Russell Croteau
It took longer than I expected, but sure enough in Monday's edition of The Eagle the anti-Catholic bigotry of an ignorant secularist was given a forum to spew his hateful and offensive rhetoric. The death of Pope John Paul II is a deeply emotional event in the lives of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. His spiritual guidance through some of the world's most turbulent times has been a great source of comfort and strength to people living under the evil regime of Communism. His outreach to members of other religions and acknowledgment of past wrongs committed by the church have brought feuding people of faith together in the spirit of peace and understanding. His tireless activism on behalf of the poor, the oppressed and the helpless is the reason the Holy Father is being mourned by not just Catholics but all people of faith throughout the world.
Unfortunately those who hate religion will take the opportunity of the pope's death to point out discrepancies between the actions of lay Catholics in America and the teachings of the church. To them, a Catholic who has heartfelt disagreements with one or two of the church's teachings is being disingenuous for honoring a great and holy man. Apparently Catholics, or anyone of any faith, must subscribe to every tenet of their religion or be labeled hypocrites; this narrow-minded approach to something as complex as religious faith demonstrates the denseness of the author and his argument.
In his 27 years as pope, the Holy Father did not shy away from controversial issues. War, birth control, capital punishment and abortion are all subjects that John Paul spoke extensively on during his pontificate and are all subjects that arouse a deep emotional reaction from a large number of people. To the frustration of conservatives and liberals alike, he was consistent on the church's position. All life is sacred and each person has value, and to take a life or encumber liberty is not only a crime against man, but it is an attack on God. When you make statements like that, many people will attack you and try to impugn your moral authority, as we saw in Monday's article.
Thankfully, the vast majority of people on this campus and throughout the world recognize the contribution Pope John Paul II made on the 20th century. They also understand that disagreeing on political or social issues is not a reason to ignore the impact he has had in the lives of people all over the world. For hundreds of years there has been a large rift between Catholics and Protestants, with both sides deeply untrusting each other. That is why it so heartening to see Christian Evangelicals and other prominent Protestant leaders come out over the last week and talk about the good works and moral leadership the pope provided over the last quarter-century. At his funeral, called the largest in history, leaders from predominantly Christian, Muslim and Jewish nations attended. Millions watched on television in the United States, Israel, Egypt and even Iran, where a ban on satellite TV was largely ignored.
To honor this man of God is not hypocrisy or posturing; it is acknowledging that a person deeply committed to the preservation of life and the prospect of world peace has left this world, and for that we should all be allowed to mourn.
Russell Croteau is a junior in the School of Public Affairs.
