Last night's Nightline was devoted to the pope, beginning with his early history. I hadn't stopped to realize the time line of his history, but his having been born in Poland in 1920 ensured that he would be bombarded and shaped by the horrific events and activities we remember today.

It was absorbing, and I ended up feeling tremendous respect for the man. I'm not Catholic so I can't speak to his beliefs and actions as Pope but I think he was superb as a man.

I could say though in regard to his not having moved as Pope into a more modern, less restrictive, place that it is not surprising when a person reflects his time and his generation. What is remarkable is when a person is ahead of (or behind) his time.

If the next pope is younger than John Paul II by a good bit we'll probably see far more rapid change. It would be remarkable if we did not.