Joel Edwards of the UK Evangelical Alliance has stated:
“John Paul II was one of the most remarkable Christian leaders of recent times. There is no denying his deep personal piety, and the courage, faith and fortitude he showed as a Christian pastor and bishop in the face of both Nazism and Communism. We strongly supported his witness in favour of life, and against the ‘culture of death’ exemplified by abortion and euthanasia.”.
He went on to say, “We admired his readiness to forgive his would-be assassin early in his papacy, his commitment to evangelisation and the global Church, his promotion of peace, social justice and ecological concern, and his support for interaction and co-operation with other Christian churches and groups, including those of the Evangelical tradition.”.
Despite differences between Catholics and Evangelicals, the Evangelical Alliance recognises that John Paul was committed, as we are, to credal Christianity. As such, in many instances he offered a welcome corrective to the forces of scepticism, secularism and theological liberalism, which threaten to undermine both the integrity of the Church and the effectiveness of its mission in the world. His gifts, energy and vision will be missed both within and beyond the Roman Catholic community.
Joel Edwards concluded, “Pope John Paul II combined traditional conservative Catholicism with a radical agenda for the dispossessed. The world community is the poorer for his passing.”.
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