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1. John Paul II - The Authoritarian Pope (Alternet.org)
   "John Paul II took an institution just beginning to throw off the chains of centuries of insularity and autocracy and to be plain speaking, reshaped it into what can only be described as a totalitarian institution."
   
   "In 1958 Pope John XXIII assumed the papacy. Within months he called for an 'aggiornamiento,' a 'bringing up to date' of the church. Church services began to be conducted in native languages. Priests and nuns and laity were given more participation and authority."
   
   "Pope John XXIII died shortly after Vatican II convened. But the reforms he nurtured took root and flowered under his successor. Journalist Gwynne Dyer recently recalled his impressions after visiting Catholic churches around the world in 1978 in preparation for a televised documentary. 'In southern Africa, Catholics were playing a leading role in resistance to apartheid. In Latin America, the phenomenon of 'liberation theology' was reconnecting the church with the impoverished peasant millions whom it had long ignored. In Europe and North America, the old hierarchies were all under challenge, but especially the hierarchy of gender. Justice and equality were the themes and the energy was astonishing."
   
   " 'Twenty-five years later,' Dyer sadly observes, 'it is all gone.' "
   
   "John Paul II attended the Vatican Council meetings in the 1960s and opposed the changes. Upon taking office he undertook to reverse them. To achieve this goal he dramatically centralized and exercised powers."
   
   "In the 1980s French theologican Marie-Dominique Chenu put it bluntly. John Paul harkens back to the 'prototype of the church as an absolute monarchy.' " 4-05