The Philosopher-Pope: His love for life made him an unflinching upholder of Catholic teaching.

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal ^ | April 9, 2003 | Paul Johnson

[quidnunc]

London – The death of John Paul II removes from the world a great force for order and rectitude. He was often presented as a conservative, especially by liberal critics within the church. But this was a misreading of his character and indeed of his record. This great pontiff was essentially a defender, promoter, protector and enhancer of life: life in all its forms, as God created them, but especially human life.

He sought to limit, almost to vanishing point, the occasions on which the state, let alone individuals, might legitimately extinguish or frustrate life. He had spent his manhood largely under the tyranny of the two vilest anti-life systems the world had ever seen: Nazism and Communism, together responsible for the unnatural deaths of over 120 million people in Europe and Asia. He had seen at close quarters the appalling consequences which inexorably follow when authority is directed by philosophy contemptuous of life.

John Paul was a philosopher by inclinations and training, and his philosophy was infused by reverence and respect for human life in all its multitudinous epiphanies. Humans, albeit fallible and often foolish, were made in God's image, and to take a life, without the strongest possible justification, was an assault on God.

The pope's love of humanity was expressed in many ways: by his constant travels to every corner of the world, so that he saw more of his billion-strong global flock than all his 263 predecessors put together, and was himself seen in the flesh by more people than anyone else in history. A formidable linguist, he took the trouble to learn a few phrases in nearly 100 different tongues so that he could communicate directly with the people who came to see him in St. Peter's Square from all over the world.

-snip-

[goldstategop]

Paul Johnson is an English Catholic. His admiration for the Holy Father's legacy shines in this wonderful economium. He was always a principled defender of human dignity, freedom and the fundamental right of all on which these inhere in Man - the right to Life. Its only now that Pope John Paul II is departed from us, we can all see the good he did. It would be a manifest error to insist his beliefs are a matter of provincial Catholicism. They belong to the human family and he would have wanted no less. All good people, Christian or not, must always aspire to be worthy of God's grace.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Ciexyz]

I've always had the greatest respect for John Paul II. He was "most cool".

[Malesherbes]

In 1920 the Polish army under Jozef Pilsudski defeated the Soviet Army at the gates of Warsaw. Had the Poles lost, the Soviets would probably have achieved their aim of overrunning western Europe (i.e. prostrate Germany and France.) The Poles called this victory "The Miracle on the Vistula."

In that same year to the south near Krakow, the future Pope was born. Poland, regularly betrayed or ignored by the western Europeans, has always been a stubborn bastion of freedom and Christianity. That Poland gave us this great man seems so right and appropriate - even inevitable.

[D-fendr]

In case you missed this one, I think you would like to read it: 'We Want God'