Vale Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II has passed away today. I won’t elaborate on his papal achievements or failings as the world press will be teeming with these. But I like to list 3 major issues that I personally reckon as the main issues of his career:

(1) His reconciliation efforts with the Jews, Muslims, Greek Orthodox Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, (his unsuccessful attempt with) the Russian Orthodox Church, and other Schools of Christianity.

(2) His somewhat belated but still-welcomed willingness to confront and purge the Catholic Church of perverts, paedophiles and scoundrels, instead of burying the Church’s head in the sand of infallibility.

(3) His refusal to give in to liberal Catholics on the ‘pill’. This issue is something for the Catholics to debate among themselves as to whether the Pope had been resolute in his faith or merely stubborn in an out-of-date ideology.

Requiescat in pace, papa!