You're talking about individual people who have value. I'm referring to
institutions which have infections that are ignored, and therefore condoned.

"Me" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I have no problem with the Dali Lama, The Emperor of Japan, or the lunatic
on the street communicating with God. Except for the lunatic, they will
have a large number of people waiting in line to "pay their respects".

The institution of the Papal Office has enormous power, the same as "the
bully pulpit" of the US presidency. The way the person handles the power
will determine their legacy.

I disagreed with many of the policies of Bill Clinton, but when he dies he
will have many people standing in line "to pay their respects". While
Clinton was not perfect, he tried to the best of his ability to make the
US and the world a better place. 50% of American's endorsed his agenda.
I am glad that our leaders are remembered for their contributions and
efforts to improve society.



"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Me" wrote in message
...
The Catholic Church, along with every organized religion, have
situations in their history that wish they could forget. There have
been evil people who have tainted the reputations of every organized
religion, yet the major religions do provide excellent guidelines for
personal and social happiness.

Even lately, the Vatican has danced when certain aspects of recent
history have been questioned.


Pope John Paul II was not perfect, but his legacy as a decent strong
leader who made a positive impact on Catholics and Non-Catholics will be
remembered.

Actually, I think he was cool. This is not about him personally. I'm
especially amazed at much of what he did while still in Poland, and I
wish Martin Luther King had been around to see it. The two of them
would've seen eye to eye, as far as resisting evil and embarrassing those
who believe they're powerful.

However, you might want to think about this: Popes believe (loosely,
perhaps) that they have a special relationship or connection to god. So
do the emperor of Japan and the Dalai Lama. How do you feel about this?
Now....how do you feel about "civilians" who think god talks to them?
What if your wife says the same thing? How about an odd looking homeless
person ranting on a street corner? If you believe every religious person
has the same ability to communicate with god, then logically, you cannot
point to the pope as someone special. He's no different than the guy with
the biggest funny hat at an Elks club. He just got lucky.