News from Around the World

THE words of Pope John Paul II helped me gain many a confession from guilt-ridden IRA men.

This memory was brought back by a small section on the relationship of peace and justice in Alice Camille’s “Invitation to Catholicism: Beliefs + Teaching + Practices” Camille credited Pope John Paul II with the following two statements:

On October 28, 1958, Pope John XXIII was elected by the College of Cardinals as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Speaking of someone who didn't stay still and allowed changes! He doubled the number of cardinals, promoted diversity within the Catholic Church, launched a council for ecumenical dialogue and instituted Vatican II. He was beatified (mini-sainted) by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000. But don't forget, and Pope John XXIII would be the first to tell you this, you don't have to be Pope to change the world!

Wow, tell us your true feelings, Mr. Poswall! What’s next, a comparison of Pope John Paul to Osama Bin Laden?

I heard on the news just now that the late Pope John Paul just may be in line for Sainthood. Well, just shooting from the hip here, part of the process leading to sainthood involves proving that miracles occured following prayers to the dead candidate.

The only car the late Pope John Paul II ever owned has sold at auction for more than $A900,000 to a Houston attorney and car collector.

Well, one way to prevent the coup is to be utterly fearless and authentic in pronouncing the things we believe. Pope John Paul II made enormous headway against the Painless Coup which had gone so far as to turn our beautiful churches into bare concrete monstrosities (ready-made for quick-conversion into temples to secular reason) and he managed to reclaim the liturgy and renew appreciation for the Eucharist by repeating the truth over and over, with the reminder, “do not be afraid!”

Hee. I have no idea whether this is photoshopped or genuine, but either way…aww. The Pope stole Bono’s hipster sunglasses! I think Pope John Paul II was probably the first pope who could actually be described as “adorable.”

Here is a link to the now infamous picture of Pope John Paul the Great wearing the glasses of U2’s Bono. The pic is hosted by Flickr.

In 1939 Francis was proclaimed patron saint of Italy and in 1980 he was proclaimed patron of ecology by Pope John Paul II.

So do we blame darwin or Pope John Paul ll? Both have evidence. Well sort of. religion has a book writen by other men 2000 years ago. Science has physical evidence of the mechanics of life. But neither that i have found have eveidence of why an individual human being or any animal for that matter has the awarness of self being.

“The future of humanity passes by way of the family. ” - Familiaris Consortio, Pope John Paul II, November 22, 1981

Many Christians and the majority of Catholics have no problem reconciling evolution with religion, a position endorsed by Pope John Paul II. But evolutionary scientists step well beyond science into philosophy and even theology when they assert that the theory of evolution leads to a materialism without God and so the incompatibility of science and religion.

Although originally intended solely as an internal tool for VOA’s broadcasters, the publicly accessible Web site, http://names.voa.gov/, has found a broader audience. In addition to news bureaus in the United States and abroad, it has won a following at think tanks, at corporations and in higher learning. Average citizens who are curious about the proper pronunciation of names such as al Qaeda and Karol Wojtyla — Pope John Paul II’s given name — are frequent visitors.

I invite the holy pope John Paul II to pray for us, and for the whole world.

The new document– which was prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education, in response to a request made by the late Pope John Paul II in 1994– will be published soon. It will take the form of an “Instruction,” signed by the prefect and secretary of the Congregation: Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski and Archbishop Michael Miller.

After suffering from Parkinson’s disease for many years, the last words of Pope John Paul II’s were “let me go to the house of the Father”, according to documents released by the Vatican. His words were spoken in his native Polish to aides hours before he died last April. They are preserved in a new 220-page volume which chronicles the last two months of the late pontiff’s life. It is the first time the Vatican has published such a detailed account of any pope’s final moments.

There was a very public (at least, well known within Catholic circles) battle between Pope Benedict XVI when he was Pope John Paul II’s right-hand man.. and increasingly liberal North American Bishop Conferences, over ridiculous political correct changes to the official Roman Missal at the ‘insistence’ of the Bishops, some of which watered down, and a few that actually changed meaning, in Scriptural verses.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Struggling to breathe, Pope John Paul II mumbled his final words weakly in Polish: “Let me go to the house of the Father.” Six hours later, the comatose pontiff died, the Vatican says.

Pope John Paul II was a very fine man, but he never had time to talk to me.

I like Notre Dame to show us they are the real deal in this game. Charlie Weis will be sainted before Pope John Paul II afterwards.

Durzy said the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the death of Pope John Paul II created a noticeable uptick in related items.

In his 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II stated:

Eckhart was condemned for many of his propositions and is considered by orthodox catholics to be heretic until today, although the late pope John Paul II was in favour of the rehabilitation and confirmation of Eckhart’s orthodoxy. In 1985 John Paul II, said: “Did not Eckhart teach his disciples: ‘All that God asks you most pressingly is to go out of yourself - and let God be God in you‘? One could think that, in separating himself from creatures, the mystic leaves his brothers, humanity, behind. The same Eckhart affirms that, on the contrary, the mystic is marvelously present to them on the only level where he can truly reach them, that is in God.”

Baer is the former international president of B’nai B’rith and in that capacity has met with countless religious leaders and heads of state from around the world. Dignitaries include: the late Pope John Paul II, Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, England Prime Minister Tony Blair, the late King Hussein of Jordan, President Bill Clinton, and President George H. Bush. Baer is currently president of the Council for America’s First Freedom, a new Richmond-based project to preserve religious freedom.

If Dave thinks that the “nature of the weapon” (i.e Nuke) proves that the bomb drops are unjustifiable, it (to borrow a phrase from his beloved Cardinal John Henry Newman) “proves too much.” It not only proves that the bomb drops are unjustifiable, but that Pope John Paul II, in recognizing the moral licitness of nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, is endorsing situation ethics (i.e. the ends justify the means). The logical conclusion here is inescapapble: If the acquisition and/or build-up of nuclear weapons is morally licit, then so are their use, should the circumdstances require it. And as we will see a bit later, this isn’t the first place Mr. Armstrong runs into trouble with the late pontiff.

The death of Pope John Paul II earlier this year touched the world because the Pope had reached out to touch the world. He was an evangelist as he traveled around the globe to share the good news of Jesus Christ. He said something that is very important for us to hear as we prepare for Sunday morning. We will be talking about the joy that comes when we tell others about the good news of our faith.

Is there a columnist anywhere in the world more in line with Pope John Paul II�s social teachings than Mark Steyn?

It was Pope John Paul, the world’s highest leader of the Catholic Church, who reminds Bush of this. Additionally, the Protestant church is involved in this case. Even in America, NCC (National Council of Churches) is against this war. The Pope even wants to go to Iraq to prevent the attack upon Baghdad. But due to the risk, and his bad health, that plan was cancelled.

After Pope Benedict XVI there will only be one more pope of the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict may well prove to be a disappointing pontiff whose actions and rules could well be at odds with what Catholics want. He has already decreed that condoms will not be permitted in Africa, a country that their use should really be allowed for by Catholics. Pope Benedict and the last pope are expected to undo all the efforts and good works done by the late Pope John Paul II thereby helping to destroy the Catholic Church. Many of those that become disillusioned with the Christian religion will look to the new Islam, making it easier for the Antichrist as his hoards march into Europe.this is happening America will be attacked. A ballistic missile will hit the White House killing the incumbent President who at present is President Bush in his second term of office and many others of his staff. Then the majority of the American fleet will be destroyed in a surprise attack, most likely it will be the Russians, whom will have sided with the Antichrist. The religious war to cleanse the world has begun.

Here in lies my problem. Yes, drug dealers regardless of small scale or kingpin status are the same people as you, me, and Gregory Kane. I will not go on a tirade of how the biggest drug dealers in history are Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, but I will break it down to the local level. Drug dealing is a job. An option oft given the optionless. Of course drug dealing often includes robbery, murder and famine, but on face value drug dealing is a business, much like Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, your local bar or beer distributor, etc. It’s wrong– it IS bad yet it’s not different than any honest job that any honest kid can obtain if they honestly know how to how to utilize their absence of education or work skills to obtain gainful employment. Especially when drug dealing is not frowned upon in many major communities. Take Rayful Edomnd, D.C.’s biggest ever drug dealer for example, his elderly mother supported his efforts and is now incarecereated for it (at one time with Martha Stewart) at a federal prison.

To the sound of a ram's horn, and the traditional Hebrew greeting, "Shalom alechem," Pope Benedict became the second Roman Pontiff ever to visit a synagogue. He used the occasion, on the second day of his visit to Germany, to underline his intention to pursue close relations with Judaism, noting that this was "a path on which Pope John Paul II (bio - news) had already taken decisive steps."

