World Leaders praise Pope as force for Peace by The Independent / Los Angeles Times / UN News 12:46pm 3rd Apr, 2005   04 April 2005 (The Independent /UK)    World leaders of all faiths pay tribute to a 'hero of the ages', by Danielle Demetriou.    From Tibet to Cuba, the world's leaders joined forces yesterday to pay tribute to Pope John Paul II in a reflection of his impact around the world. Few corners of the globe appeared untouched by the death of the late pope, with dozens of religious and political leaders praising his wide-reaching legacy.    Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, led political tributes in the UK to a man he deemed an "inspiration" in his quest for humanity and social justice. "He was an inspiration, a man of extraordinary faith, dignity and courage," he said.    Amid a national outpouring of mourning across Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, highlighted the values for which the Pope had fought. "We are grateful to him for the tireless and difficult work he carried out unstintingly against all forms of totalitarianism, violence, oppression and moral degradation," he said.    Jacques Chirac, the French Prime Minister, added: "This mourning deeply marks France as well as every French person who identifies with the message of the Catholic Church."    Among the tributes was praise from Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader who met the Polish-born pontiff in 1989, days before the fall of the Berlin Wall ended the Cold War. "John Paul II had a huge impact on ending the Cold War," he said. "He took an unfailing interest in life in the USSR and Russia and he supported the democratic reforms in our country."    Across South America, where most of the continent's inhabitants are devout Catholics, leaders also highlighted the achievements of the late pope. Vicente Fox, Mexico's President, said: "John Paul II was an exceptional man, his legacy will transcend generations."    Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, added: "The suffering he did not hide in his last years never altered his determination."    Catholics across the religiously conservative continent of Africa praised a man whose teachings had growing appeal for them. Olusegun Obasango, the Nigerian President, said: "Pope John Paul II not only visited Nigeria twice but stood by the country in its fight against dictatorship and injustice."    Praise for the dedication of the late pope was not confined to Catholic circles. Silvan Shalom, the Israeli Foreign minister, said: "Israel, the Jewish people and the entire world, lost today a great champion of reconciliation and brotherhood between the faiths."    Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, also paid tribute. "We have lost a very important religious figure who dedicated his life to peace and justice for all."    The Dalai Lama, the Buddhist spiritual leader, said he had shared with the Pope not only their struggles against communist rule and a desire for harmony between religions, but also a concern to put spiritual values before the material.    China, which does not allow its Catholics to recognise Vatican authority, expressed condolences, but said it hoped the Holy See, "under the leadership of the new pope, will do something conducive to the improvement of Sino-Vatican relations".    April 3, 2005 (Los Angeles Times)    World leaders mourned the death of Pope John Paul today, some hailing him as a force for peace across the globe while others said he played a major role in the fall of the Iron Curtain.    "The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd. The world has lost a champion of human freedom and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home," U.S. President George W. Bush said at the White House with his wife Laura beside him.    "Pope John Paul II was himself an inspiration to millions of Americans and to so many more throughout the world. We're grateful to God for sending such a man ... a hero for the ages."    U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said the Pope was a man of peace and had been a great supporter of the United Nations. "He was extremely concerned about the world we lived in, and like me, he also felt that in war, all are losers." said Annan.    Lech Walesa, who led Poland's Solidarity movement which won power after a decade of struggle and hastened the collapse of the whole Soviet bloc, said Polish-born John Paul inspired the drive to end communism in Eastern Europe. "Without him there would be no end of communism or at least much later and the end would have been bloody," Walesa said.    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose country was once divided by the Iron Curtain, said: "Pope John Paul II wrote history. By his efforts and through his impressive personality, he changed our world."    Many Catholics around the world prayed, and some wept, when news flashed across the globe of the death of the Pope, who led the Catholic Church for 26 years - the third-longest pontificate - and visited more countries than any predecessor.    The faithful in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas said special prayers for the man - widely dubbed "God's Athlete" at the start of his papacy - who revitalised the Church and brought his vision of Christianity to the masses.    Bobby Brown, Israel-based international director of the World Jewish Congress, said the Catholic Church had become an ally of the Jewish people under the Pope after 2,000 years of Christian-Jewish hostility. A decade after witnessing the fall of communism, the Pope fulfilled another of his dreams when he visited the Holy Land in March 2000, praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall and asking forgiveness for Catholic sins against Jews over the centuries. "There is a shattering difference between the Catholic church of 20 to 50 years ago to today," said Brown.    Bells tolled at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, after news of the Pope's death.    Some people raised political controversies or struck discordant notes over John Paul's passing.    Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez praised the Pope's opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in his tribute. "We should ... remember he preached world peace. When the United States invaded Iraq, for example, John Paul II said it was an illegal and immoral act," said Chavez.    The Pope's staunch defence of Church orthodoxy upset others. "Historians will judge the Pope harshly. His opposition to the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV has condemned millions of people to die an agonising, needless death," said Peter Tatchell, a British gay and human rights activist.    4 April 2005    UN agency heads laud Pope John Paul’s giant role on world’s humanitarian stage. (UN News)    From his compassion for disadvantaged children to his commitment to the world’s hungry masses, and from his support for a dialogue between civilizations to his advocacy of international tourism, the United Nations system paid tribute to Pope John Paul II for the giant role he played on the global humanitarian stage.    The UN Security Council observed a minute of silence today in honour of the man whom Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised as "a tireless advocate of peace" with a deep commitment to the UN.    Quoting from the message Mr. Annan delivered immediately after the Pope's death on Saturday, the Council President for April, Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, called John Paul "a true pioneer in interfaith dialogue and a strong force for critical self-evaluation by the Church itself."    UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Carol Bellamy said the world's children had lost one of their greatest friends.    "The Pope made the dignity and care of children one of his most constant themes," she added, noting that he had spoken frequently against the exploitation of children and pushed world leaders to fulfil their commitments to child survival, health and general well-being.    “He understood the special light that glows in children, and he cherished it and drew strength from it. He was a special voice for children,” she said in Manila, Philippines, where she was on a visit.    The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), James Morris, praised the Pope as a great humanitarian with a huge capacity for compassion who had provided inspiration for generations of faithful, irrespective of their religion.    “I think that more than anything else he personified a commitment to helping others – he was an extraordinary humanitarian, whose compassion was an example to us all,” Mr. Morris said at WFP headquarters in Rome.    “I was deeply impressed by his dedication to the poor and hungry – and in particular his interest in the welfare of children,” he added. “Pope John Paul II's energy and determination to visit millions of the Catholic faithful gave him an exceptional understanding of the world's peoples and their problems. He knew at first hand what it is to suffer. This gave him a special affinity for those who suffer from hunger and poverty around the world.”    The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) focused on the Pope’s role in bridging the gulf between civilizations.    “For decades, this spiritual guide placed his extraordinary energy, charisma and eloquence at the service of peace and inter-religious dialogue. The immense crowds that followed his numerous travels clearly illustrated his vision of universal brotherhood,” UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said.    “John Paul II was firm in his convictions and expressed his profound faith while all the while encouraging dialogue. From the ecumenical encounters in Assisi to his day of fasting coinciding in 2001 with the end of Ramadan, and his visit in 1986 to a synagogue in Rome, the Pontiff worked unceasingly to promote dialogue between different religions,” he added.    “Throughout his pontificate, John Paul II was also a messenger of peace: receiving (Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat in 1982 and establishing official relations between Israel and the Vatican, he tried wherever and whenever possible to prevent conflict.”    2 April 2005 (UN News)    United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today remembered Pope John Paul II as a “tireless advocate of peace,” while the United Nations General Assembly President Jean Ping recalled how the pontiff made great contributions towards upholding the values of the world body.    “I was deeply saddened by the death of Pope John Paul II,” Mr. Annan said in a statement issued in New York. “Quite apart from his role as a spiritual guide to more than a billion men, women and children, he was a tireless advocate of peace, a true pioneer in interfaith dialogue and a strong force for critical self-evaluation by the Church itself.”    The Secretary-General, who recalled having the privilege of meeting the Pope several times in recent years, said he was always struck by the Pope's commitment to having the United Nations become, “as he said during his address to the General Assembly in 1995, 'a moral centre where all the nations of the world feel at home and develop a shared awareness of being, as it were, a 'family of nations.''”    Mr. Ping, for his part, described the Pope's passing as “a great loss for Poland, for the Catholic community and for humanity as a whole. During his long and intense life of service both as a spiritual leader and as a statesman, the Pope demonstrated a unique and inspiring moral authority to the world,” Mr. Ping said in a statement. “As a Christian, I have been profoundly moved and touched by his faith, by his love for all and by his deep capacity for forgiveness,” he added.    Mr. Ping noted that the Pope “worked tirelessly to promote peace, and to bring together people of all races, nations and religious backgrounds. Hence he made tremendous contributions towards upholding the values of the United Nations.. The Pope “will be remembered as a man of great courage and humility, as well as a servant of peace and justice.”    Click on the link below to access the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations' in depth profile of Pope John Paul II . Visit the related web page
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