by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 5, 2005
All Rights Reserved.

eposed in the Vatican's majestic St. Peter's Basilica, the crimson-robed remains of beloved Pope John Paul II, remind the faithful about duty, loyalty and tradition. Three-million pilgrims are expected to pay their last respects. Since the Pope's passing April 2 from heart failure, questions abound not only about his successor but what, if any, changes might take place. For his 26-year reign, John Paul opposed many anticipated changes, allowing Catholics to adapt to a modern world, affording women greater rights and allowing priests more flexibility—and less sacrifice—in family life, including marriage. Undue burdens of the priesthood, especially celibacy, discourage youth from making life-long commitments to the Catholic faith, leaving some 2,000 parishes without priests. Recruiting priests has become a challenge, competing with other Christian faiths permitting marriage.

     John Paul was the first modern Pope to capitalize on mass communication, making himself more approachable and available to the masses. Like the late Princess Diana, he was the people's Pope, traveling to an unprecedented number of countries, especially in blighted parts of the world. Before succumbing to illness, John Paul was an undaunted, vigorous Pope, reaching the masses in his bulletproofed, glass-enclosed Popemobile. Yet despite his accessibility, John Paul was every bit the traditionalist, resisting pressures to reform. He championed the cause of freedom and liberty, supporting Lec Walesa's Solidarity Movement in Poland, eventually ridding his native land of communism. John Paul's unflinching commitment to freedom joins him spiritually to President George W. Bush, whose legacy—and place in history—remains tied to advancing the cause of freedom.

     As millions of mourners stream into the Eternal City, all eyes are on the cardinals whose conclave must pick a new pope within 15 to 20 days of the Pope's death. Of the 183 cardinals, only 117 under the age of 80 participate in the vote. “I don't think it will be a long conclave,” Brazillian Cardinas Geraldo Majella Agnelo, archbishop of Salvador da Bahia told Italian radio, predicting a quick vote on a new pope. John Paul's global popularity combined with his adherence to tradition, will likely result in selecting another a traditonalist. Out of respect for his forceful opposition to divorce, abortion, birth control, the ordination of women, ending celibacy and allowing priest to marry, the cardinals are likely to pick a conservative. No pope in modern history faced more pressure for reform than John Paul, dealing with the church's worldwide sexual abuse scandal, especially in the United States.

     Change doesn't come easily to the Vatican or other religions for that matter. “There's unfinished business for the church to address. Priest shortages and ordination. John Paul II didn't want to touch it,” said Dean Hoge, a sociology professor at Catholic University, commenting about the molasses-like pace of reform. Without dealing with celibacy or allowing priests to marry, the church faces a repetition of the sexual abuse scandal that could cost nearly a billion dollars. “The heart of the crisis has passed,” said Martin E. Marty, a religious historian and professor emeritus of American religious history at the University of Chicago. Marty hoped, in selecting the new pope, that the bishops would take into consideration 65-million American Catholics crying out for reform. While 86% of U.S. Catholics want to rein-in predator priests, there wishes have been largely ignored by Rome.

     Whoever becomes the next pope, they will have to address celibacy and priests' marriage. According to a recent AP-Ipsos poll of 1001 adults, 60% believe the church should change its position on celibacy and marriage. It's going to be difficult to address priest shortages without changing policies on celibacy and marriage. Celibacy still epitomizes modern-day sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ. Even on his deathbed, Pope John Paul glorified the virtue of sacrifice and suffering to attain salvation. Unlike other denominations, the Church faces ongoing challenges recruiting young men into priesthood. Instead of emphasizing celibacy, the priesthood could very easily follow John Paul's footsteps and stress ending poverty and oppression around the planet. Visiting 120 countries and mixing with the people, John Paul witnessed firsthand humanity's abysmal needs.

     Great spiritual leaders like John Paul would want his successor to carry the baton a little further the next time around. He knows the Church must adapt to changing circumstances, including addressing systemic policies discouraging priest recruitment and contributing to ongoing problems. He carried the torch further than his predecessor Pope Paul VI, whose papacy reinforced Catholic education but avoided reforming rules on celibacy and birth control. To his credit, though avoiding the same issues, John Paul sought to heal old wounds, especially the church's intolerance of other faiths, especially Judaism. When the cardinals meet to choose the next pope, they will pick their new leader like other political bodies, not on ideology but on whom they feel drawn to follow. As Cardinal Tarcisio Bertoni, archbishop of Genoa, said, it's time “to give back to the pope all the love that he gave to the world.”

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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