The late Pope John Paul II recognized years ago that biological evolution had progressed beyond the hypothetical stage as a guiding principle behind the understanding of the evolution of diverse life forms on Earth, including humans. At the same time, he rightly recognized that the spiritual significance that one draws from the scientific observations and theory lie outside of the scientific theories themselves. To mush them up is to offend both, and some Catholic scholars have suggested that intellegent design (as known in the US: an alternative to evolution) is actually blasphemous.

The Attard parish organising committee will be holding a cultural evening at the Pope John Paul II parish centre on Friday at 8 p.m. as part of the festivities marking the feast of the Ascension of Our Lady.

On April 5 he complains about endless news coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II and predicts that "Allah will throw him in hell."

These films, as well as that criminally overpraised Million Dollar Baby (which I think didn’t deserve to win the Best Picture Oscar, despite its merits; Sideways should have won instead) and the controversy surrounding the Terry Schaivo case—and to a certain extent, the late Pope John Paul II’s public struggle with and eventual defeat to Parkinson’s disease—brought the issue of dying with dignity to the fore this year. The issue lingered in my head after watching The Barbarian Invasions and The Sea Inside, to the point I feel compelled to write about it.

Well, hello! Today is my very first posting as a blogger, now you can know what’s happening with me here in Chile. This weekend, Steve and I went to Coquimbo to the mercado de pescados, the fish market. It was a big, stinky, very cool place. We didn’t buy anything, just walked around. They were selling all kinds of fish, sea urchins, octopus, and they even sell cups of raw fish for you to enjoy as you walk around. We weren’t that adventurous yet. The highlight for me was going out on the pier and seeing the sea lions, a family of 5. The fisherman were cleaning some of their fish there and throwing the sea lions the heads. There were also pelicans and seagulls vying for the fishermen’s attention. After the market, we drove around Coquimbo, which is a town nestled in the rocks along the sea. We then went to La Cruz del Tercer Milenio, the cross of the 3 millenniums, which is a monument to the third millennium of Christ on earth. It stands 93 meters tall, and we were able to go up to the arms of the cross and look over the surrounding area. There was a museum dedicated to Pope John Paul II, and we were able to see some of his possessions.

Each participant should be justly proud of their accomplishments through this marathon blogging experience. The late Pope John Paul II said, “A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people, give it this soul.”

From other places: Our state Catholic Daughters chaplain (can't remember his name - maybe Msgr. Zorbak?), Fr. Joe Talamo, Fr. Rhenne Cervantes, Fr. Adrian Hall, Fr. Rodney Bourg, Fr. Jimmy Jeanfreau, Fr. Terrence Henry, Fr. John Capuci, Fr. Joseph Calamari, Fr. Bill Pickard, Pope John Paul II (RIP), Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope John Paul II gets his own TV biopic. Described as a "papal page-turner," despite the fact that it's TV, not a book.

The hopes expressed by Pope John Paul II for a peaceful resolution to the conflict during his visit to Ireland in 1979 were also recalled by Mr Ahern.

In a recent National Public Radio commentary, Loconte accused all churches and religious groups who had questions about the war in Iraq of being hopelessly utopian pacifists, and invoked the example of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr's opposition to Hitler as the more realistic path. The problem is that Pope John Paul II, who opposed the war in Iraq, and the current Pope Benedict are not pacifists. Nor are the majority of church bodies around the world who studied the rationales for the war in Iraq (including the majority of evangelical churches worldwide) and concluded it did not fit the traditional just war categories. And Niebuhr, suggest many of his students (including his theologian daughter), would have been quite alarmed at the Bush theology in the war on terrorism, which too easily sees our adversaries as evil and us as good, denying the evil that runs through all human hearts and nation states.

You’d have thought this was unexceptional, and would be echoed by all people of good will. Not so. Exception was taken by the Government of Israel, who claimed that the Pope should have condemned recent attacks by Palestinians, and later asserted that the Vatican had a long standing policy of not condemning attacks on Israeli citizens, allegedly demonstrated by “the silences of Pope John Paul II”. Use of this particular wording can only be intended to recall the controversy over whether Pope Pius XII failed to speak up against the Holocaust.

PBS’s Frontline has a fascinating 2003 interview with Eamon Duffy, author of The Stripping of the Altars (see right sidebar) , which I’m in the middle of right now. The discussion was about Pope John Paul II, and contains some amazing insights about JP the Great, and the impact he has had on the Church and the world. The entire interview is “excerptable”, but here’s a wee comment that set the hairs up on the back of my neck:

Read what our late, beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, wrote in his 1998 encyclical, "Dies Domini: On Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy": "The custom of the ‘weekend’ has become more widespread, a weekly period of respite, spent perhaps far from home and often involving participation in cultural, political or sporting activities which are usually held on free days. This social and cultural phenomenon is by no means without its positive aspects…. Unfortunately, when Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes merely part of a ‘weekend’, it can happen that people stay locked within a horizon so limited that they can no longer see the heavens…. The disciples of Christ, however, are asked to avoid any confusion between the celebration of Sunday, which should truly be a way of keeping the Lord’s Day holy, and the ‘weekend’, understood as a time of simple rest and relaxation."

So I get up Saturday, veg about and catch up with my Mum and Dad, and then pop off to Gloria’s sister’s wedding in Kinsealy, where I finally get to meet the infamous J and realise that the man she’s been raving about for the past 7 months does ACTUALLY exist and is very cool indeed. The ceremony was lovely, Audrey looked fab - although myself, Deirdre and Glo kept messing and making Matthew (their son) pull faces. Was hilarious, the priest completely messed up at one point and said Pope John Paul, then attempted to cover it by faking a coughing fit before continuing on with Pope Benedict! LOL I graciously declined heading on to the dinner and afters as I knew I would never escape (although I did miss the dancing with lots of bows on my head, boo). So I come home, have a few hours to kill, change into my slouchy gear and started teaching Mum how to rip and burn cds - she discovered that she likes 2 Many DJs - and then Dad says we’re going to the Pavillions and I have to come. So we head down and he buys me the cutest ever 6MB Turquoise mini iPod!!! I was giggling like an escaped monkey, it was sooo class! And of course my darling sister gave us discount, heehee. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play with it til Monday as all my music is on my iMac in work, so I just had to content myself with stroking it lots and messing with the games etc…

Elwes will star in the CBS miniseries “Pope John Paul II,” playing the younger Karol Wojtyla in the four-hour film about the late pontiff’s life, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler said Tuesday (July 19) at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. He joins Ian Holm, who will play the pope as an older man.

After getting all of Pope John Paul's luggage loaded into the limo (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices that the Pope is still standing on the curb."Excuse me, Your Holiness," says the driver, "Would you please take your seat so we can leave?" "Well, to tell you the truth," says the Pope, "they never let me drive at the Vatican, and I'd really like to drive today." "I'm sorry but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! And what if something should happen?" protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning."There might be something extra in it for you," says the Pope.Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 105 mph."Please slow down, Your Holiness!!!" pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens."Oh, dear God, I'm gonna lose my licence," moans the driver.The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.

Finding Design in Nature By CHRISTOPH SCHÖNBORN Published: July 7, 2005 The Catholic Church's official stance on evolution. Excerpts: Ever since 1996, when Pope John Paul II said that evolution (a term he did not define) was "more than just a hypothesis," defenders of neo-Darwinian dogma have often invoked the supposed acceptance - or at least acquiescence - of the Roman Catholic Church when they defend their theory as somehow compatible with Christian faith.

It is my own Orthodox brethren who appear to be the cranky partners. Catholics have been making friendly overtures for more than a decade now. Pope John Paul II even said that the extent of papal power – over which the two churches split in the 11th century – could be “open to a new situation.” Both churches hold as ideal a united body with Rome as “first among equals.” Yet the Orthodox drag their feet, sometimes seeming downright rude. A Catholic friend tells me that the attitude seems to be: “Take this olive branch and shove it.”

Ever since 1996, when Pope John Paul II said that evolution (a term he did not define) was "more than just a hypothesis," defenders of neo-Darwinian dogma have often invoked the supposed acceptance - or at least acquiescence - of the Roman Catholic Church when they defend their theory as somehow compatible with Christian faith.

Ever since 1996, when Pope John Paul II said that evolution (a term he did not define) was "more than just a hypothesis," defenders of neo-Darwinian dogma have often invoked the supposed acceptance - or at least acquiescence - of the Roman Catholic Church when they defend their theory as somehow compatible with Christian faith.

