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Guest Column

Considering the legacy of Pope John Paul II

by Michael M. Bates
Thursday, april 7, 2005

With the Pope's passing last week, there's been enormous media coverage of his papacy and its impact. Pope John Paul II was widely admired as a principled leader, a compassionate teacher and a genuine moral force. Sadly, the reality is that his message has generally been ignored.

I'm not speaking here of the typical adversaries of the Roman Catholic Church and its doctrines. We expect statements such as the one issued by the UK-based Gay and Lesbian Humanist association:

"The Pope's opposition to gay relationships and gay rights has been relentless throughout his 26-year tenure of office, culminating in his book published this year in which same-sex marriage is described as part of an ‘ideology of evil'. His catechism condemns gay relationships as ‘intrinsically disordered' and a ‘grave depravity'. . . No self-respecting, rational-thinking gay person can be expected to mourn the Pope's demise, or be at all optimistic that his successor will take a more sympathetic approach."

The president of a group called Catholics for a Free Choice was quoted by Reuters as saying about John Paul II:

"He will go down in history as a pope who didn't understand and who wasn't friendly to women. He couldn't have slammed the door shut more loudly on the question of the ordination of women. He will go down as a fifth-century pope in terms of who women are."

Some folks will be satisfied with nothing less than the Roman Catholic Church totally setting aside its theological underpinnings and traditions. These people actively agitate for change despite the odds against it.

What is a far graver threat to the well-being of the faith is how Catholic teachings have been disregarded by so many nominal Catholics.

In all the years of his pontificate, by almost every measure the strength and vitality of the Church have diminished. Fewer Catholics go to Mass, fewer people enter religious life, and fewer Catholics adhere to established Church doctrines and teachings.

There are fewer parishes and fewer schools. Pedophile priests abused children and, all too often, got away with it for years. These trends have affected many countries. Certainly the United States is no exception.

The Pope, despite his incredible personal popularity, was unable to revitalize the Church. Here was a holy man of so very many talents and accomplishments. He'll always be recognized for playing a major role in freeing millions from the scourge of Communism.

John Paul II was extraordinarily prolific, turning out more than a dozen encyclicals and hundreds of apostolic letters and speeches. With love and understanding, he touched people of other religions as no other Pope has. He brought a sense of faith and purpose wherever he went.

We can only imagine how badly the Church's strength would have eroded had a man of the late Pope's stature not been in the Vatican since 1978.

as a society, we have increasingly turned away from God. If it feels good, do it. Don't worry about consequences. Morals and values are considered by many to be outdated and gratuitous restrictions on their personal freedom.

Much of our media reflects that notion. In 1997, John Paul II wrote:

"The fact is that it is increasingly difficult to protect one's eyes and ears from images and sounds which arrive through the media unexpectedly and uninvited. It is particularly hard for parents to guard their children from unwholesome messages . . ."

Not just unwholesome messages do we receive, but sometimes antireligious ones. Last week I caught a rerun of a TV program I've seen infrequently, Law and Order. The story involved a kidnapped child. In the first few minutes, the investigator questioned a woman wearing a crucifix. I had no doubt she'd turn out to be the perpetrator, which indeed she was.

How often do we see shows in which priests or nuns or former priests or former nuns or other religious people turn out to be the bad guys in one way or another? Portraying people of faith as criminals, hypocrites and buffoons over and over has an impact.

Mix in our escalating devotion to hedonism and materialism, and a decline in religious commitment is inevitable.

John Paul II did his best and in so doing gained much of the world's respect. His was a courageous, consistent voice on moral issues and he'll be remembered for that. a reinvigorated Church, however, isn't one of his legacies.

That many of us who claim to be Catholic chose not to heed his pronouncements is a reflection on us rather than on him. May this good shepherd rejoice for all eternity in the presence of our God.

(This appears in the april 7, 2005 Oak Lawn (IL) Reporter. Mike Bates is the author of Right angles and Other Obstinate Truths, which is available at Barnesandnoble.com, Booksamillion.com, amazon.com or  iUniverse.com and can be ordered through most bookstores.)



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