Weigel on John Paul II

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ^ | 6/7/03 | Tom Heinen

[ninenot]

Biographer lays out admiration of pope

John Paul shaping life in 21st century, audience in Milwaukee hears

By TOM HEINEN

theinen@journalsentinel.com

Last Updated: June 6, 2003

Suggesting that Pope John Paul II has had the most consequential pontificate since the Reformation in the 1500s, biographer George Weigel told an enthusiastic crowd of Catholics in Milwaukee this week that the pope's historic accomplishments are shaping life in the 21st century.

Weigel, author of "Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II," is a theologian, Catholic newspaper columnist and senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

He spoke Monday at the Cousins Center in St. Francis as part of the Pallium Lecture Series that is being held before Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan goes to Rome later this month to receive his pallium, a woolen stole blessed by the pope.

Weigel began with the unusual recommendation that the pope made when he was Auxiliary Bishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland. Bishops were asked to suggest agendas for the Second Vatican Council. Wojtyla did a philosophical essay that asked why the 20th century, which began with extraordinarily high hopes, produced within five decades two world wars, three totalitarian systems, oceans of blood, mountains of corpses and the greatest persecution of the church in history.

Wojtyla's answer was that Western civilization's concept of the human person had reduced people to objects for manipulation. He suggested that the council come to the rescue by reproposing a Christian humanism that, in Weigel's words, "restored the idea of the human person in all its glory and possibility as created by God, redeemed by Christ and sanctified in the Spirit."

That and the Christian humanism of Vatican II guided the pope in 10 historic accomplishments, Weigel said:

Returning the papacy to the evangelical roots of Peter as a pastor and evangelist.

Securing Vatican II's legacy as an epic spiritual event that came to grips with the modern world. A teaching the pope cites: self-giving love, not self-assertion, gives life meaning and brings human freedom to fulfillment.

Courageously speaking truth, which inspired a revolution of conscience that led to European communism's collapse.

He showed that history is driven by culture, which includes religion, and that democracies must be built upon a vibrant, moral culture.

Three other accomplishments: unprecedented initiatives seeking Christian unity, a new Catholic-Jewish relationship and dialogue with other world religions.

Redefining broader, interreligious life by respecting other religions as having truths that are related to the one "truth" . . . God.

Laying out a theology of the human body in "129 general audience addresses between 1979 and 1984 . . . in my view the most creative Christian response to the sexual revolution . . . in our time," Weigel said.

Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Changing the course of history with exhortations to live without fear - "Be not afraid" - which inspired hundreds of millions of lives.

[ninenot]

Nice summary--too bad it had to be so brief.

[ninenot]

Ping

[Salvation]

**that democracies must be built upon a vibrant, moral culture.**

This would seem to say that the United States is headed down the drain unless we change our ways.

[NYer]

This would seem to say that the United States is headed down the drain unless we change our ways.

This is true for many countries, not just ours. It is a malady of 'the times' in which we live. Life is moving at an accelerated pace and technology, has taken us into unchartered territories, some of which is very dark.

[JNB]

Here is a little snippet from Winston Churchills "Finest Hour" speech.

"But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age, made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science."


People need to read this over and over again and figure out where todays society really stands.

[Salvation]

**Suggesting that Pope John Paul II has had the most consequential pontificate since the Reformation in the 1500s**

I do think this is true. I know many people who believe the same. On the other hand, there are many who believe just the opposite -- and we have a few here of FR LOL!

Time will tell, and somehow I think John Paul II will come out the way Weigel has mentioned.

[ultima ratio]

A pope cannot invent religion, he can only transmit it. If he does not do that, he is useless. It is nice he thinks Christian humanism is the answer. But it is not the Pope's role to destroy its tradition in favor of what he believes will provide an antidote to the world's problems.