The process to canonise Pope John Paul II opened on Tuesday with Cardinal Camillo Ruini suggesting the late Pope could be declared a martyr of the faith, which would further accelerate the already record pace that has marked his beatification cause.

The Roman Catholic Church in sub-Saharan Africa has grown in such a spectacular manner in recent years that some Vatican observers said the election of a black pope following the death of Pope John Paul was more likely than at any time in history.

As one who professes to be Catholic, you must have heard the phrase "consistent life ethic." I would suggest a thorough read of Evangelium Vitae, the encyclical letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

Of course, the London bombing is Bush's fault, along with the death of Pope John Paul (I kid you not), hurricanes, high oil prices, hate, racism, the 2004 tsunami, good hygiene, etc, etc, etc...

Even a joint commitment to ‘’the culture of life'’ turns out to be very thin. Catholics and conservative Protestants may agree broadly on abortion and euthanasia; but what about capital punishment, which Pope John Paul II condemned as an immoral usurpation of God’s authority to determine life and death but which many evangelical Christians support as biblically mandated? To reach consensus, the values evangelicals have to water down the ‘’values'’ they say they accept to the point where they would mean nothing at all. They are left either acknowledging disagreement about values or else falling into a kind of relativism (I’m O.K., you’re O.K.) that is inconsistent with the very goal of standing for something rather than nothing.

"May the Year of the Eucharist be for everyone a precious opportunity to grow in awareness of the incomparable treasure which Christ has entrusted to his Church. May it encourage a more lively and fervent celebration of the Eucharist, leading to a Christian life transformed by love." (Pope John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine)

Finally, there we were, standing in St. Peters...and there is was...Michaelangelo's Pieta. I cannot not tell you the joy and excitement that poured through me.� It was placed behind glass, as years ago someone tried to hammer a chunck out of it.� But it was there infront of me! Looking around, I realize how huge it really was.� Sadly, the crypt where they buried the popes, (including Pope John Paul) was closed to the public.� But we explored everywhere and soaked in the sights and sounds.� It was awesome!� Thank you Ernst!� You have made a dream come true!� I love you!� So ends the perfect day and a great vacation.�

ROME, Italy (AP) -- The process to beatify Pope John Paul II officially opens in Italy with a solemn ceremony in which all the clerics involved will take an oath of secrecy -- and promise not to be corrupted by taking any money or gifts that might sway their decisions.

Conservatives believe in lower taxes; liberals believe in higher taxes. We want few regulations; they want more. Conservatives measure the effectiveness of government programs by results; liberals measure the effectiveness of government programs by inputs. We believe in curbing the size of government; they believe in expanding the size of government. Conservatives believe in making America a less litigious society; liberals believe in making America a more litigious society. We believe in accountability and parental choice in education; they don’t. Conservatives believe in advancing what Pope John Paul II called a “culture of life"; liberals believe there is an absolute unlimited right to abortion.

There’s an offical prayer published by the diocese of Rome to ask for intercession from Pope John Paul the Great. Hopefully God will shower us with miracles that will confirm his sainthood.

Pope John Paul II, of blessed memory, erred catastrophically in fishing for young converts with the net of pop culture (i.e. World Youth Day and other such events). Notwithstanding his personal charisma, John Paul II's reign was marred by a plummeting of morals among the faithful and a proliferation of rebellion against Church teachings. The permissive message of rock music from the beginning has been, "If it feels good, do it". It should be no surprise, then, that in the "mainstream" Church where Life Teen "rock masses" are becoming more common, that some 98% of Catholics dissent from Church teaching on contraception, and in Canadian polls over 50% support homerast "marriage". Interestingly, trying to attract youth to Christ with pop culture doesn't work because the two are incompatible. There are more young adults at the tiny S.S.P.X chapel I attend than at the majority of the "mainstream" parishes which are many times the size of ours throughout Winnipeg.

So what I thought I'd do is to blog about of some of the manifestations, effects, and contours of globalization: how it has made itself felt in various areas such as in politics, economics, culture, and ethics. In a series of blogs, I will provide examples of instances for each of these manifestations as I present them. And then, I will identify what the Church's response to these effects has been and to the whole reality of globalization. The late Pope John Paul II as well as theologians and Church commentators have had a few things to say about this reality which, as the years and decades roll by, will continue to have an effect in the world.

Sinead O’Connor is famous for ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II, effectively ending her career which gives you an idea how intelligent she is. It is exactly this kind of thinking that prevents celebrities from succeeding. Like it or not, politicians make the laws and trashing people for dealing with them exposes the painful imbecility of the left and its celebrity supporters.

I've read that the most referenced source for Pope Benedict has been his predecessor, Pope John Paul. Compared Pope Benedict's excerpt above with the one below from PJP in Memory and Identity (page 47-8):

The exorcism ritual is actually practiced mostly by Pentecostal groups in the US. Exorcism is a ritual associated with ultraconservative theology. The Vatican tried to discourage reports, apparently well-founded, that the late Pope John Paul II participated in exorcisms in his pre-papal career in Poland. Not only does this ritual encourage a superstitious credulity. It also encourages a dogmatic good-vs.-evil view of life that can lead to more harm than good in many circumstances.

Pope John Paul II is being reborn in a Colombian comic book as a superhero battling evil with an anti-Devil cape and special chastity pants.

I AM A PROMINENT CARDINAL IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. RECENTLY, OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE, POPE JOHN PAUL II, PASSED AWAY AFTER AN ILLNESS. YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT HERE AT WWW.CNN.COM/2005/WORLD/EUROPE/04/02/POPE.DIES. AT THE TIME, I WAS IN CHARGE OF FUNDRAISING ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, AND I WAS IN POSSESSION OF A FUND CONTAINING $19.1 USD INTENDED FOR THE PURCHASE OF BINGO CARDS.

Aside from that, this is a reminder that on Wednesday (June 15) we'll start discussing Pope John Paul II's last book, Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium. For this to work, as many people as possible need to participate, so I encourage everyone to jump into the discussion. I'll post my first thoughts on the book Wednesday late afternoon sometime and I encourage anyone with possible discussion threads to e-mail me at catholicgirltalk@gmail.com and I'll post them. Also remember that our book for July is The Dark Knight Returns and our book for August is In the Beginning, by then Cardinal Ratzinger.

This is precisely why the Church has always rejected Marxism, Socialism, and Communism. Pope Pius XI succinctly sums up the Catholic view of socialism in his well known statement: “...no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist.” (Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno n. 120) These philosophies, because they are Atheistic in nature, deny that the human person is made in the image and likeness of the Infinite Creator, which as a result, distrusts man’s own free initiative and creative ability. In fact, when anyone asserts the natural God-given rights of the individual, which calls forth this free initiative and creativity, he is treated as a criminal in a socialist system. This view reduces man to mere economic commodity to be bought, sold, and used as a cog in the machinery of totalitarianism as opposed to a person freely placing his talent and ambition at the service of the common good. Pope John Paul II affirms this when he says: “Socialism considers the individual person simply as an element, a molecule within the social organism, so that the good of the individual is completely subordinated to the functioning of the socio-economic mechanism.” (Centesimus Annus n. 13)

The complaint comes from Adel Smith, president of the Muslim Union of Italy, who was never charged with defaming Christianity after he referred to a crucifix as a “miniature cadaver” during his 2003 efforts to have depictions of Christ on the Cross removed from Italian schools. He has amassed a reputation as something of a crank after demanding that Christians deny aspects of their faith that offended his Islamic sensibilities: he has called for the destruction of Giovanni da Modena’s fresco The Last Judgment in the 14th-century cathedral of San Petronio in Bologna, Italy, because that priceless expression of Medieval Christianity depicts the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in hell. And in the mother of all frivolous lawsuits, Smith in February 2004 he brought suit against Pope John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, for offending Islam by expressing in various writings their opinion, utterly unremarkable from two Christian leaders, that Christianity is unique and superior to other religions, including Islam.

Pope John Paul II gets to heaven. St. Peter says, “Frankly, you’re lucky to be here.”

Well, it's time to pack up our marbles and our Kew-ran desecration kits and hit the road. Jimmy Carter, whom you will recall was last seen not going to Pope John Paul II's funeral, and before that was last seen not going as an election observer to Iraq, says that Guantanamo should be closed to demonstrate America's commitment to human rights.

As a Cardinal under Pope John Paul II, the then Joseph Ratzinger presided over the church's International Theological Commission. This stated that "since it has been demonstrated that all living organisms on earth are genetically related, it is virtually certain that all living organisms have descended from this first organism."

Weigel, the biographer of Pope John Paul 11, writes "Is Europe Dying?"

