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starrs0
Guest
Oh please don’t start with that old song and dance if you intend to bash John Paul the Great kindly see yourself to the door you are not welcome here.
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marty1818
Guest
In my opinions, John Paul II. I say this because he lead the Church for so long in difficult times when secularism was becoming increasingly harsh. This choice could also be a result of me being alive for the pontificate of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. I do believe Pius XII did great things to save many, many lives during World War II.
matt
matt
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Adam_B
Guest
I have to say John Paul the Great.
Iohannes Paulus Magne, ora por nobis
Iohannes Paulus Magne, ora por nobis
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Aureole
Guest
I chose Pius XII; he is so intelligent, a master of so many things! I’ve been doing a lot of research on him lately and have found myself a great pope! I’m also very pleased to see that other’s have my feelings about this holy man.
I may have chosen John Paul II, but I only really began to live my faith this year. I never heard anything until last year about him, which is a shame because I could have spent my life knowing him but didn’t. I also could have met him at WYD, but opted out of it.
Oh well, that’s behind me now. I’ve read about John Paul II and I know what he has done for the Church, and indeed, humanity. I just don’t think that I can truly appreciate what he has done because I never ‘lived’ with it.
I may have chosen John Paul II, but I only really began to live my faith this year. I never heard anything until last year about him, which is a shame because I could have spent my life knowing him but didn’t. I also could have met him at WYD, but opted out of it.
Oh well, that’s behind me now. I’ve read about John Paul II and I know what he has done for the Church, and indeed, humanity. I just don’t think that I can truly appreciate what he has done because I never ‘lived’ with it.
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batteddy
Guest
“1. Pius XII
2. John Paul II
3. St. Pius X”
These are my top three, though I have a hard time deciding if in that order. I mean, Pius X is a Saint! So aren’t we sort of compelled by heaven to choose him? Not really, but still…not putting the Sainted Pope at the top makes me a little uneasy. Then John Paul II was clearly Great…but I knew him as a contemporary, and there were things like the Koran incident etc…history will see whether we judge him personally for the confusion in the Church of the time.
I ultimately voted Pius XII. He was my kind of Pope.
I know we shouldn’t idealize any period of history, that if we do so we are only lying to ourselves…but when it comes to the Church…I idealize the late forties and early fifties…(as well as the late 1800’s.)
It’s when, to me, the Church seemed to strike the proper balance between exclusion and inclusion, sacred and profane, faith and reason, complexity and simplicity, new and old…when she seemed the most unconflicted, noble, comfortable, and firmly sure of herself.
Other people may think other balances are correct, but Pius XII papacy is a time in the Church I idealize. And while I do not doubt John Paul II was a great man and good pope…I really dont particularly care for the turmoil that the Church went through during it.
Not that it was his fault…I suppose I voted for the “Best Papacy” instead of the “Best Pope”…and for me the Best Papacy (though not necessarily best pope) was that of Pius XII.
If I were to rank the others…I would probably put Paul VI at the bottom. No offense to the Venerable Paul…he was a good guy, and whenever I start getting too steamed about the tumult in the Church brewed up in his reign I remind myself that HE was the one who issued Humanae Vitae, and that significantly redeems him in my eyes…but the turning over of the papal tiara and all the confusion over the New Order…
Benedict is so little known and reigned so short I probably would put him second to last.
When if comes to John XXIII and Pius XI, however, I have a very hard time deciding who was better. Pius XI is not well known, but he had a long reign (through the twenties and thirties) and did a LOT…especially to combat fascism and racist ideologies. I did a major report on him for school, and he, I think, is the most Underrated Pope of the century…
Then again, everybody loves John XXIII, even if you hate what came after the Vatican II council. One thing I’ll say for the Blessed John…he definitely was NOT one to give up the tiara. He wore traditional Papal garb often, and did not change the mass itself much (which Pius XII actually did, like the Holy Week changes of 1955)…
2. John Paul II
3. St. Pius X”
These are my top three, though I have a hard time deciding if in that order. I mean, Pius X is a Saint! So aren’t we sort of compelled by heaven to choose him? Not really, but still…not putting the Sainted Pope at the top makes me a little uneasy. Then John Paul II was clearly Great…but I knew him as a contemporary, and there were things like the Koran incident etc…history will see whether we judge him personally for the confusion in the Church of the time.
