CAPTION.
CREDIT
I applaud Peggy Noonan’s commentary about Pope John Paul II, whose beatification puts him on the road to sainthood (“Make Him a Saint,” PostScript, May 1).
He truly changed the world and was, in part, responsible for the fall of the Soviet Union.
John Paul was a shining light who enlightened both the young and old alike. He was a true religious leader and a man of the people.
Santo Subito! Make him a saint!
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
***
Many have commented on John Paul being “made” a saint by the Catholic Church.
The church, however, does not “make” saints. The canonization process is simply a declaration that the person already is in heaven.
John Paul, by his holy life and with the help of God’s grace, has assuredly earned that place to which his first miracle attests.
After his second miracle, the church will publicly acknowledge that his soul indeed rests with the angels and all the hierarchy of heaven.
Catherine N. Dillon
Manhasset
***
It’s amazing that there was wall-to-wall coverage of the royal wedding on all the major news networks, yet very little coverage on the beatification of a great man.
Albert Catani
Hazlet, NJ
***
The harm and sexual abuse of children by so-called men of God is one of the worst criminal acts known to mankind, yet I feel the media did not give it enough coverage.
The Catholic Church is obviously a powerful, corrupt and influential organization — a force to be dealt with, not blinded by.
John Paul is no saint. His whole body of work needs to not only be recognized, but also scrutinized.
Robert Henry
Palm City, Fla.
***
The editorial on John Paul’s beatification is very much appreciated (“Blessed Is the Peacemaker,” May 1).
The Holy Father’s profound interest and love for all God’s children seemed to surface anytime a group or individual was unfairly maligned.
On one of those occasions, John Paul strongly and publicly criticized the blatant bigotry of anti-Semitism when he stated that “anti-Semitism is a sin against God.”
John Paul was truly a man for all seasons.
Thomas E. Dennelly
Sayville
***
As a Catholic, I feel betrayed by the Vatican, which has shamelessly fast-tracked John Paul on the road to sainthood.
John Paul had a lasting effect on worldwide geo-political events. He also displayed the Roman Catholic Church’s shortcomings in dealing with the sanctity of its own administration under his care.
But it appears his path to sainthood has been manufactured by either fortunate circumstances or previously disregarded events of saintly precedents in John Paul’s life.
John Paul may have put both his own countenance and the Catholic Church on the map with a renewed vigor as the Catholic faith lay wounded by its own infallibility. However, this pontiff’s sainthood seems based more on good intention and less on miracles.
Daniel Kowbell
Mississauga, Canada
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The Post’s claim that the Soviets “flinched” when John Paul told them he would not stand silent if they crushed the Solidarity movement in Poland is historical revisionism at its worst.
The Soviets used their Polish proxy, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, to suppress the Solidarity movement in defiance of the pope.
The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union came years later, due to the failures of Gorbachev’s reform efforts and had nothing to do with pronouncements from the Vatican.
Dennis Middlebrooks
Brooklyn
