Undispelled doubts on John Paul 2 What were the profound doubts about the validity of John Paul II’s beatification? They were raised by the unheard-of speed with which the case was processed, and also by the verified facts that, sadly, punctuated his pontificate, but above all by the “humanism” that formed the fundamental unity between Karol Wojtlya’s thought and his actions. These same doubts remained undispelled at the announcement of his forthcoming canonization, all the more because not one Roman authority could or would respond to them. Bishop Fellay summarized them in these words: One month after the death of John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the opening of his predecessor’s case for beatification. Less than two years was judged sufficient to conclude the diocesan process, and two other years to raise Karol Wojtyla to the rank of ‘Venerable’; on December 19, 2009, Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing Karol Wojtyla’s heroic virtues, paving the way to his beatification, scheduled for May 1, 2011. The rush that surrounded this beatification is not only regrettable in light of posterity’s judgement on this pontificate. Its most significant consequence is to neglect the serious questions addressed to the Catholic conscience, in particular with regard to the virtues that define Christian life, the supernatural and theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. In light of the first commandment of God, for example, how can we evaluate the acts of a pope who, by his words and by his kiss, seemed to raise the Koran to the same level as the Word of God (Rome, May 14, 1999)? who prayed to St. John the Baptist for the protection of Islam (Holy Land, March 21, 2000)? who was proud of actively participating in animist rituals in the sacred forests of Togo (August 9, 1985)? A few decades ago, such actions would have sufficed to cast suspicion of heresy onto their author. And today, as if by magic, they have become the sign of the virtue of faith practiced to a heroic degree? The pontificate of John Paul II and the countless innovations that punctuated it—from the interfaith meeting at Assisi (October 27, 1986) to the numerous apologies (including a ceremony of general repentance at St. Peter’s in Rome on March 12, 2000), to the first visit of a pope to a synagogue (Rome, April 13, 1986)—cannot but raise serious questions for Catholic consciences, questions that become more pressing when, through a beatification, such practices are held up as examples for the Christian people. (…) The author could, in his study, have drawn from the countless surprising, disturbing, and even scandalous facts that pervaded this pontificate. Was it dignified and acceptable for a Catholic pope to receive the sacred ashes of Shiva (Madras, February 5, 1986)? To pray in the Jewish manner at the Wailing Wall (Jerusalem, March 26, 2000)? To have the epistle read in his presence by a topless woman (New Guinea, May 8, 1984)? So many facts could have been brought up which at the very least cast a shadow over this pontificate and must disturb any truly Catholic soul. These pages, however, do not limit themselves to a purely factual dimension, but take us to the heart of the problem by exposing the essential point of this pontificate’s axis: the ‘humanism’ of John Paul II, its avowed assumptions and its inevitable consequences, a ‘humanism’ whose most striking illustration was the interreligious meeting at Assisi in 1986.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 20:38:02 +0000
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