Getting our bearings

After a tenure of 26 years John Paul II is the only pope that nearly 50% of the world has ever known. After having traveled 750,000 miles around the globe, he is the only one the whole world has ever had the opportunity to see. As he leaves behind a prolific, charismatic and controversial legacy, high expectations will surround the next pontiff. Yet while John Paul has changed the face of the papacy forever, it is safe to assume that no subsequent pope will be quite like him. Those who came before certainly were not.

A snapshot review of John Paul’s predecessors from just within his lifetime confirms this. From the diplomatic Benedict XV to the outspoken Pius XI, from the enigmatic Pius XII to "good" John XXIII and from the reflective Paul VI to the approachable John Paul I, each one shaded the papacy with his own individual hue. Each led a changing Church in a changing world. Each was controversial in his own right, marked by features thrown into sharp relief by the burgeoning mass media. While history has studied all of them, it has not been indulgent with any of them. Even now from beyond the grave, some fight for their reputation. Yet, despite such diversity, only within this papal procession can the impact of John Paul II’s pontificate be more clearly seen by those who will inherit the Church of the third millennium.

So, given this context, just how will the Church, led by the Spirit of God, choose its next pastor?