Superpope

Have we finally reached the point of absurdity?  All week we heard how the pope single-handedly ended communist rule in Poland.  In his radio address today President Bush gave the pope credit for the collapse of the Berlin Wall:

Many in the West underestimated the Pope's influence.  But those behind the Iron Curtain knew better, and ultimately even the Berlin Wall could not withstand the gale force of this Polish Pope.

Now I'm a bit confused, since last June in his eulogy for Ronald Reagan the President told us that it was Reagan who tore down the Berlin Wall:

And there were no doubters among those who swung hammers at the hated wall as the first and hardest blow had been struck by President Ronald Reagan.

I'm certain that the thousands of men and women who marched through the streets of East Berlin and Leipzig to end the repressive regime of the DDR had many different motivations and inspirations, but it is not clear at all to me that Pope John Paul II played any decisive role. Friedrich Schorlemmer also vents his frustration with the over-the-top deification of the pope:

Es erstaunt schon, in welcher Devotheit die große Mehrzahl der Medien kaum in Frage stellt, welch eine ins Mittelalter zurückführende Anmaßung das Papsttum selbst darstellt. Auch die Geschichtsdeutungen, die in diesen Tagen medial dominieren, erwecken den Eindruck, als sei etwa der Fall der Berliner Mauer wesentlich diesem Papst zu verdanken gewesen. Als habe es nicht die einzelnen Subjekte gegeben, die an sehr verschiedenen Orten politisch tätig wurden. Da wird weder von Gorbatschow gesprochen, noch der Entspannungsprozess erwähnt, noch die KSZE-Schlussakte, sondern allein der Besuch des Papstes 1979 in seinem Heimatland. Nur hatte die Aufbruchsbewegung in der DDR wahrlich wenig mit dem Papst und schon gar nicht entscheidend mit Katholiken in diesem Lande zu tun.

Let's honor the pope for the courage he displayed in standing firm against the authorities in Poland.  But le't's not dishonor the bravery of the thousands who acted to end the DDR by giving credit to leaders on the periphery of events.

Comments

[Arthur]

Did the lack of banana make the soviet bloc fall? Or the pope’s persistence?

Hi all,

as a frequent reader of this blog I would like to ask if Gorbathev - one of the actors mentioned above - was a driver or someone who was driven. He never intended terminating the Udssr, but it appeared as soon as he offered a little piece of freedom, the forces driving the state in different parts where stronger as himself and the power he was able and/or wiling to use. It was him to hinder a bloodshed in Poland, but of course, he was definitely not driving this process.

“Entspannungsprozess - OSZE” – what should this contribute to the Polish people? The ship yard worker protesting on the streets? What they realised is that the worker’s state is against it’s own workers – the system internal antagonisms. Was Gorbathev impressed by the OSZE and does this make him trying to solve the tensions – especially those in Poland – without brutal force? Guess, minor impact.

Back to the catholic church, yes, Germans and US people have some problems with this church and his representative – however – after Vatcian II it’s more or less like a club – any body who doesn’t like it can look for another church and terminate his membership.

Arthur.