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Jewish World Review April 7, 2005 / 27 Adar II, 5765
Linda Chavez
The Pope's life and teachings: An example to how to lead better Christian lives
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Pope John Paul II's death on Saturday has sparked an
unprecedented focus on his teachings and those of the Catholic Church. In
his life and in his death, the humble priest from Poland exemplified the
precepts of a 2,000-year-old institution that has shaped much of the world
for centuries. He stood for life against death. He championed the vulnerable
over the powerful. And he resisted the siren call to abandon fidelity to
tradition and Church doctrine which earned him numerous critics among the
cultural elite, especially for his stance on human sexuality and the role of
women in modern life.
Since the pope's death, liberal commentators on television and
radio have tried to walk the fine line between criticizing the pope's
theology and appearing to criticize the man, as if with this pope there
could be any distinction between the two. Some dissident Catholics, for
example, have suggested that whoever is chosen when the Conclave of
Cardinals meet in Rome on April 18, he must heal the wounds they claim were
created by this pope. Father Andrew Greeley, an influential writer and
sociologist, wrote in the New York Daily News this week on the legacy of
Pope John Paul II: "The Catholic Church, so attractive during the time of
Pope John XXIII [1958-63], lost much of its respect and esteem especially
because it was perceived, perhaps unfairly, to be hostile to both women and
homosexuals." But the growth among new Catholics would appear to contradict
the dissidents' carping.
Since 1978 when Pope John Paul II became pontiff, the Catholic
Church has nearly doubled in membership from 757 million to some 1.1
billion, keeping rough pace with the growth in world population. Although
Islam is generally referred to as the fastest-growing religion in the world,
Moslems number less than a billion and are losing ground to Roman Catholics
in some traditionally Muslim areas, including Africa. In 2003, the last year
for which statistics are available, the Catholic population of Africa grew
by 4.5 percent, for example. And even in the Americas (the Church measures
North and South America as one entity), where Church membership grew by only
1.2 percent in 2003, the Church has been losing ground to conservative
Evangelical Christian denominations, not to "progressive" mainline
Protestantism. Indeed, the religious communities that are in deepest trouble
in the United States are those that have most strayed from orthodox belief
and practice, from Episcopalians, whose hierarchy have accepted the
ordination of homosexuals and even their consecration as bishop, to Reform
Judaism, the bulk of whose membership rarely shows up for services beyond
the Jewish High Holy Days.
Pope John Paul II did not make it easier to be a Catholic in a
modern, secular world. He asked that Catholics sacrifice, that they not be
seduced by momentary pleasures, that they live for others rather than for
themselves. He urged Catholics to put their faith at the center of their
lives, not to relegate it to an hour a week, or worse, to an occasional
holiday like Christmas or Easter. He expected Catholics to be an example to
those who did not share their faith, and especially to those who lacked
faith altogether. It was a tall order, but from the moment he assumed his
office, Pope John Paul II promised that faithful Catholics would not be
alone in their struggle.
"Be not afraid," the pope said in his inaugural sermon,
harkening the words Christ spoke to his disciples when He reappeared after
the Resurrection that He would remain with us always. The words echo those
used numerous times in the Hebrew Bible to reassure the ancient Hebrews
that G-d would stand steadfast with the people so long as they honored their
covenant with Him. "Be not afraid. Christ knows 'what is in man.' He alone
knows it," the pope assured his listeners. The message was clear Christ
has faith in man even when we do not have faith in ourselves.
Like the Teacher whose vicar on earth he was, John Paul II
believed that we are all capable of leading better, more authentically
Christian lives and his words and example remain with us even after he
has departed this world.
JWR contributor Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity. Her latest book is "Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)
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