Tuesday, April 5, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.
It is difficult to adequately put into words just how much Pope John Paul II meant as the spiritual leader to the globe's 1 billion Catholics and how much he will be missed by other Christians and people of all faiths, including Jews and Muslims. In 1978, when then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland was elected as pope, he ushered in a new era. He had charisma and also was relatively young by papal standards -- 58. John Paul, who was fluent in eight languages, was the first pope in more than 455 years who wasn't Italian. This robust man, who visited more than 120 countries during his papacy, reinvigorated the Catholic Church, especially in Africa and Latin America. During his 26 years as pope, the number of baptized Catholics increased from 750 million to 1 billion, a profound change.
John Paul's insistence on doctrinal discipline within the Catholic Church -- on controversial issues such as birth control -- sometimes was criticized as being out of touch, particularly from some congregants in Europe and the United States. But the fact remains that the Catholic Church continued to grow, including in the United States. In many respects, the pope's unwavering support of traditional teachings and values won him admirers, including from critics, because they saw his unflinching conviction as a source of strength and morality.
It can't be underestimated how his voice transcended Catholicism, either. When he was elected pope, communism still gripped what was then the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, including his native land of Poland. John Paul certainly deserves much credit for communism's downfall, as he openly condemned communism's subversion of human rights, including religious freedom. John Paul also sought to bridge divides between Christianity, Judaism and Islam, becoming the first pope to set foot in a synagogue and a mosque. While John Paul was embraced by social conservatives in the United States, he also was a pope who spoke out against wars that he saw as unjust and who brought attention to poverty. And he set a remarkable example of forgiveness when he visited in prison the man who nearly killed him, Mehmet Ali Agca, and publicly forgave him for his assassination at tempt in 1981.
The word "extraordinary" has been used frequently in the days since John Paul's death to describe his life and his impact on the world. It's not the perfect comparison, but John Paul reminds us in many ways of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., who were much more than religious leaders. John Paul's life of humility and compassion is something that we all need to learn more from, and aspire to, especially in a society where materialism and self-indulgent behavior are pervasive.
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