Pope John Paul II: ëA Star on the Horizoní by Craig Mauro Boundless energy and an ever-present eye for humor are two traits for which his admirers will remember Pope John Paul II. Monsignor William Kerr, who directs the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, recalled a speech during the pontiffís first visit to the United States. It was October 1979 and priests from across the country had gathered at a hall in Philadelphia to hear the pope. When he got up to speak, however, the microphone didnít work. A replacement didnít either, nor did a third mike. Finally the fourth one did. ìEverybody was very anxious and very nervous. He was newly elected. It was his first visit to the United States. When the fourth microphone finally did work, he smiled, he looked at everybody, and said, ëI will go back to Europe and tell them that not everything in the United States works well,íî Kerr recounted. ìHe laughed and everybody laughed with him. The tension was gone, and he carried on with his address very effectively.î Kerr said John Paul IIís sense of humor was a constant throughout his papacy. ìHe could see humor in many things,î he said. ìHe laughs easily, he smiles wit h people, you get along well with him.î Boguslaw Winid, deputy chief of mission at the Polish Embassy, was in his last year of high school when he first experienced the pull of John Paul II. Winid and some of his friends got up early one morning in 1979 to attend a special mass for young people that the pope was holding in Warsaw during his first visit as pontiff to his native country. ìThis was something which I will remember until the end of my life,î Winid said. Indeed, John Paul II held an extraordinary sway with young people. He took advantage of that by creating World Youth Day, an event that changes locale every year and attracts hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims. ìYou wouldíve thought, had you been at some of the World Youth Days, that [the pope] was some kind of a rock star,î Kerr said. The 20th World Youth Day will take place in Cologne, Germany, in August. In his native regionóand perhaps across the worldóone of John Paul IIís greatest legacies will be his aggressive yet peaceful campaigning against communism and the oppressive regimes that ruled the region in its name. ìPeople are describing the pope as the most important member of our nation to ever live,î Winid said. ìHe had gigantic influence on Polish history and the development of our nationónot only on Poland, but also on the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. ìHistory was quite tragic in our part of Europe, with all the wars and occupations and very sad moments. The pope was like a star on the horizon, like a star that gave guidance. After the birth of Jesus, the three kings from the East came to see him in Nazareth following the star. Well, the pope was like the star for us. He was able to somehow direct our nation, our society, our country from the night of the communist occupation to the free, democratic Poland which is right now enjoying one of the most prosperous moments in its history.î Winid stressed that the popeís involvement helped to ensure that Polandís revolution was bloodless. ìPeacefulness was a very important element of the Popeís thinking,î he said. ìIt is even more important that all these changes, from bad to good in Poland, came in a peaceful and democratic way. No one was hurt. No one was beaten. No one was killed.î John Paul II has been credited with providing the moral backing that sustained Lech Walesaís Solidarity workersí movement, which eventually toppled Polandís communist government. In the late 1970s and early í80s, the pope not only received Walesa but also met with communist leaders from Poland and the U.S.S.R. His nine-day pilgrimage to his homeland in 1979 was seen as a turning point in the fall of communism. Just as communism and the Cold War provided the geopolitical backdrop to John Paul IIís time as pope, tensions between the West and Islam in a post-Sept. 11 world will likely color the new papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, otherwise known as German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected John Paul IIís successor on April 19. Kerr identified relations between Christians and Muslims as one of the biggest challenges for the Catholic Church in the years ahead. ìThe next pope is going to have to make that one of his priorities, that there is communication, there is dialogue, there is a working together,î he said. But, Kerr pointed out, Pope Benedict XVI will have to accomplish that while carrying on the dynamism, energy and charisma with which John Paul II transformed the papacy. ìThe biggest challenge will be that [Pope Benedict XVI] is going to have to continue to connect with the world in a very dramatic and dynamic way. The doors have been opened. I donít think itís just simply a one-man act, if you will. Itís got to be a continuing outreach by the church and the person of the pope,î Kerr said. ìI think to some extent the papacy has changed. No longer can the pope be someone who sits at his desk and administers church business. The pope has got to be, shall we say, an evangelist who goes out to the world. Thatís going to be a very important challenge, to not only go out but to actually connect with people.î John Paul II made more than 100 trips outside of Italy during his 26 years as pope, according to the Vatican Information Service. He also received more pilgrims during weekly ìgeneral audiencesî at the Vatican than any other popeómore than 17 million, according to the same source. ìHis most memorable [moments] were those on the road, when he visited the peoples of all backgrounds, many faith communities, many ethnic communities,î Kerr said. ìHe envisioned himself a shepherd not just of the Catholic Church but as a shepherd of the world, to reach out and meet the peoples of the world.î Wherever people suffered, Pope John Paul II brought hope and optimism, Kerr said. ìI think his legacy will be this: that he touched the hearts and minds of people all over the world and probably changed the world by giving those people the confidence in themselves and hope that they could make things better,î Kerr said. ìThatís something that we donít often think aboutóhow powerful people can be. He gave them a positive outlook. He called on them to live constructively and to do for others. I think thatís where the legacy is. When we look at that and think about whatís going to happen next in the world, there are a lot of reasons for pessimism. Yet thereís a reason for some optimism, because this man lived.î Craig Mauro is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.