Last Rites

I've lost count of how many times Pope John Paul II has survived reports of his impending death, but this really looks like the end:

Pope John Paul II, whose health deteriorated suddenly on Thursday, has received the Roman Catholic sacrament reserved for the sick and dying, Italian media reported.

A Vatican spokesman said he could not confirm the reports but Church sources said it was likely the Pontiff had recieved the sacrament, given the precarious state of his health.

The sacrament, which involves annointing the sick person with special oils, was once called "Last Rites" or "Extreme Unction." It is now known as the Sacrament of the Infirm.

Earlier the pope's spokesman said the pope developed a high fever Thursday because of a urinary tract infection, and was being treated at the Vatican with antibiotics. The development came one day after the 84-year-old pontiff began receiving nutrition through a feeding tube.

I am not Catholic, and I strongly disagree with many of the Church's political positions. But Pope John Paul II deserves no small share of the credit for bringing down the Communist butchers of Eastern Europe, and for that I will always be grateful. Another "lapsed Anglican", Johnathan Pearce of Samizdata, expresses similar sentiments:

I am going to put any reflections on his contribution to the Catholic church, or his views about abortion, etc, to one side and focus on a more worldly fact about his extraordinary life and career. The Pope was, in my view, one of the three or four great men (and one great woman) who helped bring the Soviet Union, that evil and decrepit empire, crashing to its knees. Along with Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Gorbachev [I'm not so sure about that one - Ed.] and arguably, the power of cheap television advertising, the Pope helped bring about communism's demise.

I do not share the Pope's faith, but in reflecting on his life on this Easter Sunday, it was hard not to suppress a lump in the throat. In my book, he is one of the giants of our age.

Posted by damian at March 31, 2005 07:00 PM