"This doesn't conform to the Catholic faith. Church teachings are clear: only men can be ordained," said Monseigneur Serge Poitras of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ottawa, noting that the former Pope John Paul II addressed the issue in 1994. [Source]

The article goes on to mention negative references to Buddhism in Pope John Paul II’s Crossing the Threshold of Hope, and an interview in L’Express where Ratzinger referred to Buddhism as “auto-erotic spirituality” “more dangerous than Marxism". The author might have gone on to mention the silencing and/or excommunication of several theologians involved in interfaith dialogue, and the 2000 declaration “Dominus Iesus,” widely perceived as an attempt to put the brakes on creative interfaith work. The picture...

I am not Catholic. However, I had respect for Pope John Paul II, and I just wanted to acknowledge that the world has lost a great man.

This is typical of a society that turns over all responsibility to the state. It’s what Margaret Thatcher called “the nanny state” and what the late Pope John Paul II warned about when, in his 1991 encyclical letter Centesimus Annus, he criticized the welfare state and its “inadequate understanding of the tasks proper to the State.”

In a speech to a conference on families held by the Diocese of Rome, Benedict made clear in strong language that he intends to pursue the hard-line defense of traditional Catholic teachings that made him controversial in his role as Pope John Paul II's chief enforcer of church doctrine.

In recent years, however, there has been something of a revival movement. Pope John Paul II is said to have performed a handful of exorcisms during his papacy. In 1999, the Vatican revised the rite of exorcism, updating a version that had been in use for centuries. There is now an International Association of Exorcists, and its conference last year in Mexico City drew more than 500 participants.

It is shameful, on a human level, to condemn the Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II for some inanely concocted "part [they]...have played in the spread of AIDS in Africa." To read Wood's account, one would get an image of the Pope skipping along throughout the continent, giggling like a schoolgirl while injecting with the HIV virus each innocent person he can find. What nonsense. Remaining constant in religious views on personal moral behavior is in no way similar to actively campaigning to spread the AIDS epidemic, nor is it a "scandal...

I am sorry but this is just plain old fashioned wrong. Pope John Paul II had a trust and faith with this man and he breaks it when asked to do the final act of burning the papers. I personally don’t care what is in the papers (concerning the beatification) or how historically important they are. A person should be allowed to maintain their privacy even in death.

I read something on Americablog about Pope John Paul II and his wish that his papers be burned. The church did not follow through with his wishes and Americablog poster John in D.C. had something to say about that.

“Just weeks before his death, Pope John Paul II issued a letter urging priests and Church officials to explore the internet’s potential for evangelisation and education.

In a Post story on reaction from across the nation to the death of Pope John Paul II, Romano appears to have contributed the closing

Between Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and Margaret Thatcher, we lived in an era of political giants back in the 80's. What a time it was. It's just too bad that I was too young to appreciate it at the time.

While the episode titled "Holier Than Thou" ends with a few smacks at Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama, Penn Jillette mostly savaged the world's most beloved woman of the 20th century by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The woman beatified by Pope John Paul II and surely to be declared a saint was known as Mother Teresa. On this Viacom/Showtime program she is called "Mother F---ing Teresa."

Families feud over many things. An Indiana family is feuding over a 1975 Ford Escort GL once owned by Pope John Paul II. My only question: why a Ford?

The May 2005 issue of Crisis magazine has a number of excellent articles about Pope John Paul II, including three that are available online: "Once in a Century: Remembering John Paul II" by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, "The Missionary Pope: John Paul II and the New Evangelization" by Edward T. Oakes, S.J., and "A Long Shadow: The Legacy of John Paul II" by Russell Shaw.

In recent years, however, there has been something of a revival movement. Pope John Paul II is said to have performed a handful of exorcisms during his papacy. In 1999, the Vatican revised the rite of exorcism, updating a version that had been in use for centuries. There is now an International Association of Exorcists, and its conference last year in Mexico City drew more than 500 participants.

Our previous holy father of happy memory, Pope John Paul II, specifically requested that this custom be revived, especially during this year—the year of the holy Eucharist. Early in his pontificate, Pope John Paul described the Corpus Christi procession in these words:

Rodríguez, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, was one of the papal advisers who helped the late Pope John Paul II draft major statements on immigration. In April, he was one of 115 cardinals from around the world who participated in the election of Pope Benedict XVI and was considered a possible candidate to become pope himself.

Pope John Paul II's longtime private secretary said Saturday he did not burn the late pontiff's notes as his will demanded, arguing that the papers contain "great riches" and should instead be preserved.

With the (hopefully final finale) of Star Wars, the closure of the Deep Throat mystery, and the end of Pope John Paul II's turn as Pope, it seems that the 1970s have finally concluded.

The Protestant objection is not personal but structural. There have been good popes and there have been bad ones. For all the evidence available to us Pope John Paul II has been a remarkably good one. Yet that does not affect in the slightest the Protestant objection to Papacy.

With 2005 declared by our late beloved Pope John Paul II as the Year of the Eucharist, the theme for our weekend celebration will be centered on “The Life of BLD in the Eucharist and in the Church.”

For this reason, as we both celebrate the life and mourn the death of Pope John Paul II, Evangelicals should explore those writings of his that offer great insight and wisdom in the two areas in which many have found common interest with Catholics: understanding the relationship between faith and reason, and nurturing a culture of life, represented respectively in the two encyclicals Fides et Ratio and Evangelium Vitae.

Hayek applies this model primarily to a defense of the moral prerequisites of the free market (private property, contract, and the like), and while he also suggests that it supports the traditional family, he does so only in a rather sketchy fashion. We might note, however, apropos of my previous post, that it is not only natural law theorists who have predicted that Western secularism might in the long run be doomed to extinction given that Western secularists tend to reproduce in far fewer numbers than either observant Jewish and Christian Westerners...

For many Washington journalists of a certain age, it was a strange but not unpleasant feeling to see Woodstein on the case again. Mr. Woodward made his career at The Post, climbing the management ladder and building a career writing best-selling books, first with Mr. Bernstein but long since alone. Mr. Bernstein left The Post for jobs at ABC News, Time magazine and Vanity Fair, and for his own book-writing career. He wrote a memoir of his union activist parents’ struggle with anti-Communist blacklists, was co-author of a book about Pope John...

VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, adjunct prefect of the Pontifical Household, as metropolitan archbishop of Krakow (area 5,730, population 1,618,593, Catholics 1,566,555, priests 2,026, religous 4,841), Poland. The metropolitan archbishop-elect was born in Raba Wyzna, Poland, in 1939. From 1966 to 1978 he acted as private secretary to Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow and, following the latter's election as Pope John Paul II, continued to act as his private secretary throughout his pontificate...

If Pope John Paul II’s notes do indeed survive, they will certainly be a treasure for future generations. That being said, I am not certain it is morally appropriate to refuse a man’s dying wish, no matter what the loss may be.

The quiet lumber mill in Ponte di Legno, Italy awoke began its work day this morning a little earlier when it was held seige by several thousand of the very same people to appear out side the Vatican thursday morning. Lumber mills all across italy are being held and used by millions of people now identified as holocaust victims somehow returned to life by the appearance of the Pope John Paul II bronze golem and his reclamation of the chair of Rome. It is not known at this time why they are raiding and using lumber mills. More as the story unfolds….

There have been no further sightings of the bronze golem of Pope John Paul II since he entered the vatican building early yesterday morning. Although many bishops have been seen fleeing the building, some in critical condition.

Although for decades equality showed promise of surviving, and even thriving, after a lifetime of a tradition-induced coma, today, at the announcement of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the successor to Pope John Paul II, equality died.

*I'm doing this early since I don't know how to manually set my posts to pop up on a timer and cuz I won't be at work. I'm on my way out of town...again. I get around like 'Pac, Lewis & Clark, and Pope John Paul II.*

In fact, Petrosillo notes that the document published on Tuesday had been drafted in January and should in fact have been signed by the pope's deceased predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

The above statement, made by Pope John Paul II in his address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on 2 October 1979 and repeated in the Apostolic Exhortation: Familiaris consortio, provides the context and the rationale for the following submission from Catholic Welfare Australia. During his address to the United Nations in 1979 Pope John Paul II also emphasised the importance of human rights as the basis for ensuring a better future for all the children of the world. [1]

Familiaris consortio, 1981, (’On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World’) Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II. Melbourne: A.C.T.S. Publications.

Pope John Paul II, Message for World Migration Day 2000, no. 5

And part of it may have been because Catholics and Protestants found their shared values reflected in men like Pope John Paul II and George W. Bush, and they noted that both of those men went out of their way to court and embrace all believers, the whole Body of Christ, and not just their own folk. Their examples were not difficult to follow.

