Three Spanish women of very different age and background have spoken about the pontificate of John Paul II: Montse, 25 years old (born just as Karol Wojtyla was ascending the chair of St. Peter), Nathalie, a Protestant pastor, and Lorena, the mother of six children. According to Montse Piqué “John Paul II has replied to the call of God in a generous and total way. From Him he has drawn the strength to cope with the trials and tribulations of life: the loss of his mother and brother, the Second World War, the renunciation of his professional ideals, the struggle against Communism and in favour of the dignity of man”. “The Pope continues Montse has enabled us to rediscover and put into practice his appeal ‘Do not be afraid’. Thanks to him I’ve understood that the Christian ideal is the most actual and genuine thing to live life to the full, as a person”. “I’ve understood from the Pope she concludes that the will to live, and always to say yes, come from God’s strength and from generosity of spirit”. A different point of view is expressed by the Protestant pastor Nathalie Reverdin, from Rubi (Barcelona), president of the Unesco Association for interreligious dialogue. She see the pontiff as “an initial ray of light” for interreligious dialogue that later “became somewhat obfuscated with other doctrinal questions”. Pastor Reverdin also notes among Catholics “the sadness of people who love their own Church but who sometimes feel rejected, because they are divorced or homosexual”. The mother of six children, Lorena Asensio Pesas is of quite a different opinion. Lorena was deeply struck by “the Pope’s enthusiasm and by his combative spirit in the struggles of daily life. With his invitation not to be afraid and to open the doors to Christ, he revived in me the courage and the faith in God that are essential for the fearful life as a spouse and mother of six children, at odds with a society that constantly exhorts us to flee from sacrifice and seek pleasure at all costs”, she says. Lorena Asensio thinks that “the Pope, as an elderly person but with the youthfulness of spirit that can only come from God, continues to transmit the same courage as ever through the strength of his gaze and his words. God bless him!”.
