I agree. I don’t particularly like JPII - he had almost 30 years to bring the Church out of destruction wrought by VII, and he really didn’t do much until he got so weak that Ratzinger could start cleaning things out behind the scenes. He appointed weak or even bad bishops and largely ignored the sexual abuse scandals until ver late.
I’ve always thought JPII was very media driven and just wanted to be liked.
HOWEVER, all that said, he was regarded as conservative by many people and his travels made a big impact. So who knows?
I wouldn’t cultivate a personal devotion to him myself, but the Church has clearly decided that the good outweighed the bad. That’s ok too.
With all those trips he made he should be the patron saint of frequent flyers, really Pope John Paul II earn those miles. :)
I agree with much of what you said; however, regarding JP’s travels and those who gained private audience, I would say that he was at the very least imprudent.
Anyone who believes that the discarding of the Church’s ancient liturgy and rubrics was a good thing need to rethink their Catholicism.