B"H

I've read this statement a number of times since the Pope passed away in similar form:

Quote: "I don't agree with all his ideas but I still think the world will miss him."

How amazing that the Catholics have matured to the point that they can express disagreement with some of what the Pope did or said or believed!

For a very long time in history that was unthinkable.

It is still unthinkable for many Chassidic Jews who attribute absolute infallibility to their Rabbis. There are many ultra-Orthodox Jews today who would not dare to say that they do not agree with their Rabbis.

It is still unthinkable for many Muslims too.

Although I do not accept the tenets of Catholicism, I do see them as a model of spiritual and moral and intellectual growth to be learned from. The Catholics have come far, very far. Far enough for me to let go of some of the anger I feel for them for the excesses of their past. They are showing true repentance, and should be forgiven in direct proportion to their letting go of their absolutism.

Doreen Dotan, Tzfat