Pope John Paul II’s legacy

After Pope John Paul II’s death, there has been much talk regarding

his many accomplishments. In addition to being one of the

longest-serving popes, he was also the most well traveled. He was

also credited with “taking the Catholic Church into the 21st

century,” in the words of some Catholics. Other commentators have

cited his work in helping the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and

reaffirming the Church’s views on abortion, human rights and gay

marriage.

In your opinion, what will be Pope John Paul II’s legacy?

Even as a non-Roman Christ follower, I have a great appreciation

for John Paul II. Though we have many differences, many of the basic

tenets of our common faith are the same. Though we are a family in

disagreement, at his death, we grieve as any family would at the loss

of a wayward sibling.

As our world changes so quickly and foundational values get washed

away like sand in a rushing tide, there is increasingly little for

people to base moral decisions on. Our global culture has developed a

primarily pragmatic set of morals -- if it works and doesn’t hurt

anyone else, or serves the greater good, then do it.

My prayer for John Paul II was always that he would stick to

Scripture as a moral standard and not bend to the global culture. We,

together with the pope, hold a common belief in the existence of

universal principles that apply in every time and to every person.

Those principles, we believe, are found in Scripture.

His stances on social issues, such as war, abortion, stem cell

research and marriage, gave courage and voice to many who would

otherwise have no forum.

Most of the world does not see the distinction between Roman

Catholics and Protestants. A third of the world’s 6 billion people

claim to follow Jesus, and less than half claim the pope as their

spiritual leader. Yet, when the world thinks of Christianity, they

often see the Roman Catholic Church as representative of us all.

As untrue as it is, the perception becomes their reality. By

default, the decisions of the papacy influence the world’s perception

of us all.

I am praying that the Roman Catholic cardinals will choose a man

of conviction, who places a high value on the Scriptures, even in a

world where that is not popular. John Paul II was such a man.

In the last few days, he has been labeled as “a man at war with

the 20th century.” He was not at war with time, as if time were

making the church irrelevant, but at war with the developing culture

of relativity, excessiveness, and narcissism. It is a battle that all

who claim to follow Jesus are called to fight.

John Paul II did so valiantly. May his successor have the courage

to do the same.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE

PASTOR RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

The history of Catholic-Jewish relations has been replete with

conflict. Against this backdrop of painful contact, the papacy of

John Paul II stands forth as even more vivid and extraordinary.

In calling the faithful to a rigorous examination of Catholic

teachings about Jews and Judaism, and by turning in repentance for

deeds not in keeping with his savior’s example, he took to his heart

the burden of the past, the challenges of the present, and the

possibilities of the future.

Of all the statements and acts of reconciliation he came to offer,

one stands as a revolution in Catholic thinking about its parent

faith. Two thousand years ago, when the Romans razed the Temple in

Jerusalem, the emerging Church saw in this destruction a divine

confirmation of God’s wrath over the Jewish response to his son.

The crucifixion of Jesus had occurred but a few decades earlier

and early Christians seized upon the demolition of Judaism’s national

center as a sign of the Church’s supremacy. That the Church had

superseded Israel in God’s covenant, that it had now inherited the

blessings originally intended for Israel -- but forfeited through

disobedience -- became a Christian article of faith. That the Temple

was now rubble symbolized that God had abandoned his former people

and adopted a new faith community to advance his kingdom.

On March 26, 2000, John Paul II slowly and painfully approached

the Western Wall, the only surviving remnant of that Jerusalem Temple

and the most sacred shrine of the Jewish people. In a dramatic

gesture, he inserted a prayer into the crevices of the Wall.

He had first offered this prayer at the millennial liturgy of

repentance in St. Peter’s Basilica. It read: “God of our Fathers, You

chose Abraham and his descendants to bring Your Name to the nations.

We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of

history have caused these children of Yours to suffer. Asking Your

forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with

the People of the covenant.”

That act turned a notion cherished from the first century, that

the destruction of the Temple was God’s punishment for the betrayal

of Jesus, on its head. It affirmed that such thinking has no place in

the Church today.

Instead, John Paul II voiced the Church’s acknowledgment of its

eternal debt to Judaism for having given it the revelation of God.

Catholic-Jewish relations were transformed. That the House of Israel

was for so long condemned as rejected and was now welcomed as a

blessing illustrates how the tragic past can be overcome.

