Popely Thoughts

Say what you want about the late John Paul II, he had exquisitely bad timing. He kicked off only a couple of minutes before DC and Chivas were to kick off the MLS season on ABC. I note this only because it continues MLS/US Soccer's incredibly bad run of luck when it comes to games on ABC. Earlier broadcasts had been scrapped due to the death of Ronald Reagan and the beginning of the US military campaign in Afghanistan. At least the game was moved to ESPN, rather than dropped altogether (as in the past), so I did get to see DC see off Chivas 2-0.

Given the all-Pope-all-the-time focus of the news outlets the past few days (except for the print edition of the Sunday New York Times here in flyover country, which said only that the Pope's condition was "serious" - whoops) it's caused even non-believer me to reflect on John Paul, the only Pope I've ever known. There are several things to admire about the man.

For one, he was instrumental in the collapse of the Soviet bloc, particularly in his native Poland. While bishop in Krakow, John Paul allowed members of the nascent Solidarity to meet in his church, shielding them from the communist enforcers. Once he became Pope, of course, John Paul's return to Poland and continued support for Solidarity not only doomed communism in Poland but all over Eastern Europe.

For another, when it came to the meta issues of life, John Paul was consistent. He actually was pro-life in every way, including the unpopular (in this country, at least) anti-war and anti-death penalty ways. For those fundies hypocritically blathering on about a "culture of life," you could certainly learn a few things about moral conviction from JP.

But finally, I think the one act of JP's that resonates most to me was a personal one. After a gunman tried to assassinate him in 1981, JP visited his assailant in prison and offered his forgiveness. That's an act that most people simply aren't capable of. If that ain't holy, not much is.

Having said that, JP presided over a organization that had and still has significant problems. His adherence to outdated dogma on things like birth control has helped fueled uncontrolled population growth in third world hellholes where resources are scarce at best. And the church acted shamefully in covering up and refusing to acknowledge the existence and extent of the child abuse scandal that rocked priests in the US in the recent past. Speaking of the US, American Catholics simply can't have it both ways -- according to a poll conducted just after JP's death, 59% say they want the new Pope to follow in JP's footsteps on major issues. But on those specific issues, overwhelming majorities hold positions directly counter to the church.

None of this is to denigrate the dead, only to point out that JP was a man, and like all men he was more complicated than his devotees and detractors are willing to admit.