John Paul II, has passed into eternity. He will long be remembered for keeping the teachings of the Catholic Church focused on life, care for the downtrodden, and opposition to communism. Even if one is not a Catholic, we can pause to recognize this man’s untiring work for good in the world.

Red State has a beautiful write-up of the Pope’s life and mission entitled, No man lived more fully. Here is a small excerpt:

“Karol Wojtyla was a man of salt and light, who took the Gospel message throughout the world, even to nations that opposed his very existence. He fought against the culture of death as an eloquent spokesman for the unique value of every human life. He was a suffering servant for Mankind, with his eyes always on heaven and earth at the same time.”

Hugh Hewitt wrote the following today:

“Such an outpouring of deep sorrow I don’t think the world will have seen since Churchill died.

With Reagan and Solzhenitsyn, John Paul II represents the three forces of opposition to communism that shattered the evil empire, the Soviet Union –the American-led West, the Eastern European resistance, and the Russian dissident movement. They also represented the three spheres of opposition: political, artistic and spiritual. Each man came into the field of his greatness later in life, and each has endured hard circumstances in their later years. I hope Solzhenitisyn is able to and inclined to write about his colleagues in the struggle that triumphed.”

Mr. Hewitt’s post can be found here.

We join with the Catholic Faithful of the world in commemorating his life and his passing.