The Bishop of Rome

No one who was present at the National Stadium at Mucurapo 20 years ago could ever forget that truly remarkable occasion when Pope John Paul II visited this country in February 1985. Thousands from all over this country and the Caribbean, Catholics and non-Catholics alike packed the stands in pouring rain and waited for hours until his plane which had been delayed in Peru was eventually sighted coming over the Northern Range. cheer went up as the plane flew over the stadium on its flight to Piarco. Anticipation reached its height as word reached the stands that his plane had landed and expectation grew even greater as he began the drive to the stadium passing crowds who lined the highway oblivious of the rain that fell without let-up.

As the procession from the airport drew closer to Mucurapo, the cries of “We Pope!” “We Pope!” rocked the stadium. The Pope had come to Trinidad and Tobago and the country responded that day with great gusto to a man who was not only a spiritual leader but one who had already become such a giant figure on the world scene. ohn Paul II was the first Polish pope and the youngest of the 20th century in the Catholic Church. He set a strenuous pace. When the world couldn’t come to him he went to the world. He travelled to more than 100 countries and became known as the pilgrim pope, a dynamic man whose trips circled the world 27 times and spread his message of hope and peace in a world torn asunder by so many difficulties.

He opened up the Vatican to the world uncovering the mysteries, that have veiled for so long, this heart of the Roman Catholic Church. He had great compassion for the ill and the elderly, the youth, the poor and those who suffered religious and other forms of persecution. s much as he was greatly loved by the world’s largest Christian community of over one billion Catholics, he was criticised by many for his views on contentious issues such as divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexual unions. His opposition to any role for women in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church angered many around the world.There were many who considered him out of touch in a rapidly changing world, which was ironic considering the way he made absolute use of the modern world of technology which made him a figure larger than life.

His impact on the Church will continue for many years. For the Pope has used his long term in office not only to change its direction but to virtually hand-pick those who will become the new Church leaders. n 15 years his predecessor Paul VI made only 26 new cardinals, but in 25 years Pope John Paul II has made 226. He has created nearly 500 saints, more than all of the other popes of the past four centuries put together. Pope John Paul II has appointed more than 70 percent of all Catholic bishops, and all but five of the 135 cardinals who will choose his successor.

His was the third longest papacy in the history of the Catholic Church and his death at the age of 84 yesterday brought to an end the life of a man who lived his faith because he obviously believed in his God. In the last years of his life, he was dogged by ill health, trapped in a body wracked by arkinson’s disease and many other ailments and disabilities. He turned disability and pain into virtue, surviving for so long by sheer willpower. ut the decline of the Pope was agonising to watch particularly when he failed to deliver his traditional blessing to the world at last weekend’s Easter celebrations. His passing marks the end of a powerful papacy.