By Tara Conry
While millions of people flocked to the Vatican this week to pay respects to the deceased Pope John Paul II, Catholics on the University campus remain uncertain about the fate of the Church.
“I’m sad, but I also feel the world is disoriented as a whole week has gone by without a pope,” said Diana La Torre, a sophomore computer science major, at Wednesday’s meeting of the Newman Club.
The club’s president, Jamie Herzing, said when she learned about the pontiff’s death after returning from spring break last Saturday she felt like someone had punched her in the gut.
“It’s upsetting to lose such a great representative for the Catholic faith- someone who had the ability to unite people,” said Herzing, who remembers watching the coverage throughout the week in awe at how many young people were mourning.
After being rushed to the hospital in November 2004 for complications related to the flu, Pope John Paul II spent the following months struggling to regain his health. The pope died of septic shock
and kidney failure on Apr. 2 with crowds gathered in prayer in Saint Peter’s Square outside of his room in the Vatican Sister Kathy Riordan, a campus chaplain and adviser of the Newman Club, recalled standing among the crowd of people on Queens Boulevard and joining thousands in a mass at Yankee Stadium in 1979 to catch a glimpse of the fresh-faced pope.
“To see how he’s physically deteriorated since then raises questions about whether he should have stepped down,” said Riordan, who predicts the counsel of cardinals will also consider setting term limits when the next pope is selected.
Riordan said during his final months in office the pontiff reversed some of the decisions that had served as the backbone of his reign, which suggests that his physical state might have affected his ability to lead.
Riordan said in the Vatican II, Pope John Paul spoke out against traditional beliefs that those who did not follow the Catholic
religion would not receive salvation when they die. The pope later contradicted this statement and stressed strict obedience to the rules of the Catholic Church.
“On many levels I thought he was wonderful, wise and personable, but I had reservations on some of his views, such as the role of women in the church,” Riordan said.
Riordan also said there was a strong possibility that Pope John Paul II will be made a saint. His canonization is dependent upon whether there is proof of three irrefutable miracles associated with him after his death.
Out of respect for the pontiff, the University’s Student Government Association postponed Wednesday’s protest against the recent dismissal of Riordan from campus.
Catholics around the world have piled into churches to honor the deceased leader. Sunday’s mass at the University was dedicated to the pope, but members of the campus ministry want to do more to bring the Catholic campus community together.
“People forget how many Catholics there are on campus,” Herzing said. “It would be great if the University held an even bigger service, because the turnout would be great.”
As the cardinals prepare to begin the process of selecting a new pope, Catholics have different expectations for Pope John Paul II’s successor.
“I hope the new guy will welcome change to adjust to society and allowwomen to be priests,” said Leanne Marie Ricchiuti, a sophomore drama/video/TV major, who is also a member of the Newman Club.
At the same meeting, Chris DeBono, a junior math major, expressed a more conservative position.”I don’t want to see too many drastic changes,” DeBono said. “I do not want a female priest.”
According to rules of the church, the cardinals must elect a new pope within 15 to 20 days of the former leader’s death.