You seem to think that Catholics worship the Pope. WE don't.
Certainly, we revere him. Certainly he is held in the highest of esteem, but "worship", no.
Worship is reserved for God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
And Mary.
worship
noun1. The act of adoring, especially reverently.
2. Deep and ardent affection.verb
1. To regard with great awe and devotion.
2. To feel deep, devoted love for.
Funny I was listening to the John Batchelor Show on WABC radio today and Lawrence Kudlow a recent convert to Catholicism twice mentioned that he worshipped the late Pope. Not withstanding your statement I wonder how many other Catholics would make the same claim?
Uhhhhh....1st Pea in the Pod didn't say that.
I know you're a good person, AD, and I respect Catholics like you. Please bear with us Protestants here. The concept of pope is one many of us likely will never agree with, because, to cut to the chase and put it in simplest terms possible, Catholics and Protestants come from different belief systems.
While I don't consider John Paul II "my" pope, I recognize he was *the* pope, a title which carries deep meaning for folks all over the globe. And while I consider people like those I see in church every Sunday as being on an equal level with the pope in terms of relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, I recognize many other people looked towards John Paul II as the literal and/or symbolic leader of Christendom.
So it doesn't have to be a bad thing to disagree over this, as long as we're willing to put aside personal pride.