JPII: rock on

Lots of wonderful obits on the late pope, with many different angles, among others, the sociological, the ideological, and the human.

But for my money, I like best the Washington Post's take on the cultural power of this pope:

At each stop the crowds responded to his particular charisma, the showmanship of a former actor deepened by the serenity of a man who prays six hours a day. One minute on stage he was stealing rock star Bono's sunglasses; the next he was extolling the ministry of Jesus. He had a gift for using mass communication to criticize the affluent cultures that invented it. Teenage girls screamed at the sight of him. He made holiness buzz.

The pope as rock star. Go figga.