Pope leaves positive mark on history

To Talk of Many Things

"And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

Thus did Christ bring into existence the earthly Church whose members were charged with expounding the Word of God to all the people of the world. The Christian Church and its mission would be founded upon the rock of leadership — St. Peter, the first pope, and all future heirs to that title.

In the period of the late 20th century and early 21st century, the birthright to the apostolic mantle of Peter belonged to John Paul II, who has now moved on into eternity. As the rock of the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 27 years, the pope served as an inspirational spiritual leader who would touch the lives of millions and change history in astounding ways.

With his ascension to the papacy in 1978, John Paul II would proceed to become one of the most visibly active leaders, religious or otherwise, on the world stage as he traveled the globe to preach the goodness of God. His missions of benediction always drew enormous crowds of delightedly adulatory admirers. The pope’s tremendous presence worldwide — and his contagiously exuberant benignity — made the role of the Church ever more personal and direct in the lives of countless people.

The array of John Paul II’s deeds includes his tireless efforts on behalf of the poor and oppressed in all parts of the world. His missionary work extended to developing countries in Latin America, Africa and other regions plagued by abject poverty. Throughout his papacy, the pope made impassioned calls for compassion and good works to be shown towards poor people of all nations and for an end to all wars and bloodshed.

John Paul II will certainly be remembered for his relentless advocacy for the freedom of oppressed people and against totalitarianism. His spiritual guidance and organizational support gave hope to the enslaved people of Eastern Europe imprisoned under the rule of communism. The support that the pope granted to the freedom workers in his native Poland would help to spark the political revolutions which would cause communism to crumble in Europe. John Paul II aggressively campaigned for human rights throughout the world during his papacy.

Upon observing the life of John Paul II, one can see that a central feature of his disposition was that he was a doer in the most resplendent sense of the word. This was a man who labored ceaselessly to bring goodness to all of humanity, even when fettered by the physical impediments of disease and age. If he served as the heir to St. Peter as the Holy Father of the Church, he also emulated the role of St. Paul as an exemplary evangelist of the Word. One needed only to look into the eyes of his jubilant audiences to know that this man touched the souls of people with profound love.

This love reflected the pope’s unyielding belief in the inherent preciousness of all human beings. "Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God," he wrote in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life").

In his poem "The Brook," Tennyson wrote, "For men may come and men may go,/ But I go on forever." So too will the goodness wrought by John Paul II live on even as he passes into eternal reward.

Jonathan Kelly is a senior political science major.