Pope John Paul II -- Term Paper

This, he felt was the most effective and Christian strategy to resist evil. Also, the Pope's equal desire to embody the Christian virtue of dignity meant that he was not blind to capitalism's abuses, pointing out that severe imbalances in wealth exacerbate tensions amongst peoples in an often non-Christian fashion -- not always a popular principle to take in the West. Pope John Paul II devoted enormous spiritual and physical energy to his visits to the developing world. But he refused to support all popular causes, such as liberation theology or charitable organizations that made use of birth control and abortion. He called the idea of a priest-politician anathema to the Christian vision. During one visit to Latin America he condemned the so-called "popular church" created by left-wing priests as "a deviation." (Walker, 20050 He did not support female priests, nor divorce or contraception, even though this might have increased the number of the church's followers in North America.

Pope John Paul II also condemned the war on Iraq and the Cuban trade embargo as well as communist atheism -- anything that hurt people or hurt the Christian values of the church was wrong in the eyes Pope John Paul II. Christianity was about human dignity of the individual soul, not a popularity contest based on numbers. Pope John Paul II believed in the rights of the unborn as well as those now living on earth, in keeping with what he thought was correct Catholic doctrine. Even those who disagreed with him on doctrinal matters admired his willingness to keep true to his beliefs. (Walker, 2005)

So long as the world respects true faith, the world is willing to tolerate some disagreement -- so shows the example of Pope John Paul II. His life stands as an unwavering testimony of his belief in the free, individual will of the human soul to chose God and to chose to follow the right path in a democratic environment that does not subject the God-created soul and body to the ravages of poverty and preventable disease. And even when his own body was ravaged by unpreventable disease, Pope John Paul II still went about his mission, making his once active and zealous example of the Christian mission now an example of the strength of faith of suffering under the duress of illness. Although he feared not being able to complete his mission, he was ultimately able to bear his cross and inspire legions of young and old to hear the words of the church. Now Pope John Paul II is truly free, and in a different place of faith -- and his example remains as an inspiration to Christians everywhere.

Works Cited

Roxburgh, Angus. "The Pope's Role in Communism's End." 2 Apr 2005. BBC World News in-Depth. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/3007787.stm

Walker, Andrew "Pope's Support for the World's Poor. 2 Apr 2005. BBC World News in-Depth. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/3008091.stm

Weigel, George. (April 2001) "Pope John Paul II and the Dynamics of History." Watch on the West: A Newsletter of FPRI's Center for the Study of America and the West. The 2000 Templeton Lecture on Religion and World Affairs. Volume 1: Number 6. http://www.fpri.org/ww/0106.200004.weigel.popehistory.html