Pope John Paul II

Karol Jósef Wojtyła was, in my opinion, the greatest pope in centuries. While he was bound by his beliefs to support things with which I do not agree, like laws prohibiting abortion and birth control, prohibition against the female priesthood and married priests, beyond that he was a huge force for good. In his ministry, he focussed on young people. I can remember huge outdoor masses for young people on all his trips. He also is the first pope to put himself in contact with the laity. Prior to him, pontiffs didn't travel much. Probably as much as Reagan's unintentional policy of bankrupting the Soviet Union, John Paul's opposition to communism brought down that system. He was inspiration for the polish independent trade unions that formed in the late 70s and early 80s that were at the forefront of the end of Polish communism. I think most of all, John Paul had a good heart. I do not believe he compromised for expediency, as some previous prelates have done.