With the death of Pope John Paul II in April I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on his life. Pope John Paul II was sometimes called "The People's Pope" which was a fitting description. He was a good and decent pope who seemed to be able to bring people together. People all around the world seemed to respect him and he will be missed. In this editorial we will reflect on two of his major accomplishments that we feel are milestones (Jewish relations and his role in bringing an end to Communism). Jewish/Catholic Relations:
At times relations between Catholics and Jews have been strained. Pope John Paul II was able to bridge the gap and for the first time in centuries, relations between the two religions were much better. John Paul II made it one of his priorities to reach out to Jews and seemed to be very sincere in his effort. Jewish leaders had praise for him as reflected by the fact that the Anti-defamation league in 2003 congratulated John Paul II on his 25th anniversary and issued a statement that said he was committed to the "reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people" (encyclopedia.lockergnome.com). This shows what type of man he was. So what did this pope do that was so special? He was the first pope to visit Auschwitz (encyclopedia.lockergnome.com). That sent a special message to Jews all over the world that he was serious about reaching out to the Jewish people and Jewish leaders. It was a powerful message. In March 2000, Pope John Paul II also visited the Yad Vashem (memorial to victims of the Holocaust) and touched the holiest shrine of the Jewish people, the Western Wall (encyclopedia.lockergnome.com). On his trip to Israel, the Pope reached out further by asking forgiveness for the world for the sins committed during the Holocaust. This was another very powerful message and a great step in easing tensions between Jews and Catholics. So why do we think he cared so much about Jewish/Catholic Relations? The pope grew up with Jews (many were his friends). He was saddened by the events of the Holocaust and wanted to make things better. When it came to repairing relations with Jews, Pope John Paul II was very successful. He will be missed by this Jew and many many more. The End Of Communism:
The pope was instrumental in bringing about the end of Communism. This will go down as one of his greatest accomplishments. It has been mentioned that Ronald Reagan met with the pope to seek advice about the possibility of meeting with Michael Gorbachev. Many people believe Reagan used Pope John Paul II's advice and that it was pivotal in bringing an end to Communism. It is believed that Pope John Paul II was able to convince both Ronald Regan and Michael Gorbachev that they should and could trust each other. This is a great accomplishment that helped bring some peace to the world. It was hard to imagine that the two superpowers could ever work together. The two powers needed a strong and committed mediator and they found that in John Paul II. I think it was the trust and faith that world leaders had in the pope made him so successful. The Soviet Union was dismantled over a decade ago and relations between the U.S. and Russia are much better. We owe a lot to the pope for his wisdom and ability to bring the two superpowers together. Pope John Paul II accomplished many things in his life but we feel two of his greatest accomplishments were his commitment to Jewish/Catholic relations and his role in bringing an end to communism. We hope that the next pope carries on where Pope John Paul II left off. We hope that pope Benedict continues to have good relations with Jewish leaders and that he has success in mediating some of the major conflicts in the world. |
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