In Ireland it seems a paragraph cannot be written on the Pope without the use of any or all of the adjectives, rigid, authoritarian, conservative, or dogmatic. An extraordinarily provincial view of him prevails as though his only thoughts were on clerical celibacy and reproductive matters. It is good for us to be reminded that, elsewhere, John Paul is seen differently. Weigel argued that his greatest contribution has been a particular kind of radical humanism, a belief in the unique dignity of each person because he or she has been created by God. John Paul believes societies not anchored in a strong public moral culture are in danger of self-destruction.
Culture is the place where habits of heart and mind are formed.
John Paul believes the church has to move from an authoritarian to a persuasive mode to influence society to produce citizens of virtue. If there is no absolute truth, only your truth and my truth, all moral disputes boil down to who is going to impose their truth on whom. The labels do not fit and are not useful, he said bluntly. John Paul transcends such categories. He claimed the Pope does not see himself as preserving an institution, but as the servant and leader of a radical movement to spread the Gospel through rational argument.