In an incoherent string of broken IMs, Thaddius Tinkle reported to the Herald Science Fiction desk this week that, as she was meditating at the Immaculate Heart Church in Maude, she thought that she had a vision. “There he was, up against the back wall. Sure as I’m here it was an image of Pope John Paul, big as life. Well, not life, really, but like he was a couple of years back, back when he could talk and was, you know, alive.”

Pope Benedict XVI says he will follow his predecessor's tough line on abortion and euthanasia. He said that, like Pope John Paul II, he would remain "unequivocal" about the "inviolability of human life from conception to natural death".

Noting that Pope John Paul II liked to recall Mary as the “Eucharistic woman,” Benedict XVI noted that that day the liturgy celebrated the feast of the Blessed Virgin’s visitation to Elizabeth.

Mr Clinton’s visit to Rome was the second in just over a month - he visited the Eternal City in April when he came for Pope John Paul II’s funeral.

On March 21st, 2000, after celebrating his first Papal Mass in the Holy Land at Amman Jordan to an enthusiastic crowd of over 50,000, Pope John Paul II traveled by helicopter to Wadi Al-Kharrar. It is a traditional baptismal site on the east bank of the Jordan River, the site where Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, and where the Lord sanctified water as a means of the sacrament of Baptism. It is also a site indicated for centuries by the Christians who in pilgrimage used to come to bath in the river and renew their baptismal vows.

The delegates were following the instructions of the Vatican’s commission on theology, which held that the policies of Pope Pius XII and the church under the Nazis could not be questioned, because the church and its leader are, as the First Vatican Council declared in 1870, free of error on matters of doctrine and morality. When Cardinal Ratzinger became the head of that Vatican commission, he issued the same advice to Pope John Paul II, who pronounced the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis an unspeakable crime, but a crime by some Catholics,...

Not only did the Vatican fail to adopt a similar attitude of contrition, but Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, who was then in charge of Jewish-Catholic relations, devalued the French and German bishops’ statements.

the death of the pope John Paul II, has affected a lot the life of many seguidors, the pope was a man that dedicate 27 years to the catolicism, he did a lot of trips to many countries and continents of the world, he shake hands with people of many other religions thing that other popes didnt did obviosly for these reason he talk a lot of languages.

“But the one thing that’s remained constant in their lives is Pope John Paul II. He represented a timeless church and seemed timeless himself.”

It’s there if you want to see it. I don’t think Lucas wanted to send that message, but it’s right there. Some people might say it’s Buddhist, or non-denominational, but given the current controversy about Catholic priests marrying, I think the comparison is there to be made. While I was watching the movie, what struck me was how the Sith were not pure evil. Sure they slaughter their opponents. But the earlier filmed trilogy made the Empire out to be pure evil. In reality though, we see the Sith also want peace. The Emperor...

In the May edition of Crisis Magazine, editor Brian Saint-Paul, offers this poignant reflection on the life of the late Pope John Paul II:

For more reflections on Pope John Paul II, go here and here.

Before going into his 4 policy points, Mr Schraub points out that Jewish tradition is not just Torah, Neviim and Wisdom, but Talmud and Mishnah as well. At the same time, Christian tradition is not just the books we term Old and New Testament. Many Christian scholars ranging from Augustine and Aquinas to today's Pope John Paul II, N.T. Wright, and others contribute to our understanding and extend the Christian literature and tradition. This of course is a point in Mr Schaub's favor, but the point being that Mr Prager's idea that the Bible is the...

Pope John Paul II updated and changed many of the rules concerning how the next pope will be chosen. Click here for the new rules for electing a pope. Interesting reading.

Also behind the truck were two bodies, covered in heavy black plastic. One was not entirely on the body, revealing the knees down of a jeans-clad male. Granted, I barely saw anything, but it was the first time that I ever saw a dead body. Not funeral home, made-up and dressed up dead like my great grandmother in 1982 or Pope John Paul II on his gold pillows. No, I'm talking casually-dressed, on his way to the store a half hour ago dead.

after the death of the most carismatic pope, POPE JOHN PAUL THE SECOND, a new pope was elected more than 24 hours since the conclave has started. after four ballots, a cardinal from germany, cardinal JOSEPH RATZINGER was elected as new pope out of 115 cardinals. after the long wait of the WHOLE world, a white smoke finally emerged from the chimmney of the legendary sistine chapel.(the chapel where most of the ORIGINAL artworks of MICHEAL ANGELO where being kept and yearly restored.) Followed by the ringing of three main bells, the whole world clapped...

We biked for another 5 miles to Enns, the oldest town in Austria, and after climbing a steep, long hill ( all these old towns have their castle and town center on a hill ) , stopped at a hotel for refreshments.Incidentally, in the lobby were pictures of Pope John Paul II, showing him during his visit here in 1988.

In September 2003, he railed against another writer's objections to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's planned concert for Pope John Paul II. Mr. O'Neil said the writer, who accused the Catholic Church of discrimination against women and gay people, "presents such moronic vituperation and egregious insults I knew I could not reply in kind as I consider myself a member of the human race."

The notion is wrong on several points. Even our personal experiences tell us that sex is much more than a singular act. Sex binds us emotionally to our partner in ways more complex than the simple physical binding that occurs during the sexual act. As Pope John Paul II used to point out, sex is a promise of love in physical acts, rather than words. Sex is a complete giving of yourself to the other person, which is why it is sinful when it occurs outside of marriage (only in marriage have the partners given the promise of permanent love that makes...

Following the death of Pope John Paul II on April 2, and with the recent airing of "Monastery" on BBC2, a reality show that tracked the spiritual journey of five men of various faiths who spent 40 days living the life of monks in a Benedictine abbey, there was a noticeable increase in the number of inquiries about the priesthood and religious life.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a room in the U.S. Capitol, set apart from hallways filled with tourists and tucked between committee hearing rooms, a Russian Orthodox woman, Natalia Tsarkova, unveiled her painting honoring Pope John Paul II May 19 before a small crowd that included a handful of government officials.

It depicts Pope John Paul's luminous mysteries of the rosary with an image of Mary holding the baby Jesus and surrounded by angels.

A miniature portrait of Pope John Paul is painted in the rim of one of the angel's trumpets. [Source]

The man known in life as Karol Wojtyla and at the apex of his career as Pope John Paul II is soon to be in line for yet another pietistic name change. Our current pope, a longtime friend and political ally of the lately deceased pontiff, has urged that the clock be sped up on making his predecessor a saint. Let me be the first to suggest a saint-name: Saint Crony - patron of short-cutters and line-jumpers everywhere.

The desire to make the earthly realm comport more perfectly with the man-made ideology of capitalism couldn’t be further from the spirit of genuine conservatism. Wojtyla and Ratzinger have left behind the skepticism of modern all-embracing solutions that has liberated the Catholic Church for centuries the vagaries (and perfidies) of the marketplace of ideas. As a church that began the 20th century by demanded anti-modernism of its clerics with the Pascendi, the Catholic Church was upholding a tradition (albeit an imperfectly recognized one) that...

It seems a fitting tribute to the man who did more to bring this about that the centuries-old method of recognizing saints should be chucked to pad his resume. John Paul II’s promiscuous (10% of all) canonizations had grown to seem cynical and irrelevant. Trouble in the African church? Name a black saint. South America growing restless? Saint-up a couple of friars from the Southern Hemisphere. Would we really be shocked to learn that the Vatican had (in the parlance of political consultancy) ‘focused grouped’ likely candidates for sainthood?...

THE 115 CARDINALS FROM SIX CONTINENTS NEED A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY TO ELECT POPE JOHN PAUL THE SECOND'S SUCCESSOR.

from the International Herald Tribune, a great piece on His Holiness, Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II reminded us that it is important to be true to our own essence and not to compromise only because the majority might think differently

The Catholic Church is pretty flexible. In ancient times creating saints took centuries, and then it was reduced to decades. Pope John Paul II speeded up the sainthood process even more, and helped Mother Teresa along the fast track. And for Pope Paul ll let’s make it instant. We do not need the Devil’s Advocate this time. There have been enough miracles.

More explicitly, an eccentric design by Lucia Dote shows a bra in which two plastic picture frames containing Pope John Paul II’s photograph and decorated with Christmas lights have been attached to the bra cups. The lights are turned on when the frames are plugged into an electric outlet.

An Italian mountain peak was renamed after the late Pope John Paul II on May 18 because it would have been the late pontiff's 85th birthday.

The demonstrators stood on American flag, saying the red strips represented AIDS-tainted blood. The protesters carried signs declaring that Matthew Shepard was burning in Hell, and Pope John Paul II recently joined him because "he told people that God loves everybody."

The battle over Pope John Paul II s private car heated up in the past week with the Escort being driven to Indiana in an attempt to outrun the legal battle encircling it.

Notably absent is Pope John Paul II from this list and many others of the literally thousands of Catholics who were martyred during the last century. No mention of Father Maximilian Kolbe or St. Edith Stein who both in their last days were beacons of Christ in showing love and struggling against evil.

Pre-recorded programmes fared pretty well, but the main televisual events of the weekend - the death of Pope John Paul II and Match of the Day - came off by far the worst.

There was very widespread and positive interest among British society, at every level, in the death and funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II, and the conclave, election and inaugural Mass of Pope Benedict XVI.

People who had never been into a Catholic Church attended a special requiem Mass for Pope John Paul II celebrated in St. Chad's Cathedral, situated in the center of Birmingham, on the day of the funeral Mass in Rome.

One lady told me: "I heard you talk about the special Mass at St. Chad's Cathedral on local radio earlier today. I have never been into a Catholic Church before but I have been so moved by the television coverage of Pope John Paul II from Rome that I wanted to be part of something for him."

Right now, I'm sitting in the "lounge" of Lynchburg Regional Airport watching Mass at the Vatican as the world honors the life of Pope John Paul II. My 6:20am flight was cancelled, and I won't be leaving until 11:30am. I found this out about 5 minutes after I dropped my rental car keys into the dropbox, so I'm stuck. I just bought my first 50-cent cup of coffee from a vending machine, and I'm eyeing the frozen Michelina's Beef Stroganoff. Very Terminal, minus the Starbucks.

The film depicts the life of Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II. It begins in September 1939, when World War II broke out with Nazi invasion of Poland and the future pope was a university student in Krakow, Poland. It ends with his election as pontiff in 1978.

When he was elected as pope April 19 in one of the shortest conclaves in modern history, there were questions of how the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, seen as a severe guardian of church orthodoxy, would fill the shoes of his crowd-pleasing predecessor, Pope John Paul II. His first appearances in papal white seemed to dispel the doubts.

No one recalled, for example, that American Catholics lashed out in violent rampages in 1989, after photographer Andres Serrano's ''Piss Christ" -- a photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine -- was included in an exhibition subsidized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Or that they rioted in 1992 when singer Sinead O'Connor, appearing on ''Saturday Night Live," ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II.

In the year 1979 the Soviet Union invaded the country of Afghanistan. They essentially walked into the country and took it over. For a short while they seemed to rule but then the CIA got involved in supporting the Mujahideen and pretty soon those godless communists were crying for their lord as US-made stinger anti-aircraft missiles put the fear of god into Soviet helicopter gunship pilots who had previously mowed down these folks with impunity. All that was necessary to even the score was a “freedom fighter” armed with a shoulder-fired stinger...

Today I got up bright and early, went and mailed Zack Scott off a secret package at the Post Office. Then I went to the bank. Then I went and visited Eva up at Wal-Mart. She was busy watering the flowers. While I was there I bought Season 4 of “Seinfeld” and a DVD about the life of Pope John Paul II. When I got home, Mark and Kregg came over to haul off my beloved big screen. Derek Rush and I bought that thing in a joint venture back in 2000 for our apartment in Norman. It used to be the old “Wrestlemania” arcade game...

Since then, Norman’s life has been seven decades of nonstop adventure: He raced dogs in the ‘32 Lake Placid Olympics, rescued soldiers by dogteam in the Battle of the Bulge, ran his first Iditarod at the tender young age of 72, taught Pope John Paul II how to mush, and married his wonderful Carolyn whom he met out on the Iditarod Trail in 1985. For his 89th birthday, he returned to Antarctica to climb his namesake mountain; it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

It was bestowed on Mrs Maguire by Pope John Paul II three days before he died.

No one recalled, for example, that American Catholics lashed out in violent rampages in 1989, after photographer Andres Serrano's ''Piss Christ" -- a photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine -- was included in an exhibition subsidized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Or that they rioted in 1992 when singer Sinead O'Connor, appearing on ''Saturday Night Live," ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II.

Now you have nothing on me, Senator, except my name on lists of names from Iraq, many of which have been drawn up after the installation of your puppet government in Baghdad. . . . You have my name on lists provided to you by the Duelfer inquiry, provided to him by the convicted bank robber, and fraudster and conman Ahmed Chalabi who many people to their credit in your country now realize played a decisive role in leading your country into the disaster in Iraq. There were 270 names on that list originally. That’s somehow been filleted down...

No one recalled, for example, that American Catholics lashed out in violent rampages in 1989, after photographer Andres Serrano's ''Piss Christ" -- a photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine -- was included in an exhibition subsidized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Or that they rioted in 1992 when singer Sinead O'Connor, appearing on ''Saturday Night Live," ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II.

Well, I can’t remember anyone having a “portrait” of Sinatra, but my uncle Mike still has posters from the old Sinatra films in his basement. And the Pope? Yeah, everyone had pictures of him … my cousin (the one I usually refer to as “poor Donna”) even has an official blessing from Pope John Paul II on her dining room wall.

While I am one of the biggest U2 fans on the planet (and the show did not disappoint, though it wasn’t perfect either - the sound guy couldn’t figure out what to do with Edge’s guitar half the time), I left the United Center disturbed by a comparison I found myself making between Bono and the now deceased Pope John Paul II (stay with me here, this will make sense in a minute).

Excellent. The new pope waived the five year post-death waiting period and has nominated Pope John Paul II for sainthood. All they need now is to come up with some evidence of a miracle, and he’s ready to go.

Benedict didn’t name the countries, saying only that he appreciated messages that came from some of them following the death of Pope John Paul II and his election as pope. China, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are among the countries that don’t have relations with the Vatican.

‘Pope Benedict said on Friday he had put his predecessor Pope John Paul on the fast track to possible sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

He said that "the extraordinary experience of faith that we experienced with the death of our much-loved Pope John Paul II, has shown us a Roman Church profoundly united, full of life and rich in enthusiasm; all this is the fruit of your prayers and your apostolate."

If you watched the coverage on TV of the death of Pope John Paul II, or of the conclave which chose Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope, or the outdoors service at which Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, you probably saw and heard Fr. Thomas Reese, S.J. He provided excellent commentary during the weeks in Rome for many news organizations and did so with perspicuity and gentle humor.

When Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope there were many words written all over the world about his enforced membership in the Hitler Jugend, as well as his service in the German military. Ratzinger certainly was no confirmed Nazi, and people all over the world reacted to these newspaper and TV reports with distaste that the media would sink to such a level. But with all the pomp of the Pope John Paul II's funeral, Ratzinger's election and investiture as Pope Benedict XVI being over now some further investigations into Joseph Ratzinger's life and...

Did Pope John Paul II have what it takes to achieve sainthood? Yesterday, as newly-named Pope Benedict XVI elected to fast-forward the process by waiving the usual 5-year waiting period, Vatican-watchers recalled the 500-year tradition of the Roman Catholic church, which places hurdles in the path of one's path to canonization. The Associated Press reports:

Pope John Paul II appears to be on the fast track to sainthood after his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, decided to waive the traditional process of waiting five years after one’s death before considering potential sainthood. (TBTN contributor Alexis)

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter’s Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.

Pope Benedict XVI announced today that he is bypassing the traditional five year waiting period to begin the canonization process of Pope John Paul II. This happens on the 24th anniversary of his assassination attempt, and the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

I'm a sometimes offender in the "must have what I want now" category, so I don't want to come off too self-righteous here. Generally, I think it's a disturbing facet of our post-modern culture and leads to a lot of bad behavior. So, I think it's just a bit disturbing that the Catholic Church seems to be giving in to the same impulse. Pope Benedict XVI has apparently announced that he will seek "fast track" sainthood for Pope John Paul II. This follows John Paul II's similar decision with respect to Mother Theresa. For an institution that relies,...

"There have been too many issues taken off the discussion table. This has been very unhealthy for the Church," he argued in an editorial published between Pope John Paul's death on April 2 and Ratzinger's election 17 days later.

“Pope John Paul will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Roman Catholic community at this difficult time. Most Scots have fond memories of his visit to Scotland in 1982 when he captured the heart of the nation.”

ROME — Pope Benedict XVI said Friday he had begun the process for the sainthood of Pope John Paul II, overriding the usual five-year waiting period following the death of a possible candidate.

Immediately following Pope John Paul's death on April 2, there were calls from faithful for his sainthood. At his funeral Mass, pilgrims held up banners saying "Santo Subito" ("Immediate Sainthood").

“Look, I’m sick of Bono and I am Bono,” the leader of U2 said playfully about how he’s always in the news, either for his music or his social activism. As part of his crusade to combat Third World poverty, Bono has met with government leaders, industry titans and religious figures, including the late Pope John Paul II, who gave him a rosary during their visit. For a time in the late ’80s, Bono’s high-profile crusading posed a threat to the band because music fans were tired of pontificating rock stars. They could...

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ROME — Pope Benedict XVI said Friday he had opened the process for the sainthood of Pope John Paul II, overriding the usual five-year waiting period following the death of a possible candidate.

New Pope Should Address Holocaust Complicity: German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger should be willing to do what Pope John Paul II hinted he would do but didn’t. And that’s to come clean on the Vatican’s role in the Holocaust.

First, because of Catholic doctrine with respect to justification by faith and salvation, it is unclear whether the Pope was saved. He never made any statements related to his personal relationship to Jesus Christ in terms that would clearly indicate, in evangelical Christian language, that he was saved. However, after reviewing some of the things Pope John Paul II has written with respect to Jesus Christ and salvation, I find it hard to believe that a person who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ could write them. ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Of all the athlete trading cards on the U.S. market today, the most valuable is not that of baseball great Barry Bonds or basketball star Shaquille O'Neal but noted skier and outdoorsman Karol Wojtyla -- the late Pope John Paul II.

Beckett Media, whose pricing guides are the acknowledged arbiters of value for collectible trading cards, said on Tuesday a limited-edition Pope John Paul II from the 2005 World Treasures line of card maker Topps has sold for $8,100 (4,280 pounds).

Nibbly Things: Get Your Pope John Paul II Trading Cards

"...more than eight in 10 Roman Catholics broadly supported the selection of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to replace Pope John Paul II. Nearly as many, 73 percent, said they were "enthusiastic" about the new pontiff, though only one in four said they were strongly enthusiastic about the choice."

Regardless of the positions taken by Christians or Catholics in the historic past, the position of Christians today is clear. As Pope John Paul II has said, “The Church values the democratic system inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility both of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate.” (Source: Centesimus Annus) The Second Vatican Council likewise declared, “This Vatican...

As I flew to Wichita for their youth convention, I knew that Pope John Paul’s time was short. All the news reports were saying it was a matter of time.

There are certain moments in history when people will ask “Do you remember where you were when…?” (September 11, 2001 is a moment like that.) I smile when I think that, at the moment of Pope John Paul’s death, I was among young people, talking about peer pressure . He was energized by young people (I can see why!) and I hope (in all humility) that I was sharing a message he would have approved.

"Whatever judgment, furthermore, is made on Judge Greer's legal authority to do what he did, no Court has the moral authority to directly and deliberately take innocent life, and those ordered to carry out such decisions are morally obliged to resist them by conscientious objection. Pope John Paul II made that teaching clear in his encyclical letter 'The Gospel of Life.'"

First, as a singer, I must note that the choir of men and boys sang in tune. That in itself was heartening since at the funeral of Pope John Paul II the choir persistently came back in a full third flat. Oops. Who made me say that? Anyway...

I'll trade you my Saint Mother Theresa and King Frederick the Great cards for your rookie Pope John Paul II.

Obviously NOT by being against an unnecessary war, standing on the same principles espoused by the late Pope John Paul.

Anyone who witnessed the state funeral of Pope John Paul II, and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, must admit some heightened awareness of the influence of the sovereign Vatican. Heads of state from around the world—from all religious affiliations—came to show their respect. The political power of the papacy was palpable. It must have been really something in the Middle Ages.

President Bush and other world leaders could best honor Pope John Paul II by taking action to end genocide unfolding in Darfur region of Sudan; ...message of pope's ministry was about standing up to evil, not about holding grand funerals.

When speaking to a youth group this past weekend, it was quickly apparent that young people are wondering if the new pope will expend the same energies and time on them that Pope John Paul II did. Fortunately, I think Pope Benedict XVI has made it apparent that he will.

"At this point, my mind goes back to 22 October 1978, when Pope John Paul II began his ministry here in Saint Peter’s Square. His words on that occasion constantly echo in my ears: 'Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!'

One of the centerpieces of Pope John Paul II’s interaction with teens was the World Youth Days that took place all over the globe and brought millions of young people in contact with the pope. Interestingly enough, this year’s World Youth Day is in Cologne, Germany – the home country of our new pope, Benedict XVI. This youth day will feature the Pope, just as the earlier ones did. And this day will be the pope’s first homecoming (I believe), which is likely to make it very special.

signed the petition to proclaim that Pope John Paul II should be known

Third-grader Austin was spending time at a friend's house. As they watched TV together, a pizza commercial aired, which prompted him to turn to his friend and exclaim: "I think he died!" The friend's parents had to explain that it was actually Pope John Paul who died...not Papa John.

It was announced in the news recently that our new Pope, Pope Benedict XVI now has an e-mail address where people from all over the world can e-mail him just to say hi or to express their thoughts and concerns to the Pope. Looks like that Pope Benedict XVI wants to follow Pope John Paul II's foot steps by being at the same step with technology.

Well, it's good being in touch with technology. I'm sure no one wants to be left out in the world of technology. Pope John Paul was wise to use the media which now has an ever growing power over the minds of humans to spread the word of God. It looks like Pope Benedict XVI also plans to do the same. Technology definitely has an impact on society and the Vatican has definitely used it for means of peace and harmony to spread the word of God to the entire world.

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George Weigel, the biographer of Pope John Paul II, in Light in the New Dark Age about Benedict XVI - the name is the program, and the name is the man.

HP HBP is going to be released on July 16. And I still have not saved a copy! Wahh… I want to reserve a copy. My parents won’t let me.. huhu. And I don’t have money to buy one. I think I’ll just rush to the mall on July 16 or something. I really want to know who is going to be the next gf of Harry. Lol… haha, yes, he had one in book the fifth. Hmm. And speaking of Harry Potter, the new pope is against HP. Well, you can’t please everybody. On the other hand, the late Pope John Paul II is not against the HP books....

Speaking of religion, after Pope John Paul's death and the subsequent election of Pope Benedict, a lot of Catholic feminists have been heard to express their fears and dismay. Here's an interesting article illustrating some of those feelings. I, personally, do not believe Pope Benedict to be an evil man. I believe that his actions and thoughts are a result of what he feels is truly best for the Catholic Church and its people. I do not, however, agree with his viewpoints on many,many issues.

I just came across e-bay's auction of the Pope Chicken Breast Oooh, yes..you read that right--a baked chicken breast in the exact image of Pope John Paul II was found by a young college student while enjoying the benefits of his meal plan.

A logical mind can only conclude that if Pope John Paul II wanted to reach out to the younger generation he would find no better place than on the dinner tray of an average university student. It makes pefect sense to me...the college meal plan is all about chicken, chicken, chicken...

The decision Thursday by the Archdiocese of New York to end its relationship with Marymount Manhattan College marks the fourth time since the late Pope John Paul II issued Ex Corde Ecclesiae – the apostolic constitution on Catholic universities – that a bishop has declared a historically Catholic college or university to be not Catholic.

This new ecumenical system was established by Pope John Paul II.

In an Apostolic letter entitled ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, Pope John Paul makes a strikingly Sufic point regarding the saying of the Rosary.

To Pope John Paul II, the life of humans belongs to God and should be dedicated to Service. In his encyclical EVANGELIUM VITAE, he wrote:

Many millions of our Catholic brothers and sisters will be saddened by the death of much-loved Pope John Paul II. I watched a documentary on the Pope's life this evening with many old photos and stories. It was a great chronicle of a life lived in an extraordinary manner. I watched footage of the Pope embracing Mehmet Ali Agca, (photo above, source www.reuters.com) his attempted assassin in a very moving scene. I immediately wondered, "Whatever happened to that guy? Where is he now?"

‘Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, who gravely wounded Pope John Paul in a failed assassination attempt in 1981, was grief-stricken over the Pontiff’s death, Agca’s brother said Sunday.

There is already a photo of Pope John Paul II’s body is lying in state in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace Sunday as Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, center, sprays holy water on the body. (AP Photo/ Vatican TV via APTN)

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But we must not forget his predecessor Pope John Paul II the Great Bear.

— James Carroll, in the April 11, 2005 Time Magazine Commemorative Issue for Pope John Paul II 1920-2005

Like many, I have gobbled up much that has been written about the late Pope John Paul II since his death. The optimist that I strive to always be, I read the coverage wanting to only read the good that is being shared in celebrating a noteworthy and meaningful life. I read wanting to believe that we can have faith in our chosen leaders, wanting to know that those called to leadership will step into the shoes of humility to lead with vision, integrity, honor, truthfulness, and compassion.

