What is your honest opinion of Pope JohnPaul II ???

[WhiteDove]

This is an opportunity to vote on your opinion of our current Holy Father, JPII

[space ghost]

The Man with the Plan

[aimee]

Wonderful man...so faithful...
My absolute favorite Pope

[ICXCNIKA]

He is my hero!

[Annunciata]

Originally Posted by ICXCNIKA

He is my hero!

He's my hero too!

I love him in every way. He is a tireless example for us all, with a heart of love.

Annunciata

[Voice_Of_Reason]

I agree with most of the statements in the statements above. However, he is the Holy Father and I will follow his leadership regardless of my thoughts.

[Joe Kelley]

While he has done much good, he has done a poor job in picking and disciplining bishops, especially in the U. S.

[Ray Marshall]

Originally Posted by Joe Kelley

While he has done much good, he has done a poor job in picking and disciplining bishops, especially in the U. S.

I would agree with this statement.

[HagiaSophia]

Originally Posted by Ray Marshall

I would agree with this statement.

An interesting comment from a recent radio interview w/John Allen (veteran Vatican reporter)

John Allen: Yes. I mean ironically, although there certainly is a quarter in the Catholic church that would complain about the kind of imperial papacy, and the centralisation that’s gone on under John-Paul. The truth is, when you talk to cardinals and ask them what is their big beef with this pontificate, granted they’re all admirers, but to the extent they have complaints, what is it? Almost to a man they’ll tell you that this has been a brilliant visionary, and a brilliant evangelist and a mediocre governor. That is, that this is a Pope who from October 16th, 1978, made the decision that he wanted to be both Peter and Paul, that is, he wanted to be this peripatetic preacher and evangeliser who would travel the highways and byways of the world. He wanted to be in dialogue with culture, he wanted to remain a philosopher and a poet and an intellectual. And the price of being able to do all that was that there were large areas of the kind of nuts and bolts maintenance that goes on in terms of the internal dynamics of the church, that has always left in the hands of aides. I mean liturgy is a classic example and the Pope is a very reverent celebrant, you see that when he celebrates mass, but he’s never been personally involved in the details of setting liturgical policy. Clerical discipline: I don’t know that there’s a case file on a priest that he has ever voluntarily read in his 25 year career. Occasionally when he’s had to actually forcibly laicise someone, he’s been compelled, but it’s not the kind of thing he goes looking for. And so the point is that he has always been a delegator, and that has ironically produced a consistent atmosphere for over 25 years in which the papal power structure, if you like, has operated in a fairly autonomous sense.

[John Russell Jr]

Originally Posted by HagiaSophia

An interesting comment from a recent radio interview w/John Allen (veteran Vatican reporter)

John Allen: Yes. I mean ironically, although there certainly is a quarter in the Catholic church that would complain about the kind of imperial papacy, and the centralisation that’s gone on under John-Paul. The truth is, when you talk to cardinals and ask them what is their big beef with this pontificate, granted they’re all admirers, but to the extent they have complaints, what is it? Almost to a man they’ll tell you that this has been a brilliant visionary, and a brilliant evangelist and a mediocre governor. That is, that this is a Pope who from October 16th, 1978, made the decision that he wanted to be both Peter and Paul, that is, he wanted to be this peripatetic preacher and evangeliser who would travel the highways and byways of the world. He wanted to be in dialogue with culture, he wanted to remain a philosopher and a poet and an intellectual. And the price of being able to do all that was that there were large areas of the kind of nuts and bolts maintenance that goes on in terms of the internal dynamics of the church, that has always left in the hands of aides. I mean liturgy is a classic example and the Pope is a very reverent celebrant, you see that when he celebrates mass, but he’s never been personally involved in the details of setting liturgical policy. Clerical discipline: I don’t know that there’s a case file on a priest that he has ever voluntarily read in his 25 year career. Occasionally when he’s had to actually forcibly laicise someone, he’s been compelled, but it’s not the kind of thing he goes looking for. And so the point is that he has always been a delegator, and that has ironically produced a consistent atmosphere for over 25 years in which the papal power structure, if you like, has operated in a fairly autonomous sense.

Hi there,
I have heard people very close to the Pope say he says if theres one thing he regrets about his papacy its his governance of the Church. I look more at the tremendous influence he has had on the Church and the world. You could fill a bookshelf writing on this topic. And indeed has not the Pope written enough to fill a book shelf. These encyclicals etc will have a profound influence on the Church for centuries to come. The Pope may have made some mistakes, but he has always had a plan and a vision that he has always given his heart and soul to try and fulfill.

[HagiaSophia]

Originally Posted by John Russell Jr

Hi there,
I have heard people very close to the Pope say he says if theres one thing he regrets about his papacy its his governance of the Church. I look more at the tremendous influence he has had on the Church and the world. You could fill a bookshelf writing on this topic. And indeed has not the Pope written enough to fill a book shelf. These encyclicals etc will have a profound influence on the Church for centuries to come. The Pope may have made some mistakes, but he has always had a plan and a vision that he has always given his heart and soul to try and fulfill.

In his own biography he mentions his lack of implementation of his authority with other bishops, but then a paragraph or so later, he forgave himself for it.

My understanding is that one of the things he would handle differently now is Lefevbre, he somewhat regrets the "separation".

[giegietx]

Originally Posted by WhiteDove

This is an opportunity to vote on your opinion of our current Holy Father, JPII

I agree with 1 & 4. I truly believe that God the Holy Spirit chose him to lead our church. He is right to reach out to non believers, because he knows he is responsible for them before God, and not only asks God for forgiveness for himself but for everyone. Isn't this what Heaven has asked of us with the Rosary, the Sacred Heart, Fatima, Lourdes, the Divine Mercy? It is true that some things that he says or does I don't understand, but I trust God so I trust him. For an interesting confirmation, there was a book on Angels that came out in the 70's, when JP I died, by Charles and Frances Hunter ( non-Catholics) where God revealed to Mr. Hunter the name of the next Pope " to heal His Broken Body." The name God gave him was Karol Wyjolita (sp? sorry).
No pope has ever visited so many countries, met so many people, written so many encyclicals and other tools for teaching/handing on the Faith. As part of the generation almost "lost" to poor catechesis, he has been as a voice crying out in the wilderness... I thank God for him everytime I think of him!

Thank you for letting me voice my

Love, Angelina

[Todd Easton]

St. John Paul the Great

[JKirkLVNV]

Originally Posted by Todd Easton

St. John Paul the Great

Yup, within 50-100 years, I'm betting. I get the ecuminism thing when the Holy Father tries to heal the breaches of the Great Schism/the Reformation, but I sometimes wonder about the non-Christian religions. I'm not saying we should dis them, but I wonder why we can't say,"Look, we really fundamentally disagree about some things, namely Jesus. We can work together for peace and harmony and justice in the world, but we can't pretend Christ is just "one way you might consider." We believe He's IT!" Of course, the Holy Father has the charism and the mandate that Jesus gave to Peter, I don't. My duty is to follow him as he leads the world to Christ. Long life, Holy Father!

[jimmy]

I voted other. I tend to think that JPII is too ecumenical and is causing people to look at other churches as the same as the Catholic Church.

He should not be so ecumenical with the muslims and the bhudists and stuff. I can see the ecumenism with the eastern orthodox because they teach very similar teachings to the Catholic church and there may be a possibility of union with them. But I think he may be compromising the Catholic church in Rusia for ecumenism with Rusia. I do not think that is a good thing.

I love him though, you have to love him. Love your neighbor as your self.