By Michael F. Flach
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 4/14/05)

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde referred to Pope John Paul II as "John Paul the Great" and predicted that the late pontiff will be canonized someday soon. The bishop made his comments during an April 8 meeting with Catholic business leaders at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean, shortly after the Holy Father’s funeral in Rome.

Bishop Loverde, who observed the 17^th anniversary of his episcopal ordination on April 12, recalled several meetings he had with Pope John Paul II, most recently during his ad limina visit in April 2004. "He was feebler during our last visit, but still very engaging," said the bishop, who has received three pectoral cross from the pope.

"All this week we have seen the profound impact that one person can have on the world," Bishop Loverde said. "Think of the millions of people he has influenced. His impact was immense, both in life and in death."

An estimated 2 million people waited for hours to pay their respect to the pope while he lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. As many as 5 million people traveled to Rome for the funeral Mass, including U.S. President George Bush and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.

The bishop recognized that the Church has no official provision to bestow the title "great" upon someone. Only two other pope’s in history have received the honor (St. Leo the Great and St. Gregory the Great). But when John Paul receives the title "it will be an acclamation of the people," the bishop said.

"We mourn his death, but also rejoice that he has arrived in the arms of Our Lady," Bishop Loverde said.

Pope John Paul II was influential in his ministry "because he placed his life in the service of God’s will and plan," the bishop said. "He allowed the Lord to work through him. We must ask ourselves what is God’s plan for us?"

The bishop said the Holy Father rested his life on three pillars: his love for Jesus in the Eucharist, his devotion to Our Lady and his love for the whole human race.

"He also taught us how to accept suffering in our lives," the bishop said. "He did not come down from his cross until his work was done.

"The gifts he gave to each of us will unfold for years to come," he said. "Today, the people of the Diocese of Arlington hold him in prayer, as we have held him in our hearts. He has emboldened us to walk in his footsteps, which were, after all, the footsteps of Jesus."

The 10th annual CBN-NV Catholic Schools Awards Banquet will be held April 24 at the McLean Hilton in Tyson’s Corner. Proceeds from the event help support Catholic education in the diocese. The group’s next monthly meeting on May 13 will feature guest speaker Debra Hinson-Joyner from the Virginia Coalition to End Discrimination in General Services for Education. For additional information, visit the group's Web site at www.cbnnv.com.