Vatican

Pope Gets Charlemagne Prize

EUbusiness.com, March 24

Pope John Paul ii received the Charlemagne Prize for “his outstanding life’s work promoting European understanding in the service of humanity and world peace.” European Parliament’s Pat Cox, the other recipient of the prize, said the pope “has been a chief architect of this new Europe that is emerging.” Accepting the award, the pope said, “I think of a Europe without egotistical nationalism ….” Named after Charlemagne, the eighth-century leader of the Holy Roman Empire, “the prize is awarded to those fostering mutual understanding among European peoples.”

Papal Power Pondered

Sydney Morning Herald, March 15

The reign of Pope John Paul ii, in many ways remains vibrant. “In other ways, however, the church he heads is not a church he leads. Day-to-day decisions including, close observers suspect, even decisions about major appointments involving bishops have been delegated. The Vatican’s official newspaper … is known to have published speeches supposedly given by the pope when, in fact, he has been too ill to deliver them, and has reported meetings with him that never took place. …

“Who the next pope will be depends in large part on what the cardinals whose responsibility it will be to elect him decide are the most pressing issues facing the church.” The pope’s biographer says these issues are the collapse of Catholicism in Western Europe and the challenge from radical Islam.