The first pope I remember was Pius XII. He seemed remote and impersonal and anachronistic to me. John XXIII was round john and disruptive to All Saint's parish. We were confused when the Latin mass was eliminated, when the priests turned around to face the congregation, turning away from the ornate, vaulting altars from which the mass was "said". It upset my Irish Catholic family. I left the church. I paid little attention to Paul VI. But Pope John Paul II was something else again. His vigor and physicality, his matinee idol good looks, his purposeful engagement with the world, sparked renewed interest. I didn't return to the church, since I was now a Methodist. But, I admired him.

I'm not saddened by his death. He was a valuable man in our times, but he deserved a good death and was, no doubt, welcomed by choirs of angels and reception lines of former popes and religious leaders in heaven. I wonder about the times we live in and who will follow him. I wonder about the spectacle of his death and burial. CSPAN idologues who hold GLBT and feminist idology as their highest value have been bashing him this morning. They show whose they truly are. Reuters has listed about ten potential successors, many of whom are cardinals in the third world. This pope had such a great effect on keeping the church orthodox, that a follower who was not of that mode is unthinkable. The follower must be approved by two-thirds of the cardinals. I look for a rapid replacement.

I'm tired. I hope to rest today.

John Paul II, requiescat in pace. May perpetual light shine upon you. In Jesus Holy name.