Catholics mull pope’s legacy.
By: Leon Tovey
Local Catholics reflected quietly on the passing and legacy of Pope John Paul II this week by attending daily and special Masses and praying for the soul of the 84-year-old pontiff whom many praised as the most important leader of the church in living memory.
The Rev. Charles Scillieri of St. James the Less in Jamesburg called the pope, who died last Saturday after a long and public bout with Parkinson’s disease, a "man for his age."
St. James has not held a special Mass to observe the pope’s passing though a spokesperson for the church said attendance at daily Masses has spiked this week. Father Scillieri said the pontiff’s legacy would figure largely into sermons at the church’s regular Masses.
Father Scillieri said Pope John Paul’s role in the end of communism in Europe and his championing of human rights around the world are the two things that he would most remember about the Polish-born pope, who was the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years.
"God calls different men to be pope at different times in history," Father Scillieri said. "He was really a man who was sent to lead his people at a difficult time and he had a huge impact on the world."
The Rev. Edward R. Flanagan of Nativity of Our Lord in Monroe agreed.
"For myself, the phrase I always recall when thinking (of John Paul II) is, ‘be not afraid,’" Father Flanagan said. "Be not afraid to allow the spiritual life to shine even to outshine the physical life.
"He did that. Think of what he did in Poland, encouraging Poles to get in touch with their faith in the face of communist rule," Father Flanagan continued. "And think about how that affected the Solidarity movement and what that led to."
Father Flanagan, who made a 10-day Lenten pilgrimage to Rome last month, said the pope’s fearlessness and determination were even visible in the final weeks of his life.
The night the pope was released from Gemelli Polyclinic, the Vatican City hospital where he was treated for breathing problems earlier this year, rather than going straight to his apartment, the then-ailing pontiff stopped to bless the clergy and staff who had gathered outside his apartment, Father Flanagan said himself among them.
"It was just a small reminder of the depth of his faith," Father Flanagan said.
Father Flanagan said around 100 people attended Nativity’s special Mass for the pope Tuesday evening. Regular daily Masses had not had an unusual number of attendants, but many of those who attended the church’s Thursday morning Mass said the pope is in their thoughts and prayers.
"We did pray that he died peacefully," Rossmoor resident James Donegan said of himself and his wife, Doreen. "And we pray for the cardinals (who will choose John Paul’s successor later this month) to choose someone like him, who will stand firm in his beliefs and continue in the direction he took."
Toni Acone, a resident of Newport Beach, Calif., who was visiting her sick aunt in Monroe, also attended Mass at Nativity on Thursday. She said she hoped to see John Paul II’s successor embrace the approach taken by the late pope both in worldly issues and church doctrine.
John Paul II was widely considered a conservative; he rejected many of the reforms of the second Vatican Council and was opposed to artificial birth control, abortion and the ordination of women.
Ms. Acone said she agreed with the pope’s conservative approach to church doctrine.
"Right is right and wrong is wrong," she said.
For his part, Father Flanagan rejected the description of the pope as conservative, saying simply, "this was not his agenda, this is the church’s agenda."
He added that everyone even the pope is an individual with a different approach to matters of life and faith, and that the choosing of a successor would not be "a matter of filling someone else’s shoes."
Father Scillieri agreed, but said that because most of the current cardinals had been appointed by John Paul II, whoever was chosen as his successor would likely continue his approach to doctrinal issues.
"So it looks like things will be better," Father Scillieri said. "Or worse depending on your point of view."

