Canberra, Australia, Apr 6, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II was “a much-loved leader of the Church who leaves an extraordinary legacy,” said the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
Archbishop Francis Carroll of Canberra and Goulburn said he was deeply saddened by the death of Pope John Paul II.
He recognized the pope’s instrumental role in shaping world events, particularly in relation to the fall of Eastern bloc Communism.
“The recent intense focus on his declining health served to illustrate the place he held in the life of the world,” Archbishop Carroll said.