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March 03, 2005
Urbi et Orbi - a Papal crisis?
The present Pope is a very tired and very sick man. Pope John Paul II has been a remarkable Pope, one who will stand out in the pages of History alongside Gregory the Great and several others who have led, managed, and guided the Church in dangerous and difficult times. It is very sad to see this man, once possessed of a fine mind and a keen sense of humour reduced to a twitching, hunched, and frail old man who seems almost bewildered by his office and his duties. Like many, I will be praying for his release from this life in peace to the
tranquility of the life hereafter and the reward he will undoubtedly receive from our Father in heaven.
Pope John Paul II has led the Roman Catholic Church, still the largest single group of Christians, through the turbulence of a very difficult period in its history. He has been, like Peter, a rock, a firm foundation for the faithful, and it has taken its toll. He stood against the evil of the Communist philosophy in Eastern Europe and saw it crumble, he stood for Christian dialogue and has seen it grow, he initiated dialogue with other faiths and has seen these take the first sensitive and tentative steps toward establishing at least some understanding of each others' faith. For many Christians, even those not of his Church, he has been an inspiration, a truly remarkable man.
Of course, he has not met with everyone's approval; the "Reverend" Ian Paisley still regards him as the Anti-Christ ( as many others regard Mr Paisley!), and many in his own Church think he has not gone far enough or done enough to address some of the issues they wish to see changed. Married Priests, women priests, and other sociological "issues" wait to be addressed, and John Paul has not been open to discussing some of them, but against that must be seen the fact that this Pope inherited the Triple Crown of a Church under attack by politicians everywhere, a Church which needed to open up debates on a very wide range of doctrines, policies, and issues of faith while confronting one of the most evil political regimes and philosophies. He has done a great deal of that; he had to prioritise the tasks and deploy his shrinking resources to meet the most pressing. He had the courage to confront the issues, and he has led the Church by personal example. His successor will face a double challenge - to follow this toering man of God and to address the remaining issues.
I have no doubt at all that when John Paul is finally called to his rest, the Church he leaves will be a much sounder and better church than the one he was elected to lead. I have equally no doubt at all that his legacy will enable his successor to continue to bring the Church into the full flowering of the Gospel in partnership with all other Christian Churches.
Pray for Pope John Paul that he may have fulfilment and peace and that his successor may be able to follow boldly where this giant of a man has led in the service of Christ.
Amen
Posted by The Gray Monk at March 3, 2005 09:03 AM
Comments
Pope John Paul II is indeed a remarkable man and he has surely been an inspiration and comfort to many people especially in the eastern countries. I also marvel at the way he gets along with young people all over the world. I am not so sure, however, about his 'standing for Christian dialogue'. After all, it was he who forbade Catholics to share Holy Communion with Protestants.
Posted by: The Scarlet Manuka at March 3, 2005 08:05 PM
About the above comment posted by The Scarlet Manuka, I would like to say (as a Catholic), that I think it is usual for commentators (and indeed some Catholics) to look at issues and criticise the Catholic stance, which can appear extreme, but I think they don't take into account that Personal Salvation must be the primiary consideration the Catholic Church should take in considering any issue. Accordingly (and I'm not wishing to offend or insult anyone here, I'm just writing from a point of view of doctrine) if the Pope/Catholic Church perceives a danger to that Salvation from a course of action, then they must forbid it. I'm not saying that sharing Holy Communion would endanger Personal Salvation of every individual, or that Protestants will not have Personal Salvation, but the whole issue is a complicated matter especially as Catholics and Protestants believe different things about the nature of Holy Communion, (and I think I've reached the limit of my theology) in issuing the rules, I think the Pope is right to be cautious. What would be nice from the Catholic Church would perhaps be some clearer expalnations of doctrine, and from the media, when commenting on matters of Catholic doctrine in gerneral, an acknowledgement of the consideration of Personal Salvation.
Posted by: frank at March 4, 2005 10:39 AM