Karol Wojtyla is most likely in his last hours and is already being heralded as the Pope of the Ages, but has this Pope left the Catholic Church stronger? Certainly in the US the Church is in a crisis, with schools and parishes closing around the country because of shrinking membership. The sexual abuse scandals have taken their toll, but the weak response of the Vatican to these scandals is also to blame. The inflexibility of the Catholic Churcn on the role of women, the condemnation of gays and lesbians, the antiquated views on contraception have all led to a decline of the Church in America. I have attended Episcopal services where nearly one-half the congregants were "recovering Catholics". The Catholic Church is now a weakened, irrelevant instituion in America. This is the legacy of Pope John Paul II.
The great Swiss/German theologian Hans Küng has a balanced assessment of the Pope’s tenure, which Der Spiegel has translated for English readers. Read it:
For the Catholic church, this pontificate, despite its positive
aspects, has on the whole proven to be a great disappointment and,
ultimately, a disaster. As a result of his contradictions, this pope
has deeply polarized the church, alienated it from countless people and
plunged it into an epochal crisis — a structural crisis that, after a
quarter century, is now revealing fatal deficits in terms of
development and a tremendous need for reform.Contrary to all intentions conveyed in the Second Vatican Council, the
medieval Roman system, a power apparatus with totalitarian features,
was restored through clever and ruthless personnel and academic
policies. Bishops were brought into line, pastors overloaded,
theologians muzzled, the laity deprived of their rights, women
discriminated against, national synods and churchgoers’ requests
ignored, along with sex scandals, prohibitions on discussion,
liturgical spoon-feeding, a ban on sermons by lay theologians,
incitement to denunciation, prevention of Holy Communion — "the world"
can hardly be blamed for all of this!!The upshot is that the Catholic church has completely lost the enormous
credibility it once enjoyed under the papacy of John XXIII and in the
wake of the Second Vatican Council.
What will come after the death of John Paul II? I can recommend the article by Gerard O’Connell in Cicero.
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Way to blame the Vatican, jerkoff. It shows a lot of class to do so while the Pope is dying.
Meanwhile the American Catholic church is in a bind because Americans sell our their religion for “American” values.
Turks are mainly Muslim, but some are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Shamans. We deeply mourn the death of Pope John Paul II.
He visited Turkiye twice as a Pope. He also visited our mosques. He was an ideal Christian that worked for peace and understanding in unison, unlike other Popes in the past.
We as Turks, were very upset that a KURDISH person with Turkish citizenship, tried to kill him, while working as an assissin for the Russians.
May Allah/Tanri/God bring him Peace in the aftworld world, and bring us Peace in this world…
Steve Clark here. I can only quote someone who I think is more wise and more loving than the Pope himself, Chris Aable: “The best way, the most honest way to be good and do good is with no expectations of heaven nor hell. If you believe in such invisible, ancient fairy tales that predate even the Old Testament, then you are subconsciously acting mostly on the threat of punishment or the reward of an internal afterlife that nobody has evidence for. Believing in things without evidence is emotionally cheap, mentally weak and all too common. There are 3,000+ World Religions and Gods – and millions of people who think theirs is the only real one. Know the history of your religion, who wrote it and why. Churches filled with praying believers have been blown asunder by tornadoes and cancer wards are filled with pain-filled children who die slow and terrible deaths despite their innocence and their parent’s prayers. So clearly dealing with the world’s problem with our brains works better than superstitious prayers. I too loved the Pope despite his dishonest belief in ancient fairy-tales. His slow and painful death despite the fact that billions of people prayed to stop his pain long ago, is yet further evidence that prayers reduce our self-reliance and are just a self-deceptive, emotional crutch. If someone “truly believes” that the Pope has gone to heaven, then they need not cry nor pray for him, for he has gone to a better place. But all evidence I have indicates he is dead and gone forever, and that alone makes him and each of us equally precious and irreplaceable. Religions cheapen the value of human life by pretending that death means nothing because they “believe” that life goes on forever. Reality dictates that it does not, and thus death makes our short time of life together far more valuable.” Chris Aable, Self-Evolution.org.
Thanks for that great quote, Steve. Chris Aable is right on. There is an amazing radio interview of him about the deceptive nature of religion on his website, http://www.self-evolution.org
Questions from an ex catholic:
1. Why is the pope worshipped as god? Bowing down to him, kissing his feet and ring, etc. All the pomp, glory, and ceremony. Is this the humble spirit christ instructed us to have? Jesus instructed us to treat all men alike and to favor no one. “Seek ye firstthe kingdom of God.”
2. Where was the pope when all of these young boys were being molested? Do catholics or any one else really believe the hierarchy of the catholic church were ignorant of what was going on when all these priests were transferred to other parrishes so they could have the opportunity to commit these terrible crimes again?
3. With all the media coverage available to him, why doesn’t the pope ever tell people how to be saved? “Repent, every one of you, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and you shall recieve the Holy Ghost.” Lots of talk about social issues, but never any mention of how to be saved. Does this sound like an ambassador for Christ, trying to reconcile man to God?
4. Why payers to Mary and the “saints” when the Bible tells us there is only one mediator between man and God and that is Jesus Christ?
5. Why all the statues right in the church when one of the commandments say thou shalt make no graven image?
I pray someone will read this truth and their Bible and leave the darkness of the catholic church to come into Jesus’ marvelous light.
