EDITORIAL
Extraordinary leader in extraordinary time
Millions of people across the globe and from a variety of faiths are mourning the death of Pope John Paul II as one of the most influential world leaders of this generation. It's a distinction well deserved.
The pope's death marks not only the end of an era in the Roman Catholic Church, but also on the world stage. Rightly so, John Paul's legacy will be judged both by his governance of the church during his 26-year tenure as well as his towering influence on world events, from his contribution to the fall of communism, to his illumination of human rights abuses, to his confrontation with dictatorships.
At once a polarizing figure and a peacemaker, John Paul II was a refreshing and surprising choice when elected to succeed Pope John Paul I on Oct. 16, 1978. He was not only the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, but at age 58 he was the youngest man to head the Roman Catholic Church in 132 years.
To many, John Paul seemed a contradiction: espousing liberal views in combatting war and human rights abuses, yet adhering to a strictly traditionalist and conservative view of church governance. He afforded little room for dissent. And he was both a charismatic leader and teacher.
A church in crisis
John Paul took the helm of a worldwide church just 13 years after the final session of the Second Vatican Council, a watershed event in church history that began the most far-reaching reforms within the church in 1,000 years. Vatican II also created tensions in the church, and by the time John Paul was named pope, it was a church in crisis.
This pope, who emerged from the experience of a persecuted church in communist-led Poland, succeeded remarkably in his vision of the papacy as a force for evangelization — particularly to the youth of the world. His governance of the church and authoritative style drew both praise and criticism.
For those with little knowledge of previous papacies — indeed for a large segment of the population, John Paul has been the only pope to lead the church in their lifetime — it is perhaps difficult to understand how different John Paul's view was of the job.
John Paul approached his papacy with a global focus. He traveled more than any other pope in history, visiting nearly 130 countries, reaching out to the poorest of the poor.
His open-air Masses attracted millions, and he used the pulpit to preach his vision not only of the church but his message of world peace and the need to embrace a culture that unequivocally valued life.
John Paul effectively used his charisma and influence to sway the hearts and minds of world leaders.
His support of the Solidarity movement in Poland is widely perceived to have played a role in the end of communism in Poland and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union. He criticized human rights abuses around the world and strongly opposed war, including the Gulf War and the war in Iraq.
Within the church, he issued 13 encyclicals to the world's Catholics, speaking out against what he considered a loosening of moral structure.
Ties with Israel
Under his leadership, the Vatican opened diplomatic relations with Israel in 1994, and in 2000 he visited Israel. He firmly denounced anti-Semitism as a sin against God and humanity.
But his governance of the church also was marked by discontent, a decline in the numbers of priests and nuns, and a restless laity. And the U.S. church was rocked by the priest sex abuse scandal during his tenure. He ultimately condemned the abuse but faced criticism for not acting sooner.
Many in the church lauded John Paul's unwavering devotion to the conservative positions in the church. To others, his harsh criticisms of the West and his positions on abortion, euthanasia, contraception and the ordination of women, among other issues, were alienating.
Tradition bound
John Paul's deep religious convictions and his personal vision of the church molded a papacy bound by a traditionalist view of the church.
But his papacy also must be remembered for its many milestones: He wrote poetry, meditations and several books; he met with countless world leaders, including Fidel Castro and Mikhail Gorbachev; he survived an assassination attempt and subsequently forgave the man who shot him; and he was the first pope to visit a Jewish synagogue.
He was an extraordinary world leader in an extraordinary time. And he was an icon of hope in a world sorely in need of one.
