Post Scripts: The Pope’s contributions

I believe millions of non-Catholics are sharing grief with "the faithful" at the death of Pope John Paul II. After all, the Pope visited the United States almost as much as he visited his Polish homeland. His trips here were a combination of ritual and unbounded enthusiasm. People came by the millions, American Catholics, to see him, drawn by the charisma of this holy man.

While previous Popes had visited America, people did not have access as they had hoped. This Pope changed all that, giving Catholics the access they longed for. He made seven trips to the U.S., experiencing the diversity of America. Amidst the pageantry and publicity, he delivered the message as a teacher. It simply was not all charisma. It was a message for "believers" of all faiths and he was very clear on his message.

Unlike other Popes, John Paul II was a communicator and gave people access. A gifted linguist, he electrified crowds. People greeted him like no other Catholic Pope in history.

He was a voice for those who weren’t sharing in America’s wealth. He urged the faithful to live by the Gospel and urged universal support of the sanctity of life.

Of course you know Kathy and I are Methodists and you might wonder why I would laud a Pope in this column. Well, you see, Kathy and I, participated in a European Study Mission with other Missouri Press Association folks in June, 1966. We visited several European countries before reaching Italy. In Rome our group had the experience of a personal audience with Pope John Paul I in St. Peter’s basilica. Wow!

Pope Paul was carried to an altar on an elevated platform, carried by eight uniformed attendants. He was lowered to the floor waving to everyone, greeted by cheers, applause and tears. He stood between two cardinals and extended greetings in five languages. He greeted our group, gave a brief meditation, and offered prayers. The Pope and his attendants were beautifully robed and their positions on the altar were spotlighted. After a brief ceremony, the Pope said he would pray for our group, for our country, and extended his best wishes. Most of us had purchased Vatican souvenirs which he also blessed during the ceremony.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Pope, flanked by his cardinals greeted several in our group personally before being borne from the chapel. Oddly enough, of our group of 66, only one was Catholic – yet it was a moving experience for all of us. As Methodists, Kathy and I felt our audience with the Pope, was a moving religious experience for all in our group. Our being there, with a close-up view of the Pope of that time, was an experience that added a certain richness to our religious understanding.

John Paul died as he lived, in touch with the crowds, with more than a million gathering in Rome, thousands beneath his window, anxiously awaiting the news which most knew would not be good. Elsewhere, Catholics were thinking about the future, wondering what the Papal succession holds for them and how John Paul’s successor will meet the challenges in the future he faces.

Even his critics acknowledge the Pope’s contribution. It is widely held that even those who have not agreed with him on some key issues, will love him for the tremendous amount of work he did for peace and humanity.