The pope said: “The Jewish religion is not extrinsic to us but

intrinsic to our own religion. With Judaism we have a relationship

that we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly

beloved brothers, and, in a certain way, it can be said that you are

our elder brother.”

May this vision, born in a small Polish town, fed by the struggle

against evil and trumpeted from the papal throne, be implanted in all

Christian hearts. Together may we work for the day when, in our

common mission, we will exalt the name of God to all the world.

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

Pope John XXIII -- not Pope John Paul II -- should be credited

with bringing the Catholic Church into the modern world. Pope John

XXIII’s inspired genius and creative leadership during Vatican II --

the years of updating during the ‘60s -- will stand the test of time.

It is appropriate that mourners and the media speak well of a man

of goodwill such as Pope John Paul II at the time of his death. But I

do believe this pope took us backward rather than forward. Despite

his contributions to the fall of Communism, he did not continue the

essential work of renewing the Catholic Church, which would only

strengthen its credibility and influence around the world.

Since many others have spoken about his accomplishments, I would

like to focus on the disappointments I experienced during his reign.

Pope John Paul II not only forbade ordination of women as priests,

he decreed that the subject could no longer even be discussed. In a

similar style, he silenced many of the most capable and committed

Catholic theologians of the day, and a lack of due process was often

noted.

Loyalty oaths at Catholic universities were instigated. Nuns who

agreed with Church teachings on abortion but believed it should be a

legal option in a pluralistic society were threatened with dismissal.

Despite a Papal Commission recommendation to Pope Paul VI that

contraception be permitted, John Paul II continued its prohibition,

though 90% of U.S. Catholics disobey the teaching. Also widely

ignored around the world is the Church ban against the use of

condoms, even to prevent the spread of HIV.

Many Catholics support a married priesthood, but Pope John Paul II

did not open the door to dialogue.

Though there is increasing support for gay rights in society,

under Pope John Paul II, Catholics in ministry to gay Catholics (for

example, Sr. Jeannine Gramick) were disciplined. While speaking

repeatedly against abortion, little was said about incest, rape and

domestic violence.

Pope John Paul II has been criticized for his return to

centralized Vatican authority, rather than support for leadership at

the local level through national bishops conferences, which became

vibrant and influential in the years just following the Second

Vatican Council.

Yet when the United States might have benefited from higher

authority to deal with those cardinals and bishops whose gross

negligence and malfeasance contributed to crimes of sexual abuse

committed by priests, the Vatican failed to call for their

resignations.

This past Lent, Voice of the Faithful, a U.S. group of

rank-and-file Catholics, published an open letter asking these

bishops to search their consciences and resign for the good of the

Church.

While the pope has been ill, who has been running the Vatican

behind the scenes, in secret, and for how long? The pope’s witness in

his illness and suffering would have been no less as a retired pope,

and the option to retire would have been a welcome contribution to

modern papal history.

While acknowledging Pope John Paul II’s commitment, his many gifts

and accomplishments, I do not think we should allow celebrity status,

the media or a natural yearning to venerate holy persons to blind us

to shortcomings.

After 26 years, I hope the pendulum in the Church now swings back.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa

For me, John Paul II was an exceptional human being and an

exemplary Christian. His charisma radiated around our Earth. That he

was filled with God’s spirit and embodied Christlikeness seems

unquestionable to me. He knew who his neighbor was: whoever needed

him most, regardless of religion or race or place or status or

lifestyle.

He touched an incredible number of people personally and many,

many more as a master of media and communication. I think he reached

out for mutual respect among faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims

more than any other powerful person.

Personally, I have deep admiration for him as a poet and

philosopher and prayerful person; I prize a book of prayers he wrote

during his papacy. John Paul’s legacy to every human being will be

ample evidence of the difference one person can make in this world.

For Christians, and perhaps for those of other religious faiths,

his greatest legacy will be written by those who follow in his

footsteps, and not only those wearing the “shoes of the fisherman,”

Saint Peter, the first pope. For all his charisma, John Paul II was

an organization man and intensely protective of the Roman Catholic

Church.

He often favored conformity at the expense of creativity in his

own church and among others who also honor Jesus’ prayer that we all

may be one as God is one.

(THE VERY REV’D CANON)

PETER D. HAYNES

Saint Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar