The John Paul II Legacy

Perhaps a Jewish boy is not the most qualified commenter on the legacy of Pope John Paul II, but even for those of us who felt that his church owed some debts to history, John Paul has made handsome payments on them. There is little question that in his best days, this pope was instrumental in the liberation of Eastern Europe and the transformation of Communism from global threat to just another discarded form of absolutism.

History, for the most part, does not remember small things, even if cumulatively, they are really big things. History will probably not long remember the multitude of good works the church has done by running thousands of orphanages, educating millions of children, and bringing comfort to billions of believers. But history will never forget that by elevating a courageous man to the papacy from among the ranks of the oppressed, it helped bring freedom to millions.

How can the church build on this legacy of standing with the oppressed? By electing a Chinese pope who can challenge the regime and the puppet church it uses as an instrument of its religious oppression.