The passing of Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005, was mourned by Catholics all over the world. Pope John Paul II had taken a firm opposing stance on controversial social issues such as homosexual behavior, same sex marriage, premarital sex, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion, human cloning, and stem cell research. He refused to compromise his principles on these issues and reprimanded western industrial countries for watching as the “culture of death” grew. Faced with society’s constant changes and their accompanying challenges for Catholics, during the 26 years of his pontificate, Pope John Paul’s conduct, apostolic exhortations, letters and books, left a profound impact on the world.

The following is a letter from the Institute for World Religions.