Sikh Council on Religion and Education
(SCORE)
2446 Reddie Dr, Suite 14, Silver Spring, MD-20902
Phone: 301-946-2800, 202 460 0630
Email: info@sikhcouncilusa.org
Press Release
Washington Sikhs Express Sorrow and Offer Prayers for Pope John Paul II
Washington, April 2, 2005 – Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) and Guru Gobind Singh Foundation(GGSF), based in Washington, has expressed sorrow at the death of Pope John Paul II. Dr. Rajwant Singh, National Chairman of SCORE said, “WE express our deep sorrow at the demise of Pope John Paul II. He was a godly person who gave hope to many in need and brought smiles on many faces. He enjoyed a unique moral stature.He worked hard to highlight the plight of the people behind the Iron curtain and eventually gave them the hope to fight for their own freedom. He was a symbol of freedom and justice for all people.”
Dr Singh added “During his pontificate John Paul II tried to create bridges of friendship and understanding among and with all religions. His was a great ministry of reconciliation. His leadership in calling the meeting of Assisi in 1986 of different religious leaders gave an impetus to worldwide interfaith movement.” Pope invited the Sikhs at this gathering for the first time.
Dr Rajwant Singh further stated, “Pope was a man of history who was able to reflect upon and apologize for the mistakes of his own church. Sikhs had also deeply appreciated that it was Pope John Paul II who was the first religious and Western leader to raise concern at the attack and killing of the Sikhs by the Indian army at the Golden Temple in 1984.”
In days after this great tragedy, Pope issued the statement by saying, “In these days, the news has followed the ever more serious events in the state of Punjab. I do not want to go into the delicate and complex motives behind these disturbances in a great nation. But the sad fact is that the place where so many people met a tragic death is a temple where men gather in prayer. I address an immediate sentiment of human pity for all the victims with a call that a way to resolve the current strife can be found in a mutual understanding.”
Amrit Kaur, Secretary of GGSF said, “He greatly respected the moral and religious teachings of other faith, a mode of thinking to which Sikhs can easily relate. Although an expounder and defender of his own faith, the Pope recognized and vigourously asserted the spiritual values of other religions. We join in prayer with our Catholic brother and sisters in these prayerful moments at the loss of their leader and for ourselves at the loss of an authentic moral human being. “
Dr Rajwant Singh added that “We are very confident that the current deliberations at the Vatican will bring forth a leader who would emulate the actions and philosophy of Pope John Paul II” .
Pope had called a second meeting of 200 religious leaders including the Jathedar of Akal Takhat (highest Seat of Authority among Sikhs) from all over the world on January 24, 2002 in which he wanted the day of prayer to reinforce the message after the 11 September attacks that religion must not be a motive for conflict in the 21st Century but a stimulus for peace and reconciliation.” Dr. Rajwant Singh had attended the meeting in Assisi in 2002.
On the closing of this great gathering, Pope said, “With all our differences, we sit at this table, united in our commitment to the cause of peace. That commitment, born of sincere religious sentiment, is surely what God expects of us. It is what the world seeks in religious men and women. That commitment is the hope we have to offer at this special time. May God grant us all to be humble and effective instruments of His peace.”
Pope had further added, “God himself has placed in the human heart an instinctive tendency to live in peace and harmony. This desire is more deeply-rooted and determined than any impulse to violence; it is a desire that we have come together to reaffirm here, in Assisi. We do so in the awareness that we are representing the deepest sentiment of every human being.”
SCORE has worked with various officials of Vatican on many different issues. Dr. Rajwant Singh of SCORE and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington were together at a meeting called by the World Bank President recently in Ireland which was hosted by the Bishop of the Catholic church. GGSF representing the Sikhs has also worked with the Archdiocese of Washington headed by Cardinal Hickey in the past and now by Cardinal McCarrick.
the last remarks by the Pope were taken to be a thank you for the attending crowds
(see last words below)
but in fact, the Pope had been having
a chat with God (now on Earth)
See next below quotation from his Holiness Pope John Paul II
“In his words, and repeated several times, he seemed to have said the following sentences.
‘I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you.'”
JOAQUIN NAVARRO-VALLS, the pope’s chief spokesman, on words spoken by the pope.
ensign, cmpkkllef
The man who cannot see and identify the soul of such a man of good will like Pope John Paul is a lost soul who knows not who he is. I am sure that John Paul is in Heaven now, praying for such blind lost souls. He will now be able to do more for us in the Catholic Church as well as all others now that he has earned his freedom from an imperfect body in an imperfect world which contains too much hate and corruption for the good of all mankind. This Pope, as a man, could not have been perfect, as no man is or ever was able to reach the state called perfect; however, as a spokesman for our God, he was infallible due to his relationship with his Creator. Perhaps we could learn a lesson from John Paul on how to be the best human being possible through caring for all other human beings by trying to understand one another and administering to each other.
May God forgive us all our sins , look upon our deceased pope with pity and accept his soul in heaven. amen
Soo why did he kick FATHER Callen Out or was it RATZINGERGER THE NAZI
reclamanesimtita
http://www.yahoo.com
Hans Kung has lost it , the title as thelogian of the catholic church , It is shameful that this one man HANDS KUNG has done so much damage to the faith of millions of catholics , Rightly he should have been condemed publicly but to prevent unnecessary outcry which will only make Hans Kung more proud of himself Pope JP11 was generous to him.