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Introducing her book
"I am my father's daughter"
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| POPE JOHN PAUL II: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT THE CHURCH TO THE PEOPLE |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Tuesday, April 12 2005 |
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| VATICAN CITY -- It is rare that a single man leaves such an indelible mark on humanity. Karol Wojtyla is such a man. As the leader of more than 1 billion Catholics for the past 26 years, Pope John Paul II stood firm on traditional church doctrine, moved to heal open wounds left by the church's past mistakes, united all religions and became a leader on the world political stage. But his most important legacy is the way the former archbishop of Krakow, Poland, touched the lives of those he came in contact with.
As a pilgrim of peace, the pontiff took his message of hope to virtually every corner of the world. "He would say that he had to be the sweeper of the world and clean the roads to allow faith and love to come through," said Paloma Gomez Borrero, a Spanish journalist who accompanied the pope in all his travels abroad. "He knew they couldn't all come to Rome, so he became the pastor of the world and went to them."
So it was fitting that upon his death, millions of those he touched came to Rome to pay their respects. Many put aside their differences with the Catholic Church -- even with the pontiff himself -- to pay tribute to the man who played such an important role in history. And they came from everywhere: by car, by train, by airplane, in motorcycles or buses.
Along Via della Conciliazione and the many narrow streets that lead to the Vatican, mourners waited patiently for up to 24 hours to bid farewell to the pope. "It is a moral responsibility," said a woman from Guatemala. "We have no right to complain about something so mundane as to have to wait in a line."
It was difficult to find someone in that line who didn't have a pope story to tell -- when they saw him last, what he said, how he made them feel. "He is in heaven, and he will take care of us," said a woman from Mexico who recalled his words during his last trip to her country: "I am leaving, but I am not leaving, because I will always be with you."
Pope John Paul II had an especially close relationship with Mexico, the second largest Catholic country in the world, after Brazil. He traveled there five times, and on his last trip in 2002, he canonized Juan Diego, making him the first saint of indigenous descent.
Gomez Borrero recalled the pontiff's first trip to Mexico, just three months after beginning his papacy. "Here is a Polish pope who has suffered years of communist and totalitarian regimes and arrives in Mexico, where he finds a population full of joy that adores him and sings to him." Adding to that their devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe, "the whole experience fills him with such energy and enthusiasm that he doesn't want to leave."
I saw a similar reaction while covering several of the pope's visits to Latin American countries. Whether it was El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil or Fidel Castro's Cuba, John Paul II had an unmatched ability to draw hundreds of thousands of people. Some were inspired by him; others got a sense of peace and serenity in his presence. He didn't solve the problems caused by poverty or stop the hunger in underdeveloped countries, but he gave them hope, in their own language.
The 116 cardinals who will convene here to decide on a successor to John Paul II have a formidable task before them. Karol Wojtyla was no ordinary man; he was one of exceptional intellect, incomparable charisma and unwavering convictions. He was compassionate yet firm. He was gentle yet unyielding in his beliefs. He was humble yet grand. He was worldly.
As men of wisdom and faith, the cardinals must certainly realize that there's no turning back to the days when popes hid behind the walls of the Vatican, surrounded by a veil of secrecy. With the many challenges the Catholic Church faces as an institution, the cardinals must elect a pope for the 21st century -- a pope who, with his own divine inspiration, will continue to bring the church to the people. |
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