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Article: John Paul II and the law: some preliminary reflections.
- Article from:
- Ave Maria Law Review
- Article date:
- June 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Ave Maria School of Law. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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At the deepest levels of his self-understanding and sense of vocation, the late Pope John Paul II was a Christian disciple and a pastor of Christ's Church. Precisely as such--as a disciple, a priest, and a bishop--John Paul II exerted what many believe to be the greatest influence on world affairs of any pope since the high Middle Ages.
His pivotal role in the collapse of European communism is now widely acknowledged. In time, his influence in the democratic transitions in Latin America and East Asia will also be recognized (as will another less-heralded contribution, his refusal to give up on Africa at a moment when other world leaders seemed prepared to let ...