Pope John Paul II Dies
Pope John Paul II, head of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at age 84, reports the Vatican. Currently the College of Cardinals serves as the leadership of the Catholic Church during a period known as sede vacante. Since the year 1059, the College of Cardinals has served as the sole body charged with the election of the Pope. Since 1378 the College of Cardinals has chosen one of its members during conclave, or the papal election, as the new pontiff.
John Paul II served as Pope for 26 years, from 1978-2005.
posted by Sean @ 4/02/2005 03:41:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
As a Roman Catholic, I know I should be mourning the Pope's passing. But, to be honest, I don't feel much of anything about it. It's not that I'm happy he's died; it's more like a feeling I would have if I heard some other international leader had passed away--kind of a low-grade sorrow associated with the death of someone to which I had no real connection. To me, the Pope had come to represent all the stodgy, stale, out-moded and out-dated policies of the Vatican--the source of so many of my personal issues with the Catholic Church. I don't know where the Church will go from here, but I find myself only mildly interested in what comes next. I guess the Vatican and the papacy lost its relevance in my life a long time ago.
I feel exactly the same way about his passing. I don't think he has had much of an impact in the last 15 years or so, except to come out against things like stem cell research and birth control. I am, however, very interested in what comes next. I'm raising two girls in the Catholic church, and I would like to see some changes (like priests marrying, ordination of women, and more flexible stances on birth control and stem cell research). Maybe a more moderate pope would be able to make some changes.
From what I understand, Pope JPII was a great politician/people person, but not such a good administrator. So, maybe they'll be looking for someone with stronger management/CEO-type skills. It's my hope too that our next pope can bring the Catholic Church forward into the 21st Century (or at least the 20th... OK... 19th Century.)
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