I ultimately voted Pius XII. He was my kind of Pope.
I know we shouldn’t idealize any period of history, that if we do so we are only lying to ourselves…but when it comes to the Church…I idealize the late forties and early fifties…(as well as the late 1800’s.)
It’s when, to me, the Church seemed to strike the proper balance between exclusion and inclusion, sacred and profane, faith and reason, complexity and simplicity, new and old…when she seemed the most unconflicted, noble, comfortable, and firmly sure of herself.
Other people may think other balances are correct, but Pius XII papacy is a time in the Church I idealize. And while I do not doubt John Paul II was a great man and good pope…I really dont particularly care for the turmoil that the Church went through during it.
Not that it was his fault…I suppose I voted for the “Best Papacy” instead of the “Best Pope”…and for me the Best Papacy (though not necessarily best pope) was that of Pius XII.
If I were to rank the others…I would probably put Paul VI at the bottom. No offense to the Venerable Paul…he was a good guy, and whenever I start getting too steamed about the tumult in the Church brewed up in his reign I remind myself that HE was the one who issued Humanae Vitae, and that significantly redeems him in my eyes…but the turning over of the papal tiara and all the confusion over the New Order…
Benedict is so little known and reigned so short I probably would put him second to last.
When if comes to John XXIII and Pius XI, however, I have a very hard time deciding who was better. Pius XI is not well known, but he had a long reign (through the twenties and thirties) and did a LOT…especially to combat fascism and racist ideologies. I did a major report on him for school, and he, I think, is the most Underrated Pope of the century…
Then again, everybody loves John XXIII, even if you hate what came after the Vatican II council. One thing I’ll say for the Blessed John…he definitely was NOT one to give up the tiara. He wore traditional Papal garb often, and did not change the mass itself much (which Pius XII actually did, like the Holy Week changes of 1955)…
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Augustine
Guest
It’s hard for me to express an informed opinion without knowing all well. I lived from Paul VI to John Paul II in the 20th century and I know little about their predecessors other than through hearsay.
I admire Pio X and XII for what they said and did about the modern world.
I can’t get John XXIII, except for the charisma that people recall about him, perhaps. He didn’t left much in important encyclicals, other than the collective work of the Council.
Paul VI was, IMHO, a wasted papacy. After the prophetic HV, he hid under his desk while fumes from hell got into the Church.
John Paul II was, of course, very influential in spiritual and secular matters in the last quarter or so of the century. And he was very influential to me, of course. He was the pope when I was growing in the Faith and embracing my cradle religion.
Ultimately, thank God for sending His Spirit in a special way to whoever pope chairs His Church.
I admire Pio X and XII for what they said and did about the modern world.
I can’t get John XXIII, except for the charisma that people recall about him, perhaps. He didn’t left much in important encyclicals, other than the collective work of the Council.
Paul VI was, IMHO, a wasted papacy. After the prophetic HV, he hid under his desk while fumes from hell got into the Church.
John Paul II was, of course, very influential in spiritual and secular matters in the last quarter or so of the century. And he was very influential to me, of course. He was the pope when I was growing in the Faith and embracing my cradle religion.
Ultimately, thank God for sending His Spirit in a special way to whoever pope chairs His Church.
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Gottle_of_Geer
Guest
I wouldn’t normally choose St. Pius X 
- I did so, because the Church needs Saints, especially as Popes: and if he had not been Pope, and done as he did in certain respects, the Church might have been much more troubled than she has been.
I would like to have chosen both John XXIII and Paul VI - but to some extent they were building on foundations laid by St.Pius X - so he got my vote ##- Status