John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

The world lost a great leader on the death of Pope John Paul II on Saturday, 2 April 2005. His was a unique papacy. It was an honour and privilege to live at the same time as him. When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope the world was a very different place. His was the hour and he was the man, a man sent by God.

Karol Wojtyla was cardinal of Krakow. This is interesting in that Krakow is very near Auschwitz-Birkenau, the place of humanity's greatest crime. In the Pope, a shining light came from Krakow to do wonderful things during his papacy. He was a very strong man who followed the Christian tradition and upheld the Catholic Church to its finest and nth degree. For that we should all be grateful.

Pope John Paul II educated us in many different ways. I think of one way in which he will continue to educate me for the rest of my life. Although he said he left nothing in his will — he left no personal effects — he has left us a wealth of information, of encyclicals and of words we should listen to and put into practice. Here in Ireland he asked us to keep away from violence. He asked us to uphold the best traditions of morality and to ensure that Ireland did not waver from the faith. We should remember this. It was not the first time that someone from Poland saved Europe on behalf of Christianity. King John of Poland stopped the Turks at the gates of Vienna during the Middle Ages. However, this time it went the other way as Pope John Paul II freed eastern Europe. That should be remembered. When Solidarity members were at the gates of Gdansk facing Soviet troops who were prepared to use their tanks, the Pope said, "Tell them I will be standing there with the workers". All of Stalin's tanks were useless against the Pope of Rome. He prevailed and eastern Europe is free.

Part of the Pope's legacy is his request to us to remember that Europe extends from the Atlantic to the Urals and, therefore, his work must continue. He has left Europe a freer and better place. However, he not only took on communism but also unbridled capitalism and injustice done to the developing world by wealthier nations. He was not afraid to speak out against communism or the wars in Iran and Iraq. He was unbiased in preaching the Christian message regardless of the opposition, which many of us would have looked on as insurmountable but it was not to him. As previous speakers stated, he was working and following the path of Christ.

I refer to the way he educated me about the role of women. He said Mary was the mother of the church. There is no higher position in the church than the unblemished, the pure Mary. He reminded us of that and for those who ask about the position of women in the church, the Pope said there is no higher, finer or greater position than mother of the church. Let us remember that.

While he argued for compassion and justice for the vulnerable worldwide, Pope John Paul II conserved faithfully the teaching of the church. He was a great defender of human life, whether it be loss by abortion, war, euthanasia or judicial execution. He upheld the family based on lifelong marriage and he said what he had so say, whether society regarded his views as politically correct. He condemned the sin, not the sinner.

The past four decades have brought unprecedented change in all our lives on the national and international scene. Surging demographic and technological changes have affected every area of our lives but this has often been accompanied by excessive human conceit, arrogance and moral confusion. Pope John Paul II provided us with a clear guide. He cleared the path for us and showed us the light and for that we should be grateful. He sought compassion for those who are less well off and he supported the alleviation of debt in the third world. He left no personal goods. We were fortunate to have had the guidance of such a wonderful navigator for many years. The world will miss him sorely but he has left a great deal behind to guide us. May he rest in peace.