Fr. Martin did indeed criticize the Pope for what he is responsible for - many, many times. He did make it very clear that - in many ways - the Pope is not, and increasingly so in the 90s - was not his own man.......yet clearly stated that JPII is RESPONSIBLE for what happens under his watch. For all that he consciously says & does, as well as what it said an done by his bishops - with or without his permission.
He must account - as we all must for our sins, bothe of COMMISSION and of OMISSION. The latter aspect is one which we all easliy forget. In raged to the Holy Father, this speaks volumes.
I can easily forgive him for making mistakes & errors of judgement - he, like me, is human, and has all the normal frailties which go with the human condition.
But that does not in any way abolve him of responsibility for what is done in his name, and what is done by his disobedient suborininants whom he appointed to office, and has done very little in fact to discipline in any real manner. In any effective manner.
He did very little real disciplining when he was younger, healthier, stronger, and in (somewhat) control of things. He certainly cannot reasonably be expected to do anything of consequence about things now, in sickness and old age - neing surrounded and cared for by persons who have for the large part forsworn the Catholic faith.
I am quite sure that he knows this. And, as Martin indicated, JPII now lives with this regret. Also the regret of further allowing the powers of the Petrine office to fall into disuse, and thereby become essentially moot for most Catholics - and even forgotten.
Such is his "purgatory upon earth".
Well said thor76.
Although, Fr Martin also pointed out many times that JPII's strength was always his patience and longevity, that was how he was able to outlast communism. His attitude has always been to bide his time and allow the enemy to destroy himself. Fr Martin thought that he was attempting to do exactly rhis in regards to the enemies within the Church. However, it became icreasingly clear that this approach would not work against a different enemy. Fr Martin became more and more outspoken on this matter before he died and indeed was very impatient towards JPII. He even had a private meeting with the Pope, "filling his eyes and ears" with the evidence of what was ocurring. He was rebuffed.
After this, he became increasingly apocolyptic, watching for signs in the heavens. It really seems to me that he hoped that we were in the end times, his sadness at the condition of the Church was unbearable.