Pope John Paul II, 84, spiritual leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics for a quarter of a century, died Saturday after a grave illness.
Traditional in matters of morality and theology while passionately progressive on behalf of the poor, immigrants and world peace, John Paul was an uncompromising moral voice and a giant on the world stage.
Even as ill health visibly overtook him, he carried his message around the world - slowed, but never stopped, by bullets, a tumor, a broken hip, arthritis, Parkinson's disease and advancing age.
As he took on such controversial topics as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, communist oppression and capitalist excess, John Paul found himself allied with differing factions of the secular world. But his positions were grounded in his unwavering belief in the value of the human person.
In papal journeys spanning the globe, including five trips to the United States and a momentous visit to Israel in 2000, John Paul earned a reputation as the most evangelical pope in history. Images of him in his prime, stepping off airplanes, kissing the ground of each new nation he visited, or greeting cheering crowds are an indelible part of his legacy. |
