Remembering Pope John Paul II

This article will be a departure from my normal pieces on Lutheranism. In fact, it may seem to many to be a radical departure. It was not too long ago that a positive article on a pope would hardly be found on a Lutheran-oriented publication.

Yet times change and so do attitudes. This does not mean that I repudiate my Lutheran background and embrace Roman Catholicism. There are still issues which divide the two camps that need to be discussed and debated. But that does not mean we cannot treat each other with respect and Christian love and humility. We all use the same Word of God and the same sacraments. We simply disagree on issues where there is valid concern.

I was in high school when John Paul II became pope in 1978. His election was a surprise, but then again so was the sudden death of his predecessor, John Paul I, who died 33 days after becoming pope. (The shortest reigns are either the 12 days of Urban VII in 1590AD or Stephen II, who was elected in 757AD but died four days after his election. Both men died before their coronation.) He would be seriously wounded in an assassination attempt in 1981, several months after an assassination attempt on American President Ronald Reagan.

Born Karol Josef Wojtyla in Poland, the young man lived under the totalitarian regimes of Nazism and Communism. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that he spoke out against tyranny and for the freedom of the human spirit as pontiff. Karol was also skilled as an athlete and an actor. No doubt the bond between John Paul and Ronald Reagan came from their love of acting, their love of the outdoors and sports, and their united opposition to tyranny.

In 1978 Karl Wojtyla was elected Pope, the first from Poland (and in fact from any Slavic nation) and the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years. Few then thought that this pope would reign as long as he did. Perhaps the stunning death of John Paul I led to the election of a younger man.

Wojtyla was involved in the Second Vatican Council and while he embraced historic teachings of the church, he also saw room where the church could grow and change.

As a Lutheran I enjoyed John Paul's embrace of his salvation through Christ alone. Others may focus on John Paul's accomplishments in helping end Communism or changing the church, but I was heartened to see his clear pronouncements of the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Were it such that the office of the papacy didn't cloud this man's faith and his pronouncement of that faith!

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