Thousands of devotees greet Pope John Paul II as he arrives at the Roman Catholic Patriarch, May 7, 2001 in Damascus, Syria.
'To some, John Paul is a revolutionary. He takes strong stands on human rights, criticizes dictators, seeks reconciliation with the Jewish world, opens dialogue with other faiths, and tries, mostly in vain, to bring unity among Christians of the world. Many argue his support for the Solidarity movement in his native Poland helped bring down Communism in Europe. He has also turned his eye toward the growing gap between the rich and poor, criticizing the excesses of capitalism and the empty materialism of the West.'
'To his detractors, he is a reactionary trying to turn back the clock on modern reality. Some harshly criticize his ultra-conservative theology, which prohibits female ordination and prohibits birth control and abortion. He brands the notion of over-population a myth and says the use of condoms as a precaution against AIDS only encourages the behaviour that leads to the spread of the disease.'
-- Andrew Wiese, for CBC News Online, July 2002
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