In God's Hands

"Through his message of hope and peace, Pope John Paul II showed us that one person acting with conviction can change the world."

OSCAR ISLAS -- Mexico City

Your Commemorative Issue on Pope John Paul II was very well done and reflected the feelings of people who loved him and followed his life as a world leader [April 11]. Thank you for echoing so many of my thoughts in outlining the good he did for the people of the world, regardless of their race or religion. He will be greatly missed and deeply appreciated for his teachings of peace.

MARY VANDERHYDE -- Oldsmar, Fla.

Kudos to Pope John Paul II for showing how to reconcile oneself to death and die with dignity. He chose to accept death and seek mercy while awaiting his entrance into another life. In a society that does not readily accept death as part of the continuum, the Pope gave a final lesson in faith by the way he faced his own death.

JO ANNE OSTROWSKI -- Whately, Mass.

I am an ex-Catholic, ex-seminarian who walked the slums of South America, teeming with devout Roman Catholics, after Pope John Paul II's visit in the 1980s. I know he saw the same poverty I saw. I was appalled and wished I could help. The Pope had the power to mitigate the worldwide overpopulation problem, yet he chose to continue the policy banning contraception, which, like the foolish rule of celibacy for priests, has no convincing basis in Scripture. I hold John Paul II accountable for millions of children who roam the earth unloved and unwanted, leading lives of abject poverty, hunger and persistent misery.

GERRY CHAPLIN -- Sherborn, Mass.

When a good man dies, his relatives and friends rightly mourn him. When a great man dies, the whole world mourns. So it is with Pope John Paul II. I have been a Jew for more than 80 years, yet I wept when I heard the news that this great man had died.

DAVID I. EPSTEIN -- Albuquerque, N.M.

Although the Pope would have understood the worldwide sense of loss at his death, I do not believe he would have viewed this outpouring of compassion as necessary. He faced death the same way he faced life, with perseverance and faith, knowing that life is not ours to control. He knew he would die when God decided it was time. We have only begun to realize the Pope's personal commitment to uniting the world in peace.

DAN STEWART -- Ashburn, Va.

I am puzzled by the worldwide emotional reactions of sorrow and emptiness caused by the Pope's death. True believers should realize that his suffering has ended and he is home now with God.

HUMBERTO SARKIS -- Beverly Hills, Calif.

Imagine: the realpolitick savvy of a Henry Kissinger combined with the moral code of a Mother Teresa. John Paul II's worldliness combined with his faith in the other world made him a remarkably effective global leader.

JOHN ANDERSON -- Elkmont, Ala.

The Pope embodied true leadership and moral courage. He called evil by its name and fought it tooth and nail. He was a symbol of democracy and the pro-life movement. The world is in debt to this great man. The Pope was the moral compass of our generation.

NICK TENG -- Plainview, N.Y.