Pope John Paul II was more than a man. He was a humanitarian, a philosopher, a uniter, a healer, a motivator and above all else, a man of God. But he was not a politician. The Holy See didn’t care about polls, he didn’t worry about people that criticized him, and he had no political platform. He was a man who interpreted the Bible the way he thought God wanted him to read it and based his moral principles on that philosophical interpretation. That is the fundamental misunderstanding that the people who love to hate the pope still can’t comprehend.
The Pope’s funeral was watched by more than two billion people worldwide, far more than any event in the history of the world. In attendance was an amazing array of statesmen from countries that historically hated each other and would never be able to convene under normal situations. But the passing of the pope was far from a normal situation and miraculously allowed for those differences to be forgotten.
It was a spectacle that brought millions together in St. Peter’s Square: Catholics, Jews, Muslims, atheists, men, women, children and people of all races, classes, religions and backgrounds. All in all, it was a bittersweet week for people who respected and loved the Pope, and a miserable week for people who despise religion and aren’t comfortable enough with their own religious beliefs or lack thereof.
One woman who has had a particularly rough week is Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She’s distraught and angry because President Bush recently ordered all public government buildings to lower their flags to half-staff in honor of Pope John Paul II. Gaylor responded by calling for the flag at the state capitol building to be raised back up, saying “Let’s reserve the honor of half-staff for true American heroes.” She also called Pope John Paul II “the word’s leading sexist.”
Gaylor simply refuses to acknowledge that a religious man could possibly do any good in the world. She, like the others attacking the Pope, are doing so out of complete selfishness in an attempt to further their own political agendas. Gaylor hates the Pope because he opposed abortion, didn’t allow women to become priests and was not in favor of gay marriage.
Now, as a Catholic, I disagree with the Pope on some social issues, but that doesn’t mean that he was a man who didn’t deserve immense respect and honor. Religious bigots ignore the Pope’s work on poverty in impoverished nations (many in Africa), his fight to end the oppressive practices of communist regimes, his denunciation and stellar record on putting an end to human rights abuses throughout the world, his opposition to unjust wars (including the Iraq War), his efforts to squelch hundreds of years of Jewish bigotry in the Catholic church and so much more.
While people like Gaylor and other bigots were bashing the Pope and complaining about too much media coverage on the situation, billions of people across the world were rejoicing about a man who, in my opinion, was as close to perfect as any human being in modern history. The vitriol from religious bigots like Gaylor says far more about her than it does about the Pope and other Catholics. Anti-religious sentiment only makes the faiths of religious people stronger, because in witnessing the great suffering of those spewing the sentiment, our hearts go out to them, and we pray that they may one day find their life’s purpose.
What also troubles these people is that the Pope loved them just as much as he loved anyone else. He was able to forgive in a way that many of us have never seen. An assassin named Mehmet Ali Agca shot the Pope in St. Peters Square in 1981. While the Pope was being scurried away from the crowd and near death, he told his acquaintances that he forgave his would-be assassin. The Pope amazingly recovered, and then, just two days after Christmas of 1983, the Holy See went to visit Mehmet Ali Agca in an Italian prison to forgive him face-to-face. It was an amazing spectacle of forgiveness and love that touched the world in an almost miraculous fashion.
As a Catholic and in the honor of Pope John Paul II’s legacy, I recognize the unbelievable power of his ability to forgive others through his love, compassion, and unwavering faith. And so, I say to all the people who are suffering in their hatred for religion: God bless you all.
Casey Hoff ([email protected]) is a UW student and the host of “New Ground with Casey Hoff,” live Monday through Friday, 9-11 a.m., on Talk Radio 1670 WTDY.
