Authentic spiritual leader

Catholic New Times, April 24, 2005 by Jack SJ Costello

John Paul II was truly universal. A lot of people found him an authentic spiritual leader. He made spirituality and living by "faith" believable, including in the splintered, agnostic and often jaded North-Atlantic community. He loved people and loved being with them. He especially loved children, youth, the sick and handicapped. He cared for the forgotten and the ignored. And they loved him back.

He was a genuine man of prayer. People "shut up" when he prayed. They knew something serious, important, honest and worthy was going on. Through that, he helped give living meaning to the term "human spirit" to a huge number of people. What I feel we need in and from the church during the next pontificate would include a continuing and intensifying witness that every person and community is spiritual and has dignity--that means everyone. This must show itself in compassionate, incisive and respectful action, not just pious or generalized words, by Catholics for others. In addition, there is a need for a vigorous advance in Catholic social teaching (CST) that includes doing our social thinking from the view of life "from below"--that is, from the experience of the victims of globalization, war and dominating power-elites. CST must decisively include the experience of the poor, the marginalized, non-westerners, women, children and ecology. It's not there yet at all. It must take a firm, clear position against current forces in globalization, speaking and acting on behalf of the local and those without power or voice. Regionally and locally, CST must be pluralistic and participatory--in prayer, teaching and strategies. It must move and impel Catholics to compassionate action in solidarity with anyone and everyone suffering from human systems and projects.

In church government, we need more decentralization of power and more concrete respect for pluralism. Let us return to the early church's practice of the local naming of bishops (including a minimally 50 per cent voice for the laity) and local governance in local realities.

--Jack Costello SJ, Regis College, former editor of CNT