When I read this article written by James Carroll for Time Magazine I felt I could stop reading; that I knew all I needed to know and wanted to know. I wish I had the tools needed to reprint for you here the picture that accompanies the article, for there is something about that picture of Pope John Paul II with his head bowed in prayer that reaches into my very core, leaving me with just one, clear, and strong thought: To those who are chosen to lead, much is required. Must such self-sacrifice be made?

The mixed legacy of Pope John Paul II

The ceremonies surrounding the death of Pope John Paul II, his funeral and the election of his successor Benedict XVI have played out according to a script written centuries ago. But the new pontiff strayed from the script Saturday, speaking to reporters before his inaugural mass tomorrow.

Mary: God\'s Yes to Man : Pope John Paul II Encyclical Letter : Mother of the Redeemer by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Journey Towards Easter: Retreat Given in the Vatican in the Presence of Pope John Paul II by Joseph Ratzinger, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

Historians will debate why the politically visionary Pope John Paul II, who was well briefed by many bishops on the sex abuse scandals that erupted in 1993, stood passive, offering minimal leadership as criminal and civil actions mounted around the world. And they may yet be surprised by Pope Benedict XVI: if he stays true to his moral absolutism, the Vatican could take a stronger stance against priests who have molested children.

In this moment, my memory goes back to the day Pope John Paul II began his ministry in St. Peter's Square. His words echo in my ears: "Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ."... If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing. It is only in this friendship that we experience everything that is beautiful and everything that is free.

Between the death of pope John Paul and election of former Hitler Youth to top post in the hierarchy, the world of religion was in disarray. Catholics had noone to tell them how to think and how to behave. I wonder what Pope Michael thinks ?

On Monday, the cardinals will reside with much more comfort within Vatican walls when they again meet to elect a pope, and hopefully, eating as well as the ISS astronauts. Given its new claim to fame, Viterbo will probably not mind that thanks to Pope John Paul, for the first time, the cardinals, like the space station astronauts, will be sustained by a more varied menu.

"Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," he said after being introduced by Chilean Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estivez.

Cardinal Ratzinger earned his way into the heart of Pope John Paul II by acting as the latter's enforcer, flexer of the magisterial muscle, the guy who launched a cunning campaign against all those "Kumbaya"-singing nuns, priests, prelates, and theologians who dared to take issue with the most draconian of the Church's doctrines: those that condemned women to a life of biological destiny; queer people to a stigmatized life of chastity; and divorced people to a status of unworthiness when it came to the central rite of the Catholic Mass,...

Leave to the losers of the internet to capitalize on the Pope John Paul II’s death:

A new spam campaign is exploiting people’s interest in and grief over the death of Pope John Paul II.

What amazes me is that these people seem to think Pope John Paul II didn't mean these things when he said them. I blame this all squarely on the dissident movements who delude people into thinking change is only a pope away.

Police have patrolled the emergency turnoff area under the Kennedy Expressway since Monday as hundreds of people have walked down to see the image and the growing memorial of flowers and candles that surround it. Beside the image is an artist�s rendering of the Virgin Mary embracing Pope John Paul II in a pose some see echoed in the stain.

Then, I just heard about a guy who bought the domain names for the top 5 Pope names he thought Pope John Paul II's successor might select. That way, they would have to pay HIM if they want a website in their own name. And, one of the 5 he picked: popebenedictXVI.com....

After two decades of contact and dialogue with the Islamic world under Pope John Paul II, the Vatican is rethinking an outreach program that critics say is diluting Catholicism and has brought almost no benefits to beleaguered Catholic minorities in Muslim countries.

VATICAN CITY (IFOC) - The Vatican has announced today that they have heard the outrage over the selection of arch-conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as their leader and are planning on returning Pope John Paul II to the public.

"We have heard the outpouring of grief across the world over the end of John Paul II's run as Holy Father and the disappointment over the elevation of the new Pope Benedict XVI," said Cardinal Glick, spokesman for the Catholic Church. "Even though the Holy Spirit never makes mistakes, we'll admit now that mistakes were made. We are happy to announce that we have listened, and Pope John Paul will be returned to the throne for religious patrons to continue to enjoy."

As the world mourns the death of Pope John Paul II, another powerful religious icon has breathed his last. Unlike the late pontiff who has received round-the-clock coverage from the various news media, the report on the death of Archbishop Iakovos was neatly sandwiched on page A9 of my local newspaper between a full page endorsement of American Idol hopeful Bo Bice and a two-thirds page car advertisement featuring a manic looking biker. I can hear you asking, “Archbishop Iakovos? Who in the world was he?” John Paul II was an international...

Upon reflecting on the life of Archbishop Iakovos, I trust I am not the only one who believes that his life was just as important as Pope John Paul II's. The only difference between the two was the stage of life on which each was placed. John Paul II inherited an international stage illuminated by a megawatt spotlight, while Archbishop Iakovos was thrust onto a regional platform with limited visibility. However, both utilized their designated stages to initiate change in the world of religion, politics and culture. Although the number of mourners...

After twenty-six years of unwavering leadership, Pope John Paul II, revered head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, has finally breathed his last. Supreme ruler of Europe’s only remaining absolute monarchy, the recently deceased Pope was indisputably the most powerful religious leader in the world. Rising from relative obscurity to become the first non-Italian pope to be elected in four centuries, Polish born Karol Wojtyla elevated the papacy to celebrity status and rapidly advanced the remaking of Catholicism that had commenced with...

I join the millions around the globe this week who applaud the accomplishments of John Paul II. In an age when many professed Christian leaders pander for popular approval, the late Pope championed the cause of the oppressed, disfranchised, and underprivileged. In an era when vengeful world leaders revel in war, the Vatican monarch vied for peace. In spite of his failure to fully address the problematic pedophilia in the Roman Catholic church, he will be remembered as a man who made a difference. Notwithstanding, I must admit that my applause is...

We are making no prediction regarding the choice of the new pope, but if the choice is Cardinal Ratzinger, it would show a preference for doctrinal continuity with Pope John Paul II, and perhaps a decision to get some breathing room – in the form of a likely relatively short papacy – after the 26 year rule of a most popular and consequential man.

Nothing Republican about any of that. Ergo, Pope John Paul II was not a Republican. Actually, we need to remember that he wasn’t even American, not for one minute, ever, while they try for awhile to make us think that in some figurative way he was, that he was actually a concurring, working member of Bush’s wacky, religious America.

Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.

Despite my self-centeredness, the world did not put itself on hold while I travailed, for seventeen days, across the fascinating continent of Europe. In my absence of my personal attention, fate continued onward in its spiral path, leaving in its wake many events for me to now comment upon. To name two of importance, Santo Padre Giovanni Paolo II (that sounds so much better than Pope John Paul II) and Saul Bellow (the author of the words in the tagline of this blog) both passed away. I won’t take time to explicate my thoughts on either two of these figures, though I will point you all in the direction of Christopher Hitchens, whose words regarding both the Pope and Bellow can be taken as rough representations of my own thoughts (even though Hitchens fudges a little bit on the Bellow piece, describing him as an ex-Trotskyite turned neoconservative - now, I can only think of one other person who also happens to fit that description. . .). But in any case, it’s somewhat refreshing to once again agree, by and large, with Mr. Hitchens.

And remember that many people think that the economic crisis during which our resources have been looted started after the visit of Pope John Paul II - may his soul rest in peace.

Our current Pope was in charge of investigating church's involvement in liberation theology in the Americas. The Vatican came out against liberation theology, and Pope John Paul II disenfranchised and sanctioned those who fought for the people in repressive regimes.

Suffice to say this: I'm already sick of right wing pundits trying to make this a victory for conservative moral values, continuing Pope John Paul's legacy. Need they be reminded that the conservative Ratzinger -- at Pope John Paul's right hand -- was adamantly against the Iraqi War? That he has spoken quite eloquently about aggressive evangelical "sects" (which would include Prostestantism) drawing people away from the Catholic faith? That he openly advocated banning Turkey, the only mostly-Arab democracy at the...

Cardinals have crests for their flags. Apparently, the crest of then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger contains the odd if not striking image of a bear carrying a pack upon its back. Pope Benedict XVI was inspired to choose this iconograpy because it represents, as the story goes, a saint who was on his way to Rome on horseback to deliver important documents. Along the dangerous path, the saint was attacked by a bear, who mauled and slayed the saint’s horse. The saint whereupon chastised the bear for killing his horse, and then commanded the bear...