In God's Hands

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It was amazing how the Polish people showed appreciation for what John Paul II did for our country. The night after he died, I lit a candle as a tribute to his 26 years of service. When I put it in the window of my flat, I saw hundreds of other candles in nearby buildings. The Pope was instrumental in ending communism in the 1980s, and thanks to him Poland became a better nation.

WITOLD PLUTA -- Bilgoraj, Poland

I will remember John Paul II as a Pope of the people. He did not confine himself to the Vatican but traveled the world, meeting and blessing the members of his flock, young and old, common and famous alike, a good papal shepherd.

MARY KAY ARNDT -- Arlington Heights, Ill.

•You can read additional articles from TIME's archives about Pope John Paul II at timearchive.com/collection

Policies Unchanged

Author James Carroll's evaluation of the legacy of Pope John Paul II, praising the Pontiff's "renunciation of coercive force" and his effort to heal the "ancient breach with Judaism," would have been more valid had it taken a wider perspective [April 11]. The Pope was a compassionate and pious disciple and a strong and charismatic leader. Yet he did nothing to alleviate the inequality that exists between Catholic women and men. I support the full inclusion of women in all aspects of prayer and ministry, including ordination. A number of Catholic women have experienced a God-given call to priestly ministry. The failure of John Paul II to extend his compassion to them is a forever lost opportunity of an otherwise stellar pontificate.

MARIA MARLOWE -- SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA WOMEN'S ORDINATION CONFERENCE -- West Chester, Pa.

Mistakes Were Made

The headline on your brief summary of the presidential commission's intelligence report, "No Holds Barred," was absurd [April 11]. The commission came nowhere near "assigning blame for the flawed conclusion that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction." Where are the names of operatives and senior intelligence analysts who either covered up faulty conclusions or deliberately lied to conform to President Bush's plan to invade Iraq? More than 1,500 American soldiers have died in Iraq because someone blundered, yet no heads have rolled as a result of the White House's use of suspect or flawed information to instigate an unnecessary war. Until blame is placed on actual operatives, clerks, bureaucrats and elected officials, the commission's report means nothing.

HOLMES BRANNON -- Woodland Park, Colo.

The Rights of the Minority