Rememberin Pope John Paul II & Terri Schivao

Recently we have been confronted with sudden deaths. Bob Hope, Ray Charles, Johnny Carson, Yasser Arafat, Mother Theresa and now, 2 more that will most likely enter the 2005 yearbook: Terri Schivao & the Pope.

Terri was expected to live and die much later. But the brain-damaged/bedridden woman had supposedly said to her husband in 1998 that she didn't want to live in such a condition. She was kept artificially alive thanks to a feeding tube. So since then, her husband has filed a lawsuit to have her feeding tube removed. Her parents opposed of course, and had stated that their daughter wouldn't do such thing. Finally, by the Judge's orders, doctors removed Terri's feeding tube this year. She died a week later. (Sorry I couldn't post it when I heard the news. I was far too busy)

On the same day Terri died, the Pope, after several trips to the hospital and back, had his medical condition dropping gravely and doctors inserted breathing and feeding tubes into the Pope. Anyway, he passed away peacefully on Saturday, unlike the past popes, who didn't had a serene death.

Pope John Paul the Second was the 'accidental' Pope. He was the 1st non-Italian pope in 456 years. Of course, now as we reflect upon his achievements, he isn't. That was because of an Italian canidate passed away so he was the second choice. The Pope has an interest to make as much papal records as he can, and he sure did. He holds the record of most visits around the world as a pope, the 1st to step foot to a mosque and a sygnaogue, he was the 1st also to get rid of differences between religions and apologize the Jews for the Holocaust, even though he is not to blame. He was the 1st who cared to apologize all the Church had done badly in the past: Refusing to hear Scientific Facts, killing innocent people in foreign lands for refusing to switch their beliefs to Catholicism, killing heretics, cheating people of money, making new positions in the Church that anyone can be if they have the money to pay (simony was and is always wrong), selling indulgences and lots more dirty stuff Popes of the past had done. He was the 1st to get rid of Communism in his home country of Poland and encouraged Communist countries to stop governing Coummunism. In other words, he is exceptional. Other than the 1st Pope who only lived to see Christ, St. Peter and another Pope, he is the longest living Pope of all time. He ran a marathon of freedom. Instead od 26 miles, it's 26 years of papacy. Catholics, Protestants, Orthdox Christians, and even non-belivers mourn all over the world for the Incredible One. I bet he'll be beautified and made a Saint very soon. Pope John Paul II has definitely gave his succesor the biggest challenge of all time.

So that is my obituary, even though I'm basically not a believer of Christianity. He is a great person and will be remembered in history books in the future.