Mexico, and many countries around the world, venerated John Paul II as that messiah who came to profess his faith (to an uneducated people) to save us from our sins. Between the chants and cheers for his visit, the lights turned on so that the Pontiff could see the devotion of the people when his plane landed, the mirrors when his plane was heading to the Vatican, and the union of the people with useless keys to make a great sculpture in his honor; people still remember him as a benevolent, noble Pope, willing to live with the masses to repay them for their faith.
All over the world, John Paul II achieved what many wanted: to unite the world more than ever, at least the Catholic people. If our imagination allows it, we would say that Alexander IV, the most controversial and hated pope, would have wanted to have only 10% of the popularity that John Paul II achieved. Movies in his honor, such as Karol, tell no other story but that of a humble man and martyr who, after being persecuted by Germany during WWII, achieved the dream of being one of the most important figures in the world.
However, and no offense to the devotees, the absolute hope they placed in John Paul II sounds like the same as the political speeches that promise absolute change, the rebirth of a people, the illusory idea of becoming a utopian country: no reason, all emotion, and propaganda in the most important media.
But, like all human beings, John Paul II had successes (such as his endearing figure) and weaknesses (such as doubt, uncertainty, and being immersed in a society full of weaknesses). His imperfections give way to this article and the idea that, let’s understand, neither Gandhi nor Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and neither John Paul II are sacred beings willing to give everything to save someone.
Pope John Paul II’s Dark Secrets
His Friendship and Protection of Pedophile Clergymen
The most notorious and controversial was Marcial Maciel, the man who founded the Legionaries of Christ and was later accused of pederasty. Many of the victims of pedophile priests wrote to the Pope with accurate information, including names and dates to denounce the events. Instead, John Paul II dined in the Holy Father’s private dining room next to Marcial Maciel to ask him,
“And you, Father, when did the idea of creating the Legion come to you?”
According to the newspaper El País, John Paul II always admired Maciel for the certainty he possessed when he spoke of his mission and knew that he would give him absolute fidelity. The same publication assures: “When Wojtyla acceded to the papacy in 1978, Maciel was already a pederast.” Just like Maciel, Bernard Law, with 450 lawsuits for covering up pederastic acts, received as punishment, was responsible for the Santa Maria Maggiore parish in Rome, one of the most beautiful in the world.
Pacts with Murderous Dictatorships
John Paul II’s second in command, Angelo Sodano, sympathized with the dictatorial policies of Augusto Pinochet. In fact, he was nuncio in Chile during the dictatorship and maintained a friendly relationship with the dictator. He wasn’t the only dictator he supported in continents like Latin America and Africa.
Corruption
According to the newspaper La Jornada, Marcial Maciel distributed money and favors to buy the silence of the hierarchies. In addition, his brother Alessandro was accused of corruption after the Clean Hands operation, as was his nephew Andrea, who in a U.S. court was accused of buying real estate properties from U.S. dioceses after being bankrupted for accusing them of pedophilia.
Association with the Mafia
Mafia bankers such as Roberto Calvi and Michele Sindona were associated with the “traveling Pope” to feed the coffers of the Vatican bank with funds of dubious origin. Later, those funds would be applied to the end of communism in Eastern Europe and Liberation Theology in Latin America.
He was also blamed for involvement with the Ambrosiano bank, which included money laundering, fraud, links to the Mafia, and arms sales. John Paul II declined to clarify the links or the case.
Fight Against Communism
Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980, by a paramilitary commando of the Salvadoran extreme right. While Romero was hosting a mass, the commando attacked and left him dead. This archbishop confronted the paramilitaries so that they would not assassinate his people, he traveled through the marginalized areas of El Salvador and defended the poor and human rights.
He assured that the solution was a “poor Church for the poor,” and day after day, he sought to fulfill this premise. When it was proposed that Arnulfo Romero should be beatified, John Paul II stopped any initiative. During his lifetime, he recommended he “work closely with the government.”
Attacking Dissidence
In addition to the case of Arnulfo Romero, John Paul II attacked Liberation Theology, whose main argument is that the people make the church. This current of Catholic thought seeks the strength and power of the people rather than “turn the other cheek” and supported the humility of the priesthood. Religious belonging to this current such as Leonardo Boff, Camilo Torres, Samuel Ruiz, and Jon Sobrino were relegated to any ecclesiastical position or importance, even to give classes on the Catholic faith.
Meddling in Matters That Did Not Concern Him
Although the Vatican was an absolutist country, John Paul II maintained the Renaissance ideas in which the Pope and King had a say in the affairs of a nation. Thus, the best example is what happened in Mexico, when the Pontiff intervened in the creation of the secular State. The “Traveling Pope” wanted to grant -again- power, political, and possession rights to priests and the church. He threatened the Mexican State with strikes and unleashed the Cristero War.
In Nicaragua, when the Sandinista revolution was triumphing, John Paul II repressed the priest Ernesto Cardenal on national television. He accused him of having apostate postulates, and after his subjugating speech, he urged him to regularize his situation.
No to Sexual Health
The “Pope friend” rejected the use of condoms… three years after coming to power, when the first cases of HIV were detected, he did not change his opinion. The New Statesmen magazine states: “He probably contributed more to the spread of the disease than the trucking industry and prostitution combined.”
No to Diversity and Women’s Rights
He affirmed that homosexuality was a sin and forbade women to decide about their bodies. Sexual relations outside marriage, women in important ecclesiastical positions, and self-pleasure were actions repudiated by the Supreme Pontiff. As for celibacy, he had a supernatural faith in this act.
The dark secrets of the most-loved Pope in history do not compare with the secrets of the highest institution, the church. Sexism, contempt for women, and dirty deals with politicians and big businessmen are some of those uncomfortable details that the Church does not want to accept.
This story was originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva
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