And humans, with all their sins, personality quirks and faults have become saints!

I personally think that he is destined for sainthood. Despite problems discussed here, and despite the fact that we may or may not disagree with him on this or that issue, the whole Western world, Catholic and non-Catholic, looks to him as a voice of morality and ethics.

For me, it is his very 'unhumanly' humility...in forgiving and visiting the Muslim man who tried to kill him, and for his turning the other cheek, many, many times, for the sake of unity with my Orthodox church, have clinched his sanctity for me!

The love and respect he has displayed for others, (Christian and non-Christian) despite being in the highest position of ecclesiastical power that exists is awesome.

In his example, I see a person whose spirit truly bows before the image of God in everyone. In his example, I see someone whose soul truly follows the teachings of Christ. May God grant Him many years!

In Christ,
Alice

Alice, you may be right about him as a future saint. He certainly has suffered much, that's for sure. I see him as a person with great strengths. Sometimes, great strengths can be interpreted as weaknesses in the context of a given situation. But one thing is sure, he has a formidable will. When I see him on TV, it looks like that strong will is the only thing keeping his failing body going.

Its interesting that the Hindus think of him as a holy man. When he visited India they vied with one another to see him, believing that they would be blessed if they beheld a "holy man".

"I am all things to all men so that Christ may be known." St. Paul -- and apparently also HH Pope John Paul II.

Marduk

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AMEN! Thank you Alice, You put it so well!

Gratefully,

Mary Jo

Alice,

What a beautiful reply. Thank you.

I have two wishes for the Pope - perhaps selfish, perhaps not.

First, I wish - and pray, but not often enough, that JPII can meet with the MP. I see us as one church, divided by man and his petty bickerings and great sin. May one day those sins be forgiven.

Second, I hpe he can come to Pittsburgh one day. Pitsburgh has a significant number of Latin Catholics and is, of course, the home of the Ruthenian Metropolia in the United States.