I have to admit that I'm bummin' about the Pope today.
Now, stop, I'm serious. I'll be the first to admit that the Roman Catholic Church and I have absolutely nothing in common and in fact I loathe and actively fight against many of its tenets; all the same, the impending death of the only Pope I can remember is making me very sad.
I actually remember when Pope John Paul II was elected after the death of John Paul I whose tenure lasted only 33 days. I was 9 and I remember that my grandmothers (both Catholic though neither practicing) were fans of the youngish Holy Father. That he was Polish, and of Lithuanian descent on his mother's side, made it even that much cooler.
Seeing photos of him today as a young man floored me - I had forgotten how vibrant and charismatic he was. The years and his illness took such a toll that it's been difficult to look at him for a long time now. Twenty-six years from there to here. So much has changed.
Sometime soon, perhaps today or tomorrow, John Paul II will once again be called, three times, by his birth name: Karol Józef Wojtyla. When he doesn't answer, an era will end and yet another link to my childhood will be gone.
I wish him peace on his journey.
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1 comment:
Scott and I were talking about when he got annointed and how clearly I remember that. (My aunt, with whom I spent a lot of my childhood, is Roman Catholic.)
It was like Diana's wedding more than a year later- my aunt made a huge deal out of both happenings.
I wonder about the major events that unfolded- just in the past year alone- and how, if, they will impact my child.
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