Pope John Paul: Champion of Freedom, Human Life, and Democracy

On this day, as the Pope’s hours in this life are coming to a close, it is very important that we recall, and never forget, his accomplishments:

- Reuters, which rarely gives a religious person credit for anything, notes drily that “Historians say one of his legacies will remain his role in the fall of communism in Europe in 1989.” More colorfully, I suppose, Stalin once asked: “How many divisions does the Pope have?” This Pope taught us the the answer–”Even in the absence of division(s), bearing no weapons, truth and faith can change the course of history.”

- He stood steadfastly on the side of human life and dignity, and made no concessions to modern utilitarian notions of “quality of life.” We have seen in Florida in the past few weeks, and in The Netherlands in the past decade, that when the death cultists have their way, the world becomes a distinctly less humane place.

- Finally, while continuing a Church tradition dating back at least to Pope Leo XIII in 1878 that is pro-democracy and strongly against state control, he reminded us (as interpreted by catholic.net) “that democracy is only secure when it is grounded in the deepest convictions, including religious convictions, of the people. When the question of truth is excluded and democracy is reduced to allegedly neutral principles and procedures, says John Paul, it can easily turn into (to quote the Pope’s 1991 encyclical) ‘thinly disguised totalitarianism.’”

The American capitalist system, while undoubtedly the greatest wealth-generating machine the world has ever seen, has seemingly incurable problems with greed, graft, and lack of accountability. The system isn’t the problem, though. The problem is in the hardened hearts, greedy minds, and empty souls of too many of its participants. This Pope, as he did in other areas of earthly and spiritual life during his remarkable tenure, has pointed us to the answer.

UPDATE: I am late in linking to Hugh Hewitt’s two sentences early this morning that perfectly position the Pope’s place in history:

With Reagan and Solzhenitsyn, John Paul II represents the three forces of opposition to communism that shattered the evil empire, the Soviet Union–the American-led West, the Eastern European resistance, and the Russian dissident movement. They also represented the three spheres of opposition: political, artistic and spiritual.

Add Lech Walesa, whose Solidarity gave witness to the Communist lies about representing the “proletariat,” and Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady, and you have the quintet who did more to free millions of people than anyone in the last half of the 20th Century.

UPDATE 2: Walesa’s assessment:

Karol Wojtyla became a priest in 1946, just as the Iron Curtain descended across Europe, and the inspiration he provided as Pope John Paul II helped to tear it down.

“Fifty percent of the collapse of communism is his doing,” Lech Walesa, founder of the Solidarity movement that toppled communism in Poland in 1989-90, told The Associated Press on Friday. Without the pope’s leadership, “communism would have fallen, but much later and in a bloody way,” he said.

UPDATE 3:00 PM ET April 2: Rest in peace, John Paul. Your heavenly reward awaits.

The revolution of freedom of which I spoke at the United Nations in 1995 must now be completed by a revolution of opportunity, in which all the world’s people actively contribute to the economic prosperity and share in its fruits. This requires leadership by those nations whose religious and cultural traditions should make them most attentive to the moral dimension of the issues involved.

– Pope John Paul II to President George W. Bush,
July 23, 2001