Legacy of Pope John Paul II

Legacy of Pope John Paul II Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing Apr 2: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANY of us will remember that when Pope John Paul II was elected Pope in 1978, it was a surprise to everyone for two reasons. First, he was not a "papabile" — a candidate for the papal post. Second, everyone at that time was waiting for an Italian Pope and he was Polish. He was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, and has held the position for 26 years, which makes him the third-longest reigning Pope. It is my contention that Pope John Paul II will enter history not only as one of the greatest Popes in the history of Catholicism, but also as one of the great leaders of the world. Below are the reasons for my statement: He is the most travelled Pope, covering almost 1.2 million km in his 94 pastoral visits outside of Italy and in his 137 visits in Italy. He has travelled to 126 countries and held dialogues with 846 heads of state or government. He has also beatified over 1,000 holy persons and canonised 482 persons as saints. Jokingly, some had commented that Pope John Paul II is a factory for making saints. Pope, the man of courage. Many Catholics will surely remember and will be grateful to him for this. Well-versed in different fields of knowledge, he is especially a philosopher and a linguist, speaking 10 languages. In his pontificate, he has produced 14 encyclicals — authoritative papal teachings — and spoken on various subjects, ranging from priesthood to motherhood. Producing 14 major encyclicals during his 26 years as Pope is a feat. Besides, the apostolic exhortations, he has produced 10 apostolic constitutions and 37 apostolic letters. These encyclicals chart out paths for the development of theological reflection which have been and will be taken up by theologians and other Catholic and Christian thinkers. Although he champions women’s rights and their "equal dignity" with men, he refused to confuse their different roles. In his defence of women’s rights, he has appointed, for the first time, two women theologians to the famous International Theological Commission, and made Mary Ann Glendon, a law professor in Harvard University, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Although women may think that this is not enough, which I would tend to agree, these steps taken by the Pope are bold and very significant, especially taking into account the conservative trends in the present Vatican administration. Hopefully, this augurs well for the promotion of women in the church hierarchy. However, the Pope has ruled out the ordination of women to the priesthood. As many know, the present Catholic Church is what it is because of Vatican Council II (1963-1965). It opened the windows of the church to the modern world. Many good things have come out of this openness and many bad things also have followed in its wake. This Pope has fearlessly confronted both the good and the bad in the post-Vatican Council II period. One of the good things that came out of it is the call for dialogue with Christians of other denominations and with people of other faiths. Pope John Paul II has done a great deal to reach out to Christians of other denominations and to people of other faiths. A "Pontifical Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue" was set up. At his personal invitation, Pope John Paul II gathered religious leaders of the various faiths including Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Shintoists, leaders of African religions and leaders of the Protestant churches, in 1986 in Assisi, Italy, to pray for peace. This has become a symbol and sign of hope that people of the various beliefs can come together to pray and work for peace. Pope John Paul II has constantly emphasised that dialogue is the only means for mutual understanding, justice and peace. Prejudice, ignorance of each other’s faith, confrontational stands and violence cannot resolve problems. Since the gathering in Assisi, there have been many other such inter-religious gatherings for dialogue, prayer and collaboration in various places. He has met with the Dalai Lama several times and leaders of various religions. In 1984, he visited the supreme Buddhist patriarch, Vasana Tara, in Thailand. He is the first Pope to have entered a mosque when he visited Damascus, Syria, in 2001 and has spoken to Muslim groups to dispel wrong perceptions. His first trip abroad in 1990 was to Turkey, a Muslim country. He also visited a synagogue in 1998 and apologised for Christian failure to oppose the persecution of Jews. Later, he publicly apologised for the faults of the church in the past. His lifestyle, his outreach to people of other faiths and his writings on these matters have inspired Catholics, and I believe people of other faiths also throughout the world, to promote dialogues with people who profess different beliefs. Of all the contributions of Pope John Paul II, I personally believe that he has made the greatest impact on promoting understanding between people who hold different beliefs. As a leader, he has stood out as a person who has upheld justice and peace, and a leader of moral realm. Lech Walesa, the founder of Solidarity in Poland, had said: "Fifty per cent of the collapse of communism is his (Pope John Paul’s) doing." He spoke out again and again of the right of the Palestinians to have their own sovereign state. He condemned, what he called, the culture of death — the contraceptive mentality, abortion, euthanasia, violence, terrorism and others. He has also censured injustice of all kinds and discrimination, especially against women and children. The Pope has also championed the rights of the minorities that they have a right to their culture and beliefs. In all matters, be it religious, moral or political, the Pope has not flinched from speaking the truth. Acknowledging what is right, true and good, he has encouraged people to continue in their efforts. However, he has also reproached those who have gone wrong. Pope John Paul II is a man of tremendous courage. I am sure a good number of people will agree with me that in spite of human faults and weaknesses, he will go down in history as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. The writer is head of the Catholic diocese of Johor and Malacca.