(The Nationalist, October 2003)
Karol Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, was elected pope 25 years ago on 16 October 1978, and took the name of John Paul II. By any standards, he has had an impact of historic proportions on the Church.
- He has completed over 100 pastoral visits to many countries.
- He has produced an enormous volume of teaching.
- His acknowledgement of wrongs done by the Church in the course of history and his request for pardon has helped heal wounds.
- His invitation to leaders of other faiths to come together to pray was an imaginative step.
- His sheer hard work at being pope impresses everyone, for example, learning languages.
- His greatest achievement, I believe, was the part he played in ending communism. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, publicly attested to this on several occasions.
Despite these attainments, I see John Paul as a tragic figure, someone who has devoted his huge energy and intellect to fighting and winning the wrong battle – imposing a flawed image of the Church through re-centralized control from the Vatican. The result has been the demoralization of the episcopate, and, in practical terms, the abandonment of Vatican II’s vision of the Church as the People of God in favour of the old style hierarchical and monarchical model.
The pope’s legacy is a Church more divided and alienated than for centuries. There have been huge losses under his pontificate. His policies stifled intellectual freedom, creating a climate of fear. The ecumenical venture is going nowhere, the enthusiasm for it lost. Despite many agreed statements between the Churches, it has run aground. The appointment as bishops of “safe pairs of hands” lacking the qualities to deal with difficult issues has resulted in a loss of trust.
What has been demonstrated since Vatican II is that the Church failed the task of reform. Its seeming inability to deal realistically and humanly with the challenge of human sexuality is an illustration. As a result, the Church has lost credibility.
We are now seeing the demise of the model of Church – the particular way of being Church – that we have known for centuries. That, by itself, is no loss. In the Church we need, but do not have, credible and accountable structures of collegiality, subsidiarity and participation, and the spirit to animate them.
The Church has lost a sense of mission, turning inwards in self-absorption, anxious to protect itself, forgetting that it is no more than a means to an end, the end being the Kingdom of God.