Journal Shadow Wrought's Journal: The Passing of Pope John Paul II 1

I grew up with a Catholic background, and though I was never confirmed, I am still fascinated by the Church. In my humble opinion, Pope John Paul II did a very good job in his Papacy. In many ways the Church is at a crossroads. The world is advancing at an extremely fast pace and the Church is caught between advancing with it, and maintaining those beliefs and practices which it has held sacred for two-millennia. So, as Pope, you not only have to bring the Church up to date with the times, but you also have to keep it from outstripping its beliefs. Despite being caught in an ever present balancing act between these two forces, the Pope was able to reach thousands of people and leave the world with a net positive effect for him having held the reigns.

It will be interesting to see who is elected as the new Pope. With so many more Catholics now living in places other than Italy, I wonder if we will see a Latin American or Philippino Pontiff. While I don't think that that will happen this time around, it is fascinating to think about the change in dynamics that such a minority Pope might have. The balancing act I described above would surely seem different to the eyes of someone who was raised in one of these poorer nations.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the Pontiff and his possible successor?