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I'm not catholic, or religous for that matter, but what I have experienced during the last three ours or so is truly amazing. As some of you know, I live in Warsaw, Poland. This pope always had a a special relationship with the people of his native land. I might have disagreed with him on most issues, but the expressions of emotions I just saw are truly heart breaking and amazing. It's late night here in Warsaw. I was outside, when I heard air raid sirens turn on throughout the city. After that there was an endless sound of church bells ringing from everywhere. I went to a local church. From the hill nearby I could see people swarming in from the surrounding areas. I went inside to pay my respect, and stayed in for the mass. There was about a thousand people inside and it was hard to find anyone who wasn't crying. Young & old alike - and I know that this sounds like fiction - stood side by side and weapt. It was truly amazing. The news reports say that downtown Warsaw is closed off - thousands of people came to pray in the churches in the city's Old Town in the center. I went for a ride - evenm though it's saturday night, and the city's usually empty at this time of night, there's normal traffic on the streets. People are walking everywhere with lit candles. It amazing.
As I said - I disagreed with many things John Paul II said and done, but I respect the fact that he played a huge, huge role in the life's of many people. It's truly heartbreaking to see the whole nation grieve. From an atheists point of view I always thought of religion as opium for the masses, if you will. I think today changed my outlook slightly. Sure, religion can lead to bad things sometimes, but it can also lead to some wonderful things too - a sense of unity and love for your fellow man. Something that I found hard to understand until now, I guess.
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