I was 11 when John Paul II was elected Pope, and I have grown up with him. I have seen him at Yankee Stadium, and marked my years with his papacy since then.
Pope John Paul II would want us to celebrate his life and have a sense of humor about it. He was a great man, and while I do not agree with how he handled some issues (abusive priests scandal comes to mind) his life is the story of courage and character. The guy could never catch a break. He lost his mother at a young age, dealt with the Nazis, and then the Communists. He was elected Pope at age 58, and immediately hit the road. He upheld dogma conservatively and steadfastly, and while I believe vocations have suffered domestically because of his policies, the Church has experienced explosive growth in emerging countries.
They were remembering him on CBS 88 am this morning, and they told a lot of stories of his warm relationship with the youth. I always felt that had we met, he would have been a fun guy to kid around with. He truly enjoyed his assmblies with youth, and he was a rock star to us. I hope he passes into God’s arms, reunited with his mother, painlessly.
I hope his successor is a good pope, who can balance orthodoxy with a forward view.
J. Philip Faranda
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