" And ye shall know them by their fruits"

Enemy of communism,
Philosopher and theologan.
Supporter of oppressed peoples.
Defender of his faith.
Man who led by example.
Spoke the truth no matter what it cost.
Could draw bigger crowds than any rock star or tyrant.
Quite happy to tell world leaders that they were wrong.
No "quality of life" issues while he was suffering from Parkinsons disease.

Took it as it came.

Requiem in Pacem.
You will be remembered long after your detractors are forgotten.

Yes, and lets not forget, Cardinal Pell, the suffering which the Pope himself perpetrated. A useful counterbalance to your hagiography of John Paul II is provided by an obituary in the Guardian newspaper, by Terry Eagleton. The last paragraph reads:

The greatest crime of his papacy, however, was neither his part in this cover up nor his neanderthal attitude to women. It was the grotesque irony by which the Vatican condemned - as a "culture of death" - condoms, which might have saved countless Catholics in the developing world from an agonising Aids death. The Pope goes to his eternal reward with those deaths on his hands. He was one of the greatest disasters for the Christian church since Charles Darwin.

Like many ex catholics who still send our children to their schools,there is our hypocracy of disbelief,while wanting our children to have some sort of moral framework and discipline which state schools are almost bereft of.Regardless of your beliefs,John Paul the 2nd showed courage and tenacity beyond the norm of human endurance.In this reality such perserverence and resolve he deserves our our respect.Religions have perpetrated many wrongs in the past,but have also improved the human condition in many ways.

It is not what you believe that make you a decent human being ,but your actions that facilitate "The Common Good"

Yes, I'm neither a Catholic nor a Christian, and I must say that I have great difficulty imagining the motivations of the large numbers of people who would queue to file past the Pope's corpse. While I can accept that his supporters would want to mourn the passing of a man who they regard as a great leader, what's the point of idolising what is, after all, a lump of dead meat?

Also, while a certain amount of hagiography is to be expected, the glowing praises enunciated by Catholic conservatives like Pell don't accord with sentiments that have been expressed to me by Catholic clergy whom I know personally. I'm friendly with a priest and a nun, both of whom are supporters of neither John Paul II or George Pell (which may be why they've been banished to the moderately remote country town where we live).

I agree that one of the most damning aspects of the late Pope's legacy is likely to be his pig-headed opposition to the use of condoms, both for contraception and disease prevention. To me and many other non-Catholics, this exemplifies perfectly why it is that religion in general (and Christianity in particular) still exercises far too much influence in the world in the 21st century.

So it is the deeds of JP II in not handing out condoms to oversexed and unfaithful husbands and rapists (yes, those plundering soldiers carry and use condoms!) that sees innocent women dying and children born with HIV/AIDS, and silly me thinking it was those scumbag excuses for manhood who were causing the trouble?!

What pisses me off about non thinkers like "Reality Check" is their single issue tunnel vision mentality that clouds all their judgements.I agree with many of your views,but you have to see any institution in it's totality.There are many good people in that institution that give a lot to humanity.Just because you or I don't agree,doesn't mean we shouldn't show respect for all the good things they have done.Single issue fanatics are more a blight on our society than any Pope who is bound by tradition and laws in many areas.
I'm no Pope apologist,since I don't believe in the notion of god,but I do respect the other achievements of this now deceased person and the education and discipline this religion stills gives to our community.
It is just the same mentality of the "Howard Haters." They carry their nap sack of small minded venom around as their crutch as an
excuse for them not achieving,or the sole reason for the existence of some social injustice.Just get over your own egocentric ideals
and look at the positive and negative achievements of all whom you despise before passing judgement.