Denver, Colo., Apr 5, 2005 / 22:00 pm
As millions prepare for Pope John Paul II’s Friday funeral in the Vatican, former U.S.-Vatican ambassador Jim Nicholson shared his thoughts and memories of a pope who was all at once, a champion for peace and a man with a disarming sense of humor.
"He was such an extraordinary, epic person and had this aura about him; he was a humble man who looked you in the eyes when he shook your hand," Nicholson said on Sunday.
Nicholson, who is a former Colorado developer and currently secretary for Veterans affairs in that state served as the U.S.’s ambassador to the Vatican for three and a half years under the current Bush administration.
He said that Pope John Paul and the president “really hit it off” and that, “The president's views on the sanctity of life, the culture of life, were reinforced by the pope."