--- "Fr. Ivo Da C. Souza" wrote: > John Paul II > The news of his death has resounded throughout the globe and has moved us to tears. Though he was old and sick in the last phase of his Pontificate, John Paul II was loved by all, including the youth. We thank God for the gift of his life, of his multifaceted personality, and in a special way for his courage to speak the Truth. He has given us the kernel of Gospel values.
Mario responds: Fr. Ivo. The following opinion may bother some Catholics, but I think our Church and the overall legacy of our late-Pope are both strong enough to deal with it. Please feel free to comment from your perspective: I believe Pope John Paul II will go down in history as the best pope since Pope John XXIII and, on balance, one of the best pope's ever. However, the record shows that this Pope, for all his exemplary moral courage in confronting problems world-wide and playing a major role in bringing down the Iron Curtain, was curiously slow to confront the pedophile priests in America, and was especially insensitive in the case of Cardinal Law of Boston. The Pope made Law an "Archpriest" at Santa Maria Maggiore, one of four Basilicas under direct Vatican jurisdiction. For Law it was a face-saving promotion from his position as a disgraced ex-Cardinal whose poor judgement played a role in destroying hundreds of young lives. Because of the Pope's decision, "Archpriest" Law celebrated a high-profile Mass at this popular Pope's funeral and gave one of nine eulogies that are scheduled between the funeral and the conclave, the only American to give a eulogy. This is disgraceful, and even more disgraceful for Law to not recuse himself from these highly visible ceremonies, proving once again that he continues to lack any sensitivity or moral judgement. What he has succeeded in doing is reminding everyone of the abuses, of the special privilege this Pope inexplicably bestowed on him, and rubbing salt in the wounds of all the victims. While thus providing cover for "Archpriest" Law, Pope John Paul II did little or nothing to address the sad plight of the 11,750 young victims of the 5,148 American priests who have been "credibly accused" of sexually molesting them since 1950. These figures come from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. In addition, only 700 priests have been removed from ministry while the cost to the church has been about $1 billion in legal settlements and related fees. The Pope displayed more compassion for Law than for all the victims combined. To make matters worse, Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga of Honduras, one of those supposedly on the short list as the next Pope has said that the reaction to the pedophile priest issue in the US "...amounted to persecution of the church and reminded him of the times of Diocletan and Nero and more recently, Stalin and Hitler." This kind of over-the-top paranoia reminds me of the corrupt Cardinals and Popes we had before the Reformation. Attitudes like this, from the highest levels of the Catholic Church are truly evil. God help the church if this man is elected our next Pope.