As should be expected, the obituary in the New York Times is excellent.

I can't say I have much respect for any of the U.S. bishops who were appointed by Pope John Paul II. If I knew more about them, I'd probably say the same about John Paul's appointments in the rest of the world. John Paul wanted businessman bishops who followed the party line. He wanted bishops known for respect and obedience, not people known for courage and integrity and innovation and leadership. John Paul's appointments had a deadening effect on the Catholic Church that will last for another generation, or longer. Pope Francis has had a very good effect on the church, but many of John Paul's appointees will be in power long after Francis is dead.

Bernard Cardinal Law* was just one of many church bureaucrats who made the Catholic child sex scandal so much worse by ignoring it and covering it up. He happened to be the first one to get caught, so he became a symbol of the entire scandal. But he was no worse than many others of the same ilk. They were selected as bishops because they were expected not to make waves. I would hope that era is over, but I don't think we've seen the last of the bad effects of the era of John Paul II.

-Joe-

*The formal name would be "Bernard Cardinal Law," but common usage has been "Cardinal Bernard Law" for a long time.