I understand that the Catholic Church is opposed to killing, and that includes war, abortion, and capital punishment, a mixed bag IMO. I also remember reading that the Pope at the time of the Holocaust remained silent about it. I'm still looking for something about John Paul II as a specific Pope that I can admire. He may have expressed sympathy with the poor people of the world, but did he advocate or do anything specific to help them? Talk is cheap. I admire the activism of the Pope who brought about Vatican II. That had a noticeable effect on dissolving barriers between peoples. I know that JP II forgave Jews and Muslims, but that is such a condescending act from "God's best religion."