HARD ACT TO FOLLOW

I'm not a catholic nor do I practice a religion on a regular basis, though I should. That said, I must say I have enjoyed watching the Pope over the last quarter century, anyway.

I think we got lucky having this man as Pope, because most of the Popes have been rather quiet, boring men who stayed around the Vatican most of the time. Not John Paul ll. This guy is a true globetrotter, and a tough bird to boot. He reminds me of Reagan, in that you can shoot him and he still comes back, only stronger. Most men would've hung their hat on the hook and called it a career.

It looks like John Paul ll is doing badly with his health and it's quite likely we'll be losing him soon. The church will have a hard time replacing him with someone of his ability, intelligence, and stamina. Of the current Cardinals, JP ll appointed about 90% of them, so maybe there's one in there like him.

Those will be some big shoes to fill.