He was not afraid to ask for forgiveness. He was not afraid to speak out against the horrible crimes committed against the Jewish race. And he was not afraid to march through his papacy clinging to prayer and conservative views.
Prayer, forgiveness and the Jewish race color the pope's legacy, even more so than the staunchly traditional red and white robes he wore. The final white veil will be drawn over Pope John Paul II for his burial service under St. Peter's Basilica Friday.
Senior Rabbi Micah Greenstein of Temple Israel was invited to meet with the pope for the 40th Nostre Patre on March 9. Only nine other rabbis from the World Union of Progressive Judaism - including those from London, Russia, Israel, United States and other European countries - received this honor. Although this group was unable to meet with the pope because of his hospitalization, the rabbis were able to sing a Hebrew prayer outside of Rome's Gemelli hospital and catch the blessings of the pope's wave from the window.
"The Jewish people feel this loss. Just being there was one of the most profound, religious experiences of my life," Greenstein said. "To stand in the Vatican and comprehend who the Holy Father is to one billion Catholics was a deeply moving experience.
"You become aware that reality is greater than yourself. It's deeply affecting," he said. Close to 1,000 people were milling around the hospital grounds singing and praying, said Greenstein. "When the pope opened the window and waved, their day and their life had been made," he said.
Practicing Catholics have been very affected by the pope's influence according to Dr. Cosetta Gaudenzi, head of the Italian department at The University of Memphis. "They are manifesting their feelings by going to Rome as pilgrims or holding masses and praying," said Gaudenzi who is from Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region and who saw the pope from a distance when he visited her hometown.
"Other Italians, who were brought up Catholic but are not actively practicing their religion, are taking the death of the pope in a lighter spirit," she said. With the Parkinson's Disease hindering him from conducting many of the duties of a pope, she said those who are not actively practicing think he may have been too old to perform as a pope should.
"He has not been successful in everything he has done, but at least he has tried harder than other popes have done in the past," she said.In 1979 Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit Auschwitz. In 2000 he visited Jerusalem's Western Wall breaking down another wall of separation between Catholics and Jews.
"God of our fathers...we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant," he inscribed upon a note that found its place inside the wall and inside the hearts of many people around the world.
"Catholic scholars when evaluating the papacy of Pope John Paul II, conclude that perhaps his greatest achievement is the attention he paid to repairing relations with the Jewish people," Greenstein said."Many of his friends were Jewish. These were friends he played ball with and saw everyday, and then had to watch them being taken away to the gas chamber during the Holocaust," he said. Greenstein said the pope's friendship with Jews at such a young age made him "determined to rectify some of the wrongs suffered by the Jewish people and get rid of a source of contempt that was so prevalent."
The forgiveness that he offered was in a humble manner said Rabbi Diane Cohen of Beth Sholom Synagogue. "He extended such a hand of forgiveness, and he sought our forgiveness with humility," Cohen said. "He went farther by light years than any other pope in terms of seeking this forgiveness.
"As a woman I could say there is so much more progress to be made, but my choices aren't dictated by the Vatican," she said. "But the reality is with the years he had he made a tremendous difference between relationships with Catholic and Jewish leaders. He was a friend, and I don't think anybody would disagree."
Across the spectrum of faiths, many recognize the pope's influence and friendship.
Among Christians, Protestant and Catholic, he was a symbol of God's love. "I think he was a man who genuinely sought to let the world know that God loves everyone," said Blake Vaughn, recent U of M graduate and current masters of divinity student at Mid-America Baptist Seminary. "I think he tried to link the arms of Christ beyond the Roman Catholic Church. I think he was a good man, a good pope and a good leader."
