Pope John Paul II in a Nutshell

I'm certainly not a fan of the Roman Catholicism, however, the late beloved leader of the Roman Catholic Church leaves behind an impressive record of leadership. This article by International Herald Tribune columnist Roger Cohen sums it up wonderfully: Globalist: A personal glimpse of the pope's belief in life Cohen examins the late Pope's legacy while recalling a story of a 24-year old seminarian, Karol Wojtyla, who saved the life of a 13-year old jewish girl in January 1945. The girl was Cohen's mother-in-law.

As Cohen observes, Stalin once asked, "How many divisions has the pope?" Wojtyla, as John Paul II, fielded divisions of moral certitude against the cold brutality of collectivism, and in the company of his allies, won the war. It is a great irony, though inevitable, that the first Pope to lead the church without sovereignty over a single acre of ground, much less an army, has wielded such influence.