It almost goes without saying that many dailykos readers deeply disagree with some of Pope John Paul II's statements on abortion, homosexuality and the right to die. However, at this time I think it may be valuable for us -- Catholics and non-Catholics alike -- to ponder some of the progressive things he has said over the years. You're unlikely to hear these quotes on the lips of right-wing pundits and politicians, but they are just as much a part of John Paul's legacy as anything sanctimonious conservatives may cite in the coming days.
For the war-will-spread-democracy crowd:
"Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create."
"War is a defeat for humanity."
"Violence and war can never resolve the problems of men."
"Humanity should question itself, once more, about the absurd and always unfair phenomenon of war, on whose stage of death and pain only remain standing the negotiating table that could and should have prevented it."
For the torture-is-OK crowd:
"Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society."
"When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society."
For those who wrap themselves and their misdeeds in the American flag:
"Pervading nationalism imposes its dominion on man today in many different forms and with an aggressiveness that spares no one. The challenge that is already with us is the temptation to accept as true freedom what in reality is only a new form of slavery."
For the pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps crowd:
"Anything done for another is done for oneself."
"The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish."
For those surrounded by yes-men:
"The worst prison would be a closed heart."
For those of us who disagree with the Bush administration's usurpation of democracy:
"The truth is not always the same as the majority decision."
For the Bush administration:
"Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it."
"An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded."
For those who ignore global warming, natural selection, or other valid scientific ideas:
"Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes."
For those who ignore the environment's ills and make then worse:
"Modern Society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyles."
For those who seek to run the country from the pulpit:
"You are priests, not social or political leaders. Let us not be under the illusion that we are serving the Gospel through an exaggerated interest in the wide field of temporal problems."
For all of us:
"The future starts today, not tomorrow."
And for Karol Józef Wojtya himself, may he rest in peace:
"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence."