The Pope's Final Hours

The Pope is "near death" at this hour. By the time this post is complete, he may well be dead. As religious leaders go, I would have to say he was one of the most true to his beliefs, and much more compassionate than most. I don't agree with quite a bit of Catholic teaching, but I respect him immensely for trying to build stronger ties between the very diverse sects of Christianity, and with other religions. Only unnecessary death comes of hatred between religions, and Pope John Paul II understood that. He also cared in the general sense, and that is as important as it is rare.

This of course leads to speculation about his successor. I have heard a lot of different rumors, everything from that an African Cardinal could be chosen, to a German Cardinal that wants to make the church even more traditional if he is made Pope, like Mel Gibson traditional I guess? It's all early for that anyway though, and regardless, there is plenty of time for that when he dies. I hope his suffering is as minimal as possible, and that the next Pope cares about his followers just as much.