Internet Edition Issue 2
May 2005

Editorial

Viewpoint

Cyclone Strikes Kalumburu

Managing Diabetes At Warmun

From the Office of Justice, Ecology & Peace

KCP Magazine

Viewpoint
By Bishop Christopher Saunders

John Paul II: A leader for his time

When Karol Cardinal Wojtyla became Pope on October 16,1978, he was regarded by observers as a rank outsider for the Sacred Office. The first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, his elevation came as a surprise to many. The energetic Pontiff went on to achieve a number of goals that will have far-reaching consequences for the Church and the World for generations to come.
The Holy Father travelled extensively, more than any Pope before him. He became a household name even in non-Christian countries and through the use of media his was a familiar face to countless millions. In Rome alone, during the General Audiences spanning his twenty-six year papacy, he connected with some seventeen and a half million people.

John Paul II taught with authority and counselled a world confused by rapid change and the international cultural revolution. His hand at the helm was steady and his presence stable in the midst of global instability. His written works – books, encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, apostolic constitutions, and apostolic letters – form a body of documents that is simply staggering in volume.

He proved an influential leader in world events. Through the application of great skill and determination he played a vital part in the destruction of the Iron Curtain. During his triumphant visit to Czechoslovakia in 1990 he proclaimed: “Behold the night is over, the day has dawned anew.”

In a time when human society is plainly riddled with inequalities and plagued by the pursuit of materialism at any cost, the Pope fearlessly championed the cause of the poor and helpless. He spoke out against greed, violence, war, the ecological crises and immoral trade practices.

My first personal sighting of the Pope was in 1986 when I went with some people from Kalumburu to Alice Springs. We joined thousands of others, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, to hear him speak at a park. There he delivered his famous speech to the Aboriginal people in Australia – a speech some described as a radical social teaching document while others regarded it as one that was seminal to achieving right race relations in this nation. Most indigenous people present thought of it as a profound recognition of the original inhabitants of this land and their right to existence as a distinct cultural group within society and Church. They felt particularly blessed during the event by his presence and solidarity with them. The document he delivered gave rise to great rejoicing and is one that continues to inspire people today.

In 1998 and in 2004, with other Australian Bishops, I went to Rome to attend Ad Limina visits and the Synod for Oceania. My time there convinced me that this truly was a remarkable Spiritual Leader, the right man for his time. Again, his presence was uplifting and his words were inspirational.

He has guided the Church though changing and complex times over the past twenty-six years. With spirited admonition he has set a course away from the vexations of the post Vatican II blues. He has been faithful to the teaching of that Ecumenical Council, forceful in implementing its doctrines and determined that the Church will be seen as a light to the world. To the faithful he has brought a richer and greater appreciation of our vocation to answer the call to holiness and to live according to gospel values. The Church has lost a Shepherd and the world has lost an exemplary advocate for freedom.

Pope John Paul’s work will live on through the life of the Church. By his words and example the human race will continue to benefit from the extraordinary gifts this man brought to his ministry. For him life has changed, not ended. In prayerful gratitude, we give thanks to God for the life on earth of this wonderful person. Let us pray for him. May he rest in peace.

The world was prepared for the death of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and so was the Holy Father himself. When he finally passed away on the 2nd April, 2005 at 9.37 pm (local time in Rome) sixty thousand people had gathered in an all-night vigil in St. Peter’s Square. They greeted his death not only with tears but with a rousing accolade in accord with local custom – celebrating his life, saluting his departure and giving thanks to Almighty God for the remarkable life we all shared in.

The energy of this Pope, poured out over twenty-six years as the First Bishop of the Catholic Church and its premier Shepherd, was enormous. His life was a cavalcade of pastoral visits abroad and in Italy. It is glowingly recorded in a diary jam-packed with audiences, receptions, synods and meetings. He was responsible for a huge flow of documentation that included fourteen Encyclicals (the most important form of a teaching document), fifteen apostolic exhortations and five books along with scores of Apostolic Letters.

For the majority of people he will be remembered as a Pope for the people. He travelled to be with people, to extend a feeling of solidarity with the poor and downtrodden, to preach a message of hope to those suffering oppression. His attention to Peace and Justice issues including matters related to ecology has earned him the title of “A Pilgrim for Peace and a Champion of Justice”.

Who will forget his journeys to Poland throughout the heady days of the ideological battle between the Solidarity Movement and the Communists. The collapse of the Iron Curtain can largely be credited to him more than any other person. His words of encouragement to the Palestinians in the Holy Land when he proclaimed clearly their rights and pointed out their grievances took the international world by storm. His attempts to intervene at the time of the first Gulf War were rejected but the human family knew that he had exhausted every effort to prevent the conflict. He never flinched from his belief in the Culture of Life and he strenuously opposed the notions of those who peddle the Culture of Death. He was a champion for ecology, consistent with his promotion of the Culture of Life. His many writings on the care of the Planet and life systems earned him the title of “The Green Pope”.

In the face of international conflict and any crises that bore down on human beings, Pope John Paul II became a brilliant beacon of hope and a counsellor for the cause of what is right and just. The deep sadness the Church and the world feels at his death is balanced by the knowledge that the good work he began lives on
just as he lives on in Christ.

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