Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, one of the giants of the last century, died peacefully as thousands waited in silence outside the papal apartment. He was buried last Friday in a solemn liturgy at St Peter's Basilica.

It was fitting that this pope who used the media to his full advantage in life would now have them at his disposal in death. Through the use of global telecommunications millions of people around the world would have witnessed the funeral Mass that ended with his being entombed in the Vatican Grotto.

His achievements were so immense that the Church in due course may very well confer on him the title – John Paul the Great. Catholic News therefore considers it necessary to review the impact of this papacy in this week's editorial.

John Paul's greatest impact was on the geo-political scene. His actions here touched not only Polish Catholics, but people the world over. He succeeded where successive world leaders since the end of the Second World War failed – bringing about the fall of the Iron Curtain.

While the late US President, Ronald Reagan was a close aide in this non-violent collapse of communism John Paul remained its most influential and determined protagonist. At the point of his death his work was not yet done.

The pope was not content to see the fall of communism; he wanted to see a unified Europe . He hoped the European Union would expand over the years to include Central and Eastern Europe so that in the end there would be one Europe bonded in peace and solidarity.

RECONCILIATION AND DIALOGUE

Another distinctive mark of John Paul's papacy was reconciliation. He set a personal example of reconciliation when he met his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, in a Rome prison in December 1983 and forgave him for his crime.

But the pope took this message of reconciliation much further. More than any other pope in history he has healed much of the bitterness between the Church and the Jewish people. Against much curial opposition, the pope uttered a watershed public apology in Lent 2000 for the sins of the Church throughout history.

That same month he visited the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and inserted a prayer for forgiveness in a crevice of that wall. The pope's example in reconciliation is pertinent to us here as well as we await the report of the tribunal (soon to be convened) to investigate the conduct of the Chief Justice – a process that can turn into a politico-racial nightmare.

Inter-religious dialogue has been another highpoint of this papacy. Under John Paul II we have come a long way from “ extra ecclesiam nulla salus ” – “outside the Church no salvation”. In his encyclical Redemptio Missio (1990) John Paul II outlined the importance of inter-religious dialogue as a constitutive dimension of evangelisation.

The pope particularly endeared himself to the religious traditions of Africa , saying the Church must promote in them what is good and reject what is evil. At a time when the world is suspicious of Islam, John Paul II recommended courses in Islam as part of seminary syllabuses.

He further indicated the ultimate goal of inter-religious dialogue – humanity's recognition of the one God at work in the world and its coming together in the one communion of prayer. This was emphasized forcefully at the first gathering of world religious leaders in Assisi in 1986.

We in this country should feel proud since we too have had a tradition of joint prayer services. Initiated under Archbishop Pantin it has continued under Archbishop Gilbert and is a major focus of the IRO (Inter-Religious Organization).

SOME DRAWBACKS

Notwithstanding the greatness of this papacy there have been some drawbacks. Many women feel that John Paul's teaching on women has not gone far enough but has remained in traditional categories like feminine passivity and mothering.

He has disturbed many over his choice of bishops and has practically taken away the binding power of episcopal conferences, leaving validation for most matters in the hands of Rome.

The decentralisation of the Church dreamed of at Vatican II has not materialised and he has been vehemently criticised for his position on condoms in the light of the AIDS epidemic.

These drawbacks, however, have not detracted from his greatness nor did he lose world appeal, especially among the young.

In today's gospel the disciples are journeying along the road to Emmaus. Along that road they find themselves broken – “ our own hope had been he would be the one to set Israel free ” .

John Paul II also journeyed with the Church and world over the past twenty-six years. Along the road of life he met many and gave them hope – victims of the Holocaust and terrorism, people ravaged by civil war and natural disasters, the elderly and the young, those estranged from the Church and those without faith.

Like Jesus, he was a man of faith, hope and courage. As we mourn his passing, may the immeasurable contribution of Karol Wojtyla give hope to our world in the 21 st century.