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The world is in mourning. A man has died. Many who did not appreciate John Paul II’s influence when he was alive have been made to stop and ponder what they happily ignored for many years. The media marathon on the life and works of Karol Wojtyla have made millions familiar with a figure they knew existed but not much else.
It is hard to imagine such media attention being accorded to the passing of any other religious leader, to any political leader, indeed, to anybody else. It is the homage of humanity. The next Pope cannot expect as much.
It is no accident. John Paul II made himself inevitable. In the past 26 years he has been everywhere and made his voice heard on everything. From the pinnacle of the Catholic Church he bowed and apologised for all its faults to Jews, Muslims, Protestants and Orthodox Christians in a series unprecedented in Catholic history. Yet his capacity for humility was matched by an unwavering firmness with what he found offensive to his creed, to human dignity, to peace and justice.
He gained stature not only by his part in undermining the Soviet empire but also by his politically incorrect assaults whether in the field of sexuality or pacifism. His assault on materialism spared neither communism nor the soulless free market. He had no qualms denouncing war whenever it was waged, no matter who the combatants were and how they would take his opposition. He had no qualms in objecting to the ordination of women even if it meant the retracing of the strides he had made towards Protestants.
He offended homosexuals and swam against the tide of Catholics who ignored his confirmation of Church doctrine on contraception. He hung on also in the face of the advent of AIDS. He changed not a jot of Church teaching to accommodate the modern age. He was tagged a conservative and was seen as a threat to the renewal brought about in Vatican Council II. He gained stature through authenticity. It was worthy of respect whether one was on the receiving end or not. He could not impose but nothing would prevent him saying his piece. What we made of it was up to us.
The assassination attempt made on a religious leader with global stature was a measure of his moral authority: he was a real threat to the great and powerful who opposed him. His survival ensured their defeat. It also linked him to all others in the frontline. His pacifism was not just talk: he was martyr material under the gorgeous robes.
It was also a very slow martyrdom through illness that bonded him to the suffering worldwide. His fight was public, theatrical, inescapable but authentic. In an age when grandmothers are surgically enhanced to appear juvenile and all public figures must appear to be in good health with evidence of youth and vigour in abundance, he carried his cross in full view. He tore down the veils of virtual reality fighting for authentic living even as death drew near. It was a display of personal courage marking him a leader of humanity and not only the head of the Catholic Church.
His legacy is his example: a fight to the last, a good fight, consistent authenticity. Perhaps this is what explains his attraction for the sea of young people he gathered around him in Paris, an unlikely venue for an unlikely Catholic triumph. He could respect protocol and communicate as if it was not there at all. He shared the rituals of office by being a recognisable individual, a remarkable personality throughout. His age and his infirmity, his slurred speech and indeed his final croak were not an impediment to communication with youth because he had already touched them and gained their trust.
He leaves the world facing the challenges of genetic engineering and climate change, the realisation by the markets of finite resources reaching the end, the emergence of global terrorism with a religious flavour, the balance of power shifting and poverty still growing. He has gone to his rest but he has sown the seeds from which some answers may grow. He has marked his century and all our destinies. The funeral is over but his epoch is not yet ended.
Dr Vassallo is Chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party
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