MSP, my friend Bryan Fryman wrote this eulogy. I thought you might like it.
The news came in 6 hours ago that Pope John Paul II, the 264th head of the Roman Catholic Church, has passed away.
According to Catholic Tradition, the papal funeral will take place within 4-6 days of the pontiff's death, followed by a 9 day mourning period. After that time, the College of Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to deliberate and elect the new Pope. Within several months, the new Pope will be coronated and take office at the Holy See.
Catholic, Non-Catholic, or even Ex-Catholic, it is very difficult to deny the greatness of John Paul II's papacy. In his time as head of the Church, he helped defeat communism in Poland and Eastern Europe, and has been an unwavering proponent of the poor and the downtrodden across the planet. He has also reached out to young Catholics across the world by establishing World Youth Day. This is one of the many examples of how John Paul II made efforts to unite the Church by its people's faith in Christ and Catholicism's central teachings, rather than focus on their dissenting opinions.
Although his stances toward a progressive Catholicism that would include a female priesthood and a different teaching towards homosexuality or contraception were conservative, Pope John Paul II led his life in the service of God, and with the best intentions for humanity at heart. He has acted like a father to his children, guiding them toward what is right, yet at the same time allowing them to follow their own path towards God.
To many, John Paul II was the only pope Catholics have known or can remember, and to see their beloved spiritual leader pass into the hands of God will be both sorrowful, and joyous.
While John Paul II had critics throughout his papal life, he was never called a hypocrite, an opportunist, or even a politician (despite the fact that he is a Head of State). He truly lived the Gospel in his everyday life, and held the teachings of Jesus as paramount to how people lead their lives. And yet, he was simply a Child of God, and viewed each and every one of us the same way.
John Paul II has been such a child of God, in fact, that he was the first pope since St. Peter visit a synagogue, and during his papacy he made unprecedented progress towards reaching out to other major world religions. Among is other accomplishments as pontiff are that he was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, is the first Slavic Pope, was the youngest Cardinal elected pope since 1846, is the third longest-reigning pontiff, had canonized more saints than all of the previous popes combined, and is history's most travelled Vicar of Christ.
There is wide speculation that the next pope will not be European; among the prime "candidates" for the papacy are cardinals from Africa and Asia, where the Church is rapidly growing in numbers. Whether or not progessive changes will come to Catholicism remains to be determined.
The challenges the 265th pope will face are the challenges facing the world of the 21st century, such as increasing secularization across Europe, and the growing need to update the Church while still staying true to its spiritual principles, not to mention filling the shoes of a truly great predecessor.
I ask all of you to join me in remembering the life of the 20th Century's greatest pope; may his life forever be remembered for his loving kindness towards mankind, and his humble service to God.
As is customary at Mass, Peace be with you all.
Bry-Fry, Life-long Catholic
