After JPII just about anyone would be a let-down. But, as an outsider, let me say that I was very impressed with him. I'm not impressed with Francis at all. I've held back after all his foibles in the press, hoping it was just translation error.
But Francis' failing even to mention abortion or the massacre of Christians is beyond my ability to process.
JPII was, indeed, a very impressive man particularly from a leadership perspective. His successor, Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) was equally as impressive from a different perspective (his intellect was just as impressive as JPII's leadership).
Frankly, I think the two made an incredible impact on the Church and the world as a whole.
See my tagline -- I have quite a devotion to the writings of Leo XIII. They were incisive to the point of being positively prophetic. They are virtually all equally as applicable now as they were when they were written over a century ago. I believe that the contributions of the Ratzinger / Wojtyla team will prove to be as valuable to students 100 years from now.
I'm not impressed with Francis at all. I've held back after all his foibles in the press, hoping it was just translation error.
Honestly, I'm not either. My use of the descriptor "profoundly disappointed" was carefully chosen.
I know that our Eastern brethren particularly like him. I believe that is primarily because of his emphasis on collegiality. I think a lot of what is going on is because of careless speaking and his words being taken out of context. At the beginning of his pontificate, I was willing to cut some slack on this (in fact, a lot of slack) as he may not have been overly familiar with how the press operated. However, after two years, one would have thought he'd learned.
I would completely write this episode (his pontificate) off, but, he is certainly confusing: from time to time he actually comes up with some profoundly good statements. They are, by far, in the minority, but they do exist. For example:
Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties?
Laudato Si 120
Had that paragraph been touted in the MSM as much as other passages, a severe mark would have been left on the watermelon environmentalists (green on the outside, red on the inside). But outside of the Catholic media (and not very prominently there), this section was not discussed.
So I can't totally disregard him, but he is certainly frustrating.