Remembering John Paul II

It seems amazing that one year has passed since John Paul II died.

While I am not a Catholic, I admired the man, his charisma, and his genuine love for people. Growing up in a highly Catholic neighborhood, he was the only Pope I really remembered. I remember his trips two trips to the Detroit area as more exciting than when Presidents would visit.

There is something intangible about men like John Paul II. Something in them reaches out beyond religious borders and captivates people. It is a rare trait, and a powerful trait when used for good, as John Paul did for his 26 years as Pope.

There was something else appealing about him, something very human about him. Something that, even though he was the Pope, at the same time made him "one of us." The man faced Nazi oppression, even working in a forced-labor camp. He later faced down the Communist Party worldwide, as a Cardinal in Krakow and later as Pope. He was a man who met scary challenges and left the world remarkably better off as a result.

He was a good man and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, seems like a good man too.