[Rebar]

Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history's most-traveled pope, has died at 84
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050402/ap_on_re_eu/pope

Catholic or not, agree with his policies or not, he must be recognized as a giant of 20th century history.

[nico]

RIP


edit: is anybody else disgusted by the way Fox News is using his death as a platform to rant about abortion while MSNBC is practically dancing on his grave at the thought of a "more liberal" Pope?

[Redneck Revolver]

he was a good man and did much more for the world then many others, both past and future. he will be missed.

[Bear Gulch]

A fine man, he will be missed.

[Highland Ranger]

Big shoes to fill . . . .

[Eric Bryant]

edit: is anybody else disgusted by the way Fox News is using his death as a platform to rant about abortion while MSNBC is practically dancing on his grave at the thought of a "more liberal" Pope?

Yea, I'm really getting sick of both "sides" spouting-off their favorite papal views while selectively ignoring others.

[Daemon688]

The media will twist anything to spout off their views. A reason why Jesse Ventura called them "jackals".

[P95Carry]

A reason why Jesse Ventura called them "jackals". I prefer the all-embracing term ''vermin''.!! I wonder sometimes where the word 'propriety'' has gone.

[GreenFurniture]

What are the chances of the next Pontif being from the US?

[Justin]

Slim to none.

[stevelyn]

Even being an athiest leaning agnostic, I have had nothing but great respect for this man. He made our world a little better. I will miss him as much as his devout followers will. :(

[cuchulainn]

Be happy everyone. He's in a much better place. :)

[Bear Gulch]

He resisted the Nazis and the Commies. I hope we hab=ve more leaders like him on tap.

[nico]

What are the chances of the next Pontif being from the US?
like Justin said, it won't happen as long as the US is a superpower. You'd see even more allegations of the US attempting world domination.

[Standing Wolf]

I prefer the all-embracing term ''vermin''.!!

I'm warming to the word "vermin," although I suspect I'll continue to use the term "presstitutes."

[ReadyontheRight]

John Paul II stared communism in the eye and backed it down. A fine man gone.

[Phantom Warrior]

A good man has gone home to his reward today. Rest in peace, John Paul II.

[Clean97GTI]

like Justin said, it won't happen as long as the US is a superpower. You'd see even more allegations of the US attempting world domination. As if the catholic church hasn't already tried that? :rolleyes:

Rest In Peace sir, you did a fine job.

[Intune]

A fine man who stood for an individuals freedom no matter what flag or religion. I like that. God will too. The politics of his death sicken me, circling jackals.

[Feanaro]

I gave up Christianity a while back, and I was always a member of a Protestant church, but I admire John Paul the Second. He was well traveled and well spoken. He and I might have clashed on some issues but I still liked 'im. He looked Communism in the eye and gave it the finger. That took some stones. The next fella has BIG shows to fill. RIP.

[gtd]

is anybody else disgusted by the way Fox News is using his death as a platform to rant about abortion while MSNBC is practically dancing on his grave at the thought of a "more liberal" Pope?

Well, the news media opinion doesn't matter. Although the Vatican is an independent nation, the Pope is primarily a religious leader. The opinions of Catholics matter first.

Let's not forget -- Fr. Wojtyla was Pope in 1997 when the Catholic and Lutheran Churches executed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification -- the document that virtually ended the Catholic-Lutheran joint condemnations, and that represented the most important effort in centuries toward reconciling the differences between the Catholic and Protestant churches.

His leadership will bear fruit for centuries to come.

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html)

[jdberger]

The pope was a giant among men. Probably the most important pope in the 20th century IMO...

The new pope ... my prediction is that he'll come from Africa. I large and growing population of Catholics there...

[c_yeager]

The new pope ... my prediction is that he'll come from Africa. I large and growing population of Catholics there...

Possibly, though I suspect that a South American pope is more likely. The region is solidly Catholic, and houses some individuals who have fought similar adversities to those faced by John Paul before he was pope. Its also a region that is probably longing to become more recognized by the church as a whole, and it IS time that this continent provided a pope. I think this would be good for the Church in general and for U.S. Catholics in particular.

We will never, in our lifetime, see a U.S. Pope. And i would be willing to bet that our children won't see one either. U.S. priests are way too liberal.

[MaterDei]

I agree with what c_yeager said. At least I hope what he says comes true. There is not a single American cardinal who I would be pleased to see as pope. There are quite a few bishops however who fit the bill, IMO.

With JPII's passing, we all feel a bit like orphans. Rest in peace Holy Father.

[Preacherman]

I rejoice for the Holy Father that he has gone to his reward. I can only imagine the party that must still be going on in Heaven! It's not often that one of Heaven's Great Ones comes home... and by any definition, secular or sacred, Pope John Paul II was a Great One in humanity and eternity. I'm sure he will be canonized in due course, and I expect he'll be one of the very, very few Popes to bear the title "The Great".

Let's also remember that with his passing, the free world (and I emphasize FREE world) has lost two out of three of those who ensured our freedom. During the 1980's, Pope John Paul II, President Reagan, and Prime Minister Thatcher of the UK worked together to destroy the "evil empire" of Communism. We'll probably never know just how much the Pope had to do with this: suffice it to say that he was the only Pope in history to receive regular, monthly briefings by the CIA, with a delegate flying out from Washington each month, bearing President Reagan's personal messages as well as intelligence. Some of this has already come out, but most is still hidden, and is likely to remain so unless the Pope authorized the retention of records that may one day be released. The Catholic Church in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was possibly the single most important influence in the spread of freedom and the downfall of oppression, and this should be remembered by all those who cherish their own freedom for generations to come.

Wonder what the reunion between President Reagan and Pope John Paul II was like? :D And I wonder what sort of reception they're preparing for Maggie Thatcher? :D

[71Commander]

RIP. Nuff said.

[agricola]

A great man, though I would hesitate (as the idiot media have not hesitated) as styling him "the Great", because lets face it becoming Pontiff in any time (except when there were various Popes all at once) pretty much guarantees that you are without peer.

One forgets how old he was; anyone who could face down both the Nazis and the Soviet Union and still be standing at the end of the day is worthy of the highest respect. One wonders where the Church will be able to find someone capable of stepping in his shoes.

As for the liberal opinion, its worthless. Their criticisms of the Church are founded in ignorance and adopt a few incidents and portray the whole in a similar light (as they have in Ireland and the US). Where there are conflicts between the Church doctrines and society, that is because society is massively corrupt and immoral, not that the Church is overly conservative.

[R.H. Lee]

Very well said, agricola.

[rwc]

One of the greatest men of the 20th century and he probably will be judged one of the most influential Popes ever.

As for the next one, I think Cardinal Francis Arinze is more likely than a S. American. Too much of the church is uncomfortable with the VERY activist nature of the church in South and Central America. Cardinal Arinze is Nigerian, a convert, and currently in charge of Vatican Liturgy. He's probably "old school" enough to satisfy the traditionalists, while being an African, where indeed the Catholic Church is growing.

May whoever is elected lead the Catholic Church well.

[Jeeper]

Although I have many moral oppositions to the catholic church I think that the pope did good in helping to end communism.

Edit
(I edited out my rant about the catholic church and the handling of the sex scandel since this isnt the place for that)

[Don Gwinn]

I certainly understand the urge to vent, folks, but this is the Legal and Political forum at The High Road, and this is way off topic. We've had a day or two to post about the Pope's passing; now it's time to close this one. There are plenty of good places to have this discussion, though, and I'm sure it's ongoing at Armed Polite Society (http://www.armedpolitesociety.com) and Your American Backyard forums. (http://www.amback.com)