Pope John Paul II: A Brief Commentary

18 May 1920-2 April 2005

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon him
May he rest in peace. Amen.

What a week. With His Holiness Pope John Paul II now finally laid to rest--and he truly deserved to rest, after all that he had accomplished, after all the physical suffering he had endured through the years--I strongly felt I couldn't let this extraordinary, memorable week pass by without commenting on it, even briefly.

I may be born during the late Pope Paul VI's pontificate, but I came of age while the former Karol Wojtyla sat on the Throne of Peter. He not only filled the First Apostle's shoes, he wore them brilliantly, and how. There's no doubt he was an intelligent, cultured man: his books gave enough proof of this. And no one could dispute the intensity of his charisma, his impact on the world, and his devotion to his flock: the great flood of people who kept vigil as he was dying, who waited for hours and days just to enter the Basilica and catch a glimpse of his body and pay their respects, and who attended his impressive funeral--it's almost indescribable. Not only that, he was a man who knew how to use his powers, innate and otherwise, at his disposal, and used them very well. For example, ever really noticed how media-savvy he was? No wonder he was called the Communicator, and not just because he was fluent in several languages and adept with the pen.

Truly, the Pope was a very beloved, admired man. And yet, there are some things--or more precisely, some of his beliefs--that I don't exactly admire about him. I may be a Catholic, and I agree with and understand his stand on abortion, but I personally and ultimately don't see anything wrong with using contraceptives, giving priests the option to marry, and allowing women to be ordained to the priesthood. Still, I don't take it against him. I feel I understand why he took a negative position on those issues, and the Pope is not a man who takes a serious stand on an issue on a whim, without study. To do so would be careless, irresponsible.

But one has to give him credit for standing by his principles, even if the rest of the world seem to disagree with him. That, I guess, is the one trait I admire most about him: his integrity. Such a trait is very rare today, and that's one quality his critics cannot deny. His integrity contributed a large part of his charm.

During the awesome funeral service at the Vatican earlier today, there were banners that carried the words "Santo Subito" (Sainthood Immediately). I will not be surprised if the Pope is canonized one day. And when that day comes, I will also not be surprised to hear him being declared "the Great" and a "Doctor of the Church." For all we know, he might even be called the patron saint of media practitioners.

But that's just a prediction. Before April ends, a new pope will be elected. Whether or not he would be a Latin American, an African or even a European (but please, not another Italian), if he is open-minded enough, if he could match just a fraction of Pope John Paul II's achievements and at the same time make his own indelible, positive mark on the papacy, then the Roman Catholic Church would be in good hands.