John Paul II RIP

The Pope has made such an impact on the world in the last 26 years that his death has led to the postponement of the Royal wedding, and the delay, for twenty hours, in the announcement of the British general election.

Whether or not one agreed with his theological standpoint, one could only admire and respect the tenacity of a man who has battled ill health for many years. The much-travelled Pope has visited more countries than any of his predecessors and has touched the hearts and lives of young and old.

His long Pontificate means that a whole generation have known only one Pope. When there was the attempt on his life in 1981, our middle daughter, Nicolette, seven-years-old, at the time, was very distressed by this event. She drew him a special picture, which she was sure would cheer him up and help him to get well. Whether or not it aided his recovery, I don’t know, but sometime later Nikki received a letter from the Papal Nuncio saying that His Holiness had seen her picture, and thanked her very much indeed! Nikki was delighted.

In 1999 our Down’s Syndrome son, John-Paul, sent his namesake a copy of his Millennium Prayer. The Pope was so taken with it that he awarded our John-Paul a Papal medal, which has pride of place in his bedroom.

Although his demise had been expected for quite a while, the grief expressed, when he drew his final laboured breath, was genuine and heartfelt. It will be a daunting task for his successor to adequately fill the shoes of the much-loved Polish Pope.

John Paul II RIP.