Opinion Articles

*Spirit More than Willing
By Tracey Edstein

On 16th October 1978, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected as the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church. This week Pope John Paul II celebrated his 25th year in office. As Catholics and commentators the world over reflect on this anniversary, the editor of Aurora, the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s newspaper, offers her insights on the legacy of John Paul II’s pontificate.

Just yesterday I glimpsed a photograph of a younger, smiling Pope John Paul II. It can be too easy to forget - and salutary to remember - how vital, energetic and happy Karol Wojtyla was when the curling white smoke announced his election, and for how long he has remained so.

Now, twenty-five years on, John Paul's weakness is indeed his strength. In a world that trumpets early retirement as achievement and has a tendency to deposit the elderly elsewhere, he remains indefatigable, despite calls to hand over the keys.

As one who came of age in that same year that the announcement "We have a pope" was made twice, I have clear recollections of only one Pope. What stands out?

The image of John Paul arriving at numerous airports and kissing the ground upon arrival is a cameo for the unprecedented role travel played, and continues to play, in his pontificate.

The word 'pontiff' comes from the Latin pons meaning 'bridge'. Time and again, John Paul has shown that he is prepared to bridge gulfs between countries, beliefs and cultures by travelling to his people.

He has invariably been welcomed, often rapturously, and on arrival, he has always proclaimed clearly the teachings of the Church he felt called to lead into the third millennium.

In return, his people have visited the pilgrim Pope in unprecedented numbers, in Rome and everywhere, most notably in the Jubilee Year of 2000. They will shortly converge again for the beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a cause obviously dear to the Pope's heart.

He has been called 'the saintmaker' and indeed, no other Pope has added so many names to the canon. His motivation surely is to provide role models in a world that canonises celebrity rather than integrity.

If John Paul's pronouncements have sometimes caused chagrin, especially to a post-Vatican II generation, they have also reinforced the continuity and strength of the Catholic Church. I have heard those of other denominations say, "Even though you Catholics might not always agree, you always know clearly what you are disagreeing with." While the People of God today are far from singleminded, the word from Rome never wavers.

While the Pope ages, his appeal to the young remains. After attending World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada last year, Anne Maher, 16, of East Maitland wrote, "The Pope looked our way, right at us, and waved. For that split second it seemed that I was the only one there. It was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life."

Writing last year in The Weekend Australian, Richard Owen said "The view inside the Vatican is that the Pope who brought an end to 'the long, cold winter of communist totalitarianism'… is driven by the need to tackle the ills of the post-communist world …" Those ills, including economic, political, ethnic and religious disparities, are clearly of greater concern to John Paul than his own pain.

Commissioning the youth in Toronto, he said "It is time for us to return to our daily paths, and, just as salt adds flavour, may we bring the flavour of this day to our families and friends…"

The pontificate of John Paul II has lacked neither salt nor flavour.

*This article was published in The Newcastle Herald, 27th October 2003.