was raised Roman Catholic, and have spent just about my whole life with this pope. Before I begin, this is a rare topic for me to discuss--religion. I may discuss a couple of my beliefs, which I try never to do on a public forum. But I believe that an event of this magnitude warrants a break and discussion.

Although I have had my disagreements with the Catholic Church and this Pope, I admired this man, despite my misgivings on the social issues. He was an intellectual and was guided by unwavering faith and sincerity. His stances were taken because of personal conviction and a deep belief in what he believed was right, rather than political demagoguery and personal gain. I have often said that the Church needs to take the great leap put of the Middle Ages, and I believe this pope set that in motion. Hopefully, his successor will pick up where Pope John Paul II left off.

Pope John Paul II's passing is not merely the death of a pope. It is the end of an era of change and a search for truth. He was a truly unique leader in how he led our church. In this extended entry, I'll quote sources regarding this "Millenial Pope" who embraced our modern times and technology to reach out to people around the world and of other faiths. I can only write so much--I encourage all of you to read about Karol Wojtyla's Poland, because that is really the only way to understand the man himself.

Here is an excellent link, from which I have quoted.

What has made this Pope in particular so extraordinary? Perhaps a summary from Frontline will help put in perspective the enigma that was Pope John Paul II:

On the surface, John Paul II's faith seems contradictory:

He is a man of fierce Catholic emotion and sensibility: passionately devoted to the Virgin Mary and the saints, attentive to--and accepting of --the miraculous and the inexplicable. At the same time, he is a professional modern philosopher, defending the capacity of the human intelligence and profoundly respectful of the scientific quest for truth.
He believes in absolute truth and absolute moral values, and yet he has devoted his entire efforts as a moral philosopher to the modern notions of experience and subjectivity.

He passionately defends the rights of the individual and just as passionately defends ancient dogmas that seem to restrict that freedom.

His birthday should have been a sign--May 18th, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland-- a day called The Polish Miracle, a day of Polish military victory, which briefly restored Poland's independence. A bit of irony, as the Pope would eventually speak out against war.

His notable relationship with the Jewish community is complicated, and worth writing about. Growing up, his best friend was Jewish. He never exhibited anti-Semitic behavior, although his hometown did have some feelings to that regard prior to the Nazi invasion. He witnessed the murders of Jews in public, and noticed the deafening silence of the Catholic Church. He helped Jews as an individual, but was not part of any underground movement. He was present at the Vatican II Council, and was the voice of reason in that debate--that Jews did not kill Christ, therefore the church should try to repair the relationship between the two religions. His own feelings were projected outside of Poland until he was Pope--perhaps his fear of retribution led to silence, as anti-Semitism was alive and well in Poland for decades following the war.

He was the first pope to visit a mosque and synagogue. He was politically involved, and supported the workers on strike in Gdansk in 1980. His opposition to Poland's martial law was made clear via radio broadcast in 1981. He played a strong role in ending the cold war. Although he championed free speech and church political activism in Poland, he was tough on those members of the Church in Latin America who took part in politics. However, he later brokered peace in Latin America, and helped destroy right-wing dictatorships.Here is a link regarding Latin America.

His views changed constantly, however, as his trip to Cuba would prove. A strident anti-Communist, he praised Cubans for retaining their faith, yet had kind words for some tenets of Socialism. He spoke out against the death penalty and the War in Iraq, but is against abortion and women in the priesthood. While embracing politics championed by liberals, he also has a conservative outlook on gender politics.

In short, although the Pope had his shortcomings, in my opinion (regarding his views on choice, birth control and condom use, women's issues, and the virtual silence from the Vatican regarding the child molestation scandal in the U.S.), he raised questions and issues that warrant further discussion as the Church evolves. He used mass media tools to reach out to the masses, and had a profound respect for science. This pope was a complicated man, and although I wish I could touch upon every aspect of his life and times, that is impossible at the moment. He was a modern pope, as far as the Church is concerned, yet held tightly onto old beliefs and dogma. So, I will leave as I began, with a quote from Frontline:

If the contradictions in his life and faith are due to something that he has failed to grasp, Pope John Paul II has been a tragic figure indeed. But if they are due to something we fail to grasp, then the inability to understand him has been our tragedy.