jp II's legacy

John Paul II was one of the most interesting popes (he was an actor and world-class skiier before choosing the seminary). And he did a lot of good in a few areas. He finally (nearly 2,000 years later) acknowledged that the Romans (and not the Jews) killed Christ. And he tacitly acknowledged that the church had been a bit too cozy with the Nazis and failed to act to help stop the Holocaust.

It's sad that his ultimate legacy will be marred because he squandered several opportunities to show compassion and open a dialogue with the gay community.

The pinnacle (or nadir) of the John Paul II papacy has to be the notorious Halloween letter, issued in 1986, which declared gays and lesbians "disordered," "self-indulgent" individuals who "threaten the lives and well-being of a large number of people." So much for pastoral outreach. Even the pope's last major statement, his recent book, tore into homosexuality as an ideology of evil.

Via PlanetOut