RIP, Pope John Paul II
I have often heard that Pope John Paul II has a special charismatic quality and attachment with the youth of the world, particularly Catholic Youth. I suppose I shouldn’t doubt that… talking with devout Catholics of my age-group, they invariably would express great affection to Pope John Paul II.
It had to be seventh grade, given my time-line of CCD classes (basically from 6th grade to 9th grade, nobody wanted my particular grade — thus I have a strange motley crue of semi-reluctant teachers of Catholic Doctrine, most infamously the End-of-Times Fundamentalist that pretty much literally scared the Jesus out of me; most distressingly the dearth of 8th grade when the class dwindled to four kids) when I watched a bad propaganda-ish film, mimicking some production stunts developed by MTV, that called a gathering of Catholic Youth to see the Pope “the Pope’s Woodstock.” My general question was, “Why did they produce this dreck?” (ie: various Protestant Churches oughta be the home of such saccharine.)
After a while, everything and everyone becomes a caricature. Thus, a Jumping Pope on a Pogo-Stick moves through stages of production before being canned.
And the Pope watches someone break-dance. Why? I guess the man loves the art of break-dancing!
None of which shortchanges him from single-handedly bringing down the Soviet Union and Communism (one of four figures who can claim to have single-handedly accomplished that feat — the other three, of course, being Ronald Reagan, The Beatles, and Osama Bin Laden.) Or his ecumenical approach to politics and religion which reshaped the Catholic Church and its relationship with the world. Or anything of any real substance or import.
All I can really say is that… I don’t think the next Pope is going to be so easily transferred as jumping on a pogo-stick.