I’ve had a great interest in all the Popes in my lifetime, odd, I suppose, since I’m not Roman Catholic. I thought John Paul II was an inspirational political leader, who helped bring down the Iron Curtain. I think he showed great compassion to the man who tried to kill him in 1981.
When I worked at FantaCo, and the Pope comic book came out in 1982, quite early in his papacy, we got so many people coming through our doors who had never been there before and never came after. I don’t know how many we ordered, but I sensed at the time that we could have sold twice as many as we had, at least.
But I just don’t understand the rush to beatification, a large step towards sainthood. The papal party line is that it’s happening because “the people” want it. This ignores those people who are less kindly disposed. I’m not cynical enough to suggest that it is the church’s attempt to divert attention away from the sexual abuse scandal by pedophile priests, about which JP was slow to respond effectively. But it IS a part of his record.
Thoughts?
I think this is just the religious reflection of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Sort of ‘young Karol Wojtyla rises up thru a lifetime of piety to become the head of the world’s pre-eminent religion, helping to break the chains of Communism, freeing not only his home country, but people around the world. Seriously wounded by an attempted assassin, he forgives his assailant, demonstrating his spiritual values to the world! He lives a long and blessed life among the treasures of the Vatican. Some of the faithful declare that he has healed them miraculously. Come along as we investigate the beatific life of John Paul!’
I tend to fall on the side of thinking this is a mere political and marketing move by the Vatican. The excuse that the Vatican is doing this because “the people want” it is specious. When has the Vatican ever cared about what people want? There are plenty of issues on which Catholics want things the Vatican will not deliver.
I believe that that main point absolutely was to draw attention away from the church’s proven complicity in covering up cases of sexual abuse of children—they wanted to get people, especially disillusioned Catholics, to focus on something positive. It also gets some props for the new pope who was not, it’s safe to say, the first choice for many Catholics.
On balance, this looks like a stunt to me.