John Paul II's Mixed Legacy

John Paul II was a brave, holy man. But his authoritarian style--especially on sexual doctrines--polarized the Church.

The late pope was a scholar, a poet, a charismatic presence, a brave and holy man--he was surely one of the most influential religious leaders in the world. His stand against war, most specifically the Iraq war, presented a vigorous and determined challenge to conservative American Catholics--which most of them simply ignored. He stood for what the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin called the consistent ethic of life. He condemned abortion, war, and the death penalty. Again, conservative American Catholics insist that the first condemnation is the only one that really matters.

One can proclaim his greatness and influence, praise his determination in the face of death, and celebrate his long reign--and still raise questions about his legacy. The Catholic Church today is polarized by deep disagreements between progressives and those who would restore the status quo ante the Vatican Council, between laity and lower clergy on the one hand and the Roman Curia on the other, between those who favor the decentralization suggested by the council's theory of "collegiality" and those who favor ever tighter control from Rome. The next pope, who may well be chosen because he is seen as a "healer," will have a very difficult time and will risk being torn apart by the centripetal energies in the church.

After the appealing Pope John and the hesitant Pope Paul, John Paul II inherited a church in deep confusion. The moderate reforms of the council had made change possible in the church and destabilized the structures of 19th-century Catholicism which contended that the church did not change, would not change, could not change. The resulting chaos led many of the laity and the lower clergy to expect more change, and then enact change on their own initiative, especially in sexual matters.

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