Personally, this only vindicates my own belief that Wojtyla seeks to destroy Catholic Tradition; that he had deliberately sought to destroy the Econe Seminary founded by Archibishop Lefebvre to preserve traditional Catholicism; that he pursues policies which are profoundly unCatholic and a danger to the faith.

It is impossible to consider him a great pope, no matter how often his sycophants try to sell his purported wisdom and sanctity to the faithful by ignoring failures on every level. His fruits are evident everywhere throughout the world: widespread corruption and apostasy that oozes out of every crevice of and corner of this scandalous New Church.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

You've got to stop standing so close to the thurible.

[ultima ratio]

On the contrary--I'm not the one swoony with emotion. The emotional excess is on the side of his supporters who are easily impressed by his celebrity and are ready to canonize him right now.

[drstevej]

***You've got to stop standing so close to the thurible.***

I'll bite.... What's a thurible?

Anything like a henway?

[TotusTuus]

500 hundred years from now the pontificate of St. John Paul the Great will be studied in all the schools and his feast day will contains long homilies about he lead the Church out of one of Her darker moments in history.

[NYer]

"But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age, made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science."

Wasn't he referring to the war when he wrote this speech? We won the war ... we did not fail. And still the Dark Age crept up on us, more as a result of technological advances than a war.

IMO, science and technology are moving at warp speed. Just to cite one small example - memory processors in computers. Biotechnology is now the big field where advances outpace our ability to even comprehend it.

Time seems to be moving faster and faster ... but how can that be?

[NYer]

It is impossible to consider him a great pope

The Holy Father is chosen by the College of Cardinals, guided by the Holy Spirit - not you! If you are not satisfied with their selection ..... leave! No one is holding you here. Millions of catholics pledge faithful and authentic obedience to the Vicar of Christ on earth, Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. Apparently, you are not one of them.

Not comfortable with the Holy Father, find someone else in whom you can place your trust, dust off your shoes and leave. Otherwise, stop bashing him at every opportunity. Nothing will change until he dies and then the College of Cardinals will convene another Conclave to select the next pope. Odds are high that you won't approve of him either unless his name is Williamson.

[FBDinNJ]

Weigel's a pretty smart guy. I went to a speech which he gave at Villanova concerning the Sexual Abuse Scandals. He believes that the only hope for the Church is that if we, the lay people, adopt a form of Radical Orthodoxy to combat Liberalism in the Church.

He was a pretty good speaker, but he relied too heavily upon his note cards instead of looking at the crowd.

[ninenot]

It holds the incense BEFORE it is burned.

The censer holds the charcoal.

You better get a Catholic dictionary with your intentions...

[ninenot]

If you want a fun read, get Lewis' trilogy which includes "The Abolition of Man."

Your "dark age" comment recalls the images in the novels.

On the whole, your take is the "half-full" rather than "half-empty" one. As does Weigel, I suggest that you think a bit about the good that has been accomplished in the last 50 years. In particular, in Africa.

[ninenot]

Reminiscent of Abp. Dolan's call to "FIDELITY" on his installation here in Milwakee.

You will be hearing more of that kind of call...

[independentmind]

Bump for my favorite philosopher.

[drstevej]

Already ordered my Catholic Lingo for Dummies [now just have to sew a pocket into whatever they call what I'll be a wearin'].

[JNB]

The big leaps of technology took place before the 60s, since then the changes have been more superficial, with the one big expection was the rise of the internet in the 90s.

Yes Chruchill was talking about WWII, but as you said the dark age still finally overtook the West in 1968, and as Chruchill said, everything we have known and cared for is sinking into the abyss, replaced by a perverted social and physical science.

I disagree that the technological advances are accelerating, again with the exception of the net, life today is not all that much different than it was 30 years ago when one thinks about it, except the cost of living is far more expensive and its far more difficult to get a good paying job than it was 30 years ago. As for technology making life easier and better, again, one has to ask is life really better and easier than it was than lets say, 30-40 years ago? Is technology serving mans needs or is man now serving technologys needs?