The Pope Was Popular?
April 4, 2005 – 11:40 amIn a recent AP news story, I found the following quote.
Major news media around the world devoted 10 times as many stories to Pope John Paul II’s death as they did to the re-election of President Bush, according to an analysis released Monday.
Um…duh! You mean to tell me more was written about a man who heads a church of 1 billion people worldwide than a man who is the leader of 300 million people in a single country? Shocking! I think it’s ridiculous that the AP finds such a claim newsworthy. Yes, I understand America’s increasing desire to become involved militarily in various regions around the globe invites a global interest, and I also understand the continuing decline of the American dollar is propping up other currencies around the globe and thus invites further global interest.
We have a presidential election every four years. The last papal election took place over twenty five years ago. The pope has endeared himself to hundreds of millions of people (maybe billions) across the globe; President Bush has a little work to do on that front. What a complete joke of a news story.
6 Responses to “The Pope Was Popular?”
Not only is it a joke, it’s offensive; it demonstrates an absurdly americentric view of the world.
By MDA on Apr 4, 2005 at 12:33 pm
Jeffrey - along this same topic, I had heard on one of the tv news reports that the Pope was considered to have almost ‘rock star’ status. It hurt my heart deeply for him to be so compared…. Isn’t it interesting that such a man of power still exhibited such graciousness and compassion while remaining so strong in his beliefs? I treasure that I was able to see him in person - a moment I will always hold dear.
By mom on Apr 4, 2005 at 2:54 pm
I can see how the “rock star” comparison is very hurtful — and in rather poor taste. Nevertheless, there are some aspects of the comparison that are true. In particular, Pope John Paul II managed to make himself a figure with which the whole Catholic Church, and beyond, could identify. He was not a secluded, shadowy figure making distant pronouncements from “on high”; rather he was model of graciousness and compassion to millions, or billions. Especially in the former Soviet areas.
Of course, he’s not alone in being a powerful and simultaneously household-name type figure. Most presidents are these days, too. But what I think the key difference is that he maintained his dignity, and was known for how well he did his “job”, rather than for personal details of his life (obvious example: Clinton). That’s partially a result of his handling of the position, and partially a result of how people view the position of Pope. I, personally, hope that some of the dignity, compassion and respect that he showed will return to other positions of leadership — especially in the US.
I disagreed with some of the Pope’s positions, and strongly supported others. But I always retained my respect of him as a person.
By Paul.za on Apr 4, 2005 at 8:15 pm
Rock star is, in some ways, quite a suitable moniker. He was a showman - he was able to hold a crowd and to hold attention in a way that a rare few can.
It will be very interesting to see how the next Pope presents the Chair of St. Peter. A more technocratic pope would probably be an interesting call, since it would give the Church a chance to clear out its administrative baggage while it has some leeway of growth in Africa and South America.
The Catholic Church is losing people in the West, and gaining them in the Third World at the moment, I wonder can they reverse the former and nurture the latter?
By Uberalex on Apr 5, 2005 at 5:09 am
I can see how “rock star” can aptly describe the pope’s ability to resonate with a large group of people, but the description has too many other connotations to be terribly useful or appropriate. Plus, the Pope, in his ability to draw a crowd, was so far beyond any pop culture icon of our age that the description is indeed rather limiting.
I, like you, am keenly interested to see what happens regarding the geographic evolution of Catholicism. I watched a short news segment the other day in which a few prominent Cardinals were described, one of whom was from South America, and another was from Africa. I am curious to see if the new Pope addresses the growing divide between the orthodoxy of the Church and the relative stability of social liberalism in the developed world. I am also interested to see if the new Pope is nearly as charismatic as the last.
By jjk on Apr 5, 2005 at 10:34 am
Shame on antbody who would compare our Pope with a rock star or any president. This man was way above being compared to these other so called world leaders and was loved and respected by many who were not catholic. I pray that our church will see that it has problems, as does any organization operated by mere humans. We all need to do better and our church will follow. Also interesting to me is how many people commented on this subject.
By PaPa on Apr 6, 2005 at 8:56 pm