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Pope is paragon of
faith, freedom

THE ISSUE Pope John Paul II is reported to be near death at the age of 84.

WHEN the Roman Catholic Church's cardinals next gather in the Sistine Chapel, they will be hard-pressed to find a pontiff as towering as Pope John Paul II. The first non-Italian pope in 455 years, the spiritual leader born Karol Wojtyla in Poland will be remembered as a giant figure of faith and freedom in the 20th century.

John Paul, who lay near death last night, was pivotal in the rise of the Polish trade movement. His alliance with Polish leader Lech Walesa and President Reagan was an important ingredient in the fall of communism and the rise of freedom in the rest of Eastern Europe. He was immensely popular during his nearly 27 years as head of the church, traveling to 129 countries to carry his sermon to more than a billion believers.

The message was not always as popular as the messenger. On issues such as divorce, birth control, abortion and ordination of women, many if not most of his followers in Western countries thought otherwise. In his fifth semiautobiographical book, John Paul wondered whether those "negative" societies had produced "a new totalitarianism cunningly disguised as democracy," in which "the principle to which people aspire is to think and act as if God did not exist."

His successor is not likely to divert from that moral stance, the traditional Catholic doctrine. Only members of the College of Cardinals under the age of 80 will be eligible to vote on his successor, and 97 percent of those 120 cardinals were appointed by John Paul himself.

The succession will not be seamless. The pope's death will cast uncertainty over the timing of the beatification of Mother Marianne Cope, the nun who cared for Hawaii leprosy victims for 35 years. John Paul had planned to bestow on her the title of "blessed" on May 15.

It also may complicate the sainthood cause of Father Damien DeVeuster, the 19th-century missionary who worked with leprosy victims. In January, the Vatican asked for more scrutiny of the second "miracle" that would make him a saint.

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Common sense will
help pedestrian safety

THE ISSUE State officials review way to prevent pedestrian accidents.

A LