Hard to believe that it has been two decades since the death of Saint John Paul II. On the date of his death Amy Welborn at her blog Open Book had a post dedicated to memories of the Pope. Here was my contribution:
When the Pope was in Nicaragua and a Sandinista organized group was attempting to shout the Pope down while he was giving a sermon during a vast outdoor mass. The Pope lost his temper finally and yelled out “Silencio!”, followed by applause from the vast majority of the worshipers.
The Pope was a man’s man of unusual physical courage. Nothing fazed him: Nazis, Communists of all stripes, an almost successful assassination attempt, parkinson’s, etc. This is certainly not the most important feature of the Pope, but I personally found it one of the most inspiring aspects of this great man.
Go here to read a tribute to Pope John Paul II I wrote in white heat anger, at anti-Catholic bigot Jimmy Carter, in 2012. After the elapse of thirteen years since I wrote the tribute, John Paul II looks greater to me with each passing day. Each Pope holds a high office, but only a select few have also been a great man. Saint John Paul II looms large in that select company of giants. It was a privilege to live during his pontificate. Pope Francis has done his worst to undo much of the work of John Paul II in re-building the Church, but John Paul II will be remembered forever while Pope Francis will soon be forgotten, like a fleeting nightmare.
“It was a privilege to live during his pontificate.”
I share your sentiments Don.
I may have asked this before: who are our high-profile living saints today? Our Padre Pio, John Paul, Mother Teresa, the shoo-ins that the world knows about?