The Genius of John Paul II
by Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P.
As we all know, our holy father John Paul II celebrates twenty-five years
as pope this year. The past twenty-five years have been rather rocky for
the Church and I think history will record John Paul II’s pontificate as
crucial in the implementation of Vatican II and in bringing the Church
with both feet into the modern world. But I think that, in order to see
the true genius of John Paul II and to discern his lasting contributions
to the Church’s understanding of herself, we need to look past his actions
at the ideals which underlie them; ideals which are quite new and radical
within the Church.
Every Sunday, we all profess in the Nicene Creed that we believe the
Church is “holy.” All of us believe that in some ways, the Church is
infallible and indefectible. Yet we look through the history of the Church
and realize just how much God has left vulnerable for our fallen nature to
screw up. I want to look specifically at the way the Church has treated
those who oppose her. There is a line to be walked between speaking the
truth without compromise and loving every person as a child of God,
regardless of their beliefs. These are in no way opposed to each other,
yet throughout the history of the Church, there is a pattern of
emphasizing the former to such an extent that the latter is neglected.
In the last decade of the second century, Pope Saint Victor I
excommunicated the churches of Asia Minor because they would not accept a
common date for the celebration of Easter with the rest of the Church.
This was an early and vivid exercise of papal authority, and yet, also a
very early blotch on its record; an example of the heavy-handed exercise
of power, that seems to be quite contrary to the office of the Servus
Servorum Dei.
In 431 St. Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, and Nestorius, bishop of
Constantinople met at Ephesus, along with many other bishops to discuss
the latest Christological controversy. Cyril and Nestorius disagreed
deeply about how to express the union of God and man in Christ, yet their
positions were probably not as different as they were made out to be.
Unfortunately however, honest and open discussion was not in the cards.
Before all the bishops had arrived, Cyril, of his own accord, called what
would later be known as the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus with himself
presiding. Nestorius refused to participate (complaining that his accuser
should not be his judge) and was, not surprisingly, promptly condemned by
the council and later sent into exile. The Assyrian Church of the East,
which remained faithful to Nestorius, left the Catholic Church and to this
day remains in schism.
After the council of Chalcedon, in 451, a similar split occurred. The
Church, through the Tome of St. Leo the Great defined Christ as one person
in two natures. In the years following, a similar pattern of “talking past
each other” occurred with the dissenters from that council. For the most
part, there was no “dialogue” but only rhetoric, condemnations and
excommunications. In the years following Chalcedon, another great divide
opened in the Church; that with the monophysites (including the Coptic
Orthodox) which continues to this day.
Need I mention the symbolic split between East and West in 1054 when a
hot-headed papal legate excommunicated the patriarch of Constantinople?
Need I mention the sacking of that same city by crusaders in 1204 which
cemented that schism? So many more examples could be given, but the
pattern is clear. The truth has been preserved by the Church. Yet so often
our concern has been to condemn the heretic and punish him, rather than
trying earnestly to love him, and because of that love draw him to
salvation.
There can be no compromise of the truth. Yet, cannot the truth reach out
to find a reflection of itself even in error? Cannot those in error be
heard, respected and loved before being condemned? These are the questions
John Paul II has asked, and answered. In my opinion, this is the genius of
his papacy. In his twenty five years as visible head of Christ’s Church,
he has reached out to Protestants, Orthodox, Jews and even Muslims, Hindus
and Buddhists with the humility of a little child. He comes to them,
bearing the truth yet not flaunting that truth as though it were his own.
The teaching of Vatican II has come to life in John Paul II; a teaching
that is a combination of uncompromising fidelity to the Gospel, and that
radical self-giving love personified in the passion of Jesus Christ. The
Church has seldom been able to maintain both of these.
This is the underlying ideal that John Paul II’s papacy has preached to
the world. He has helped to remind us of the implications of the words of
our Lord: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,” (Luke 6:27).
Under John Paul II a new paradigm of charity has been ushered in, one that
is almost unprecedented, yet is at the heart of the Gospel message. And
this paradigm, amidst all its humility and weakness, carries with it the
power to convert the world.
Br. Raphael Mary is
currently in his second year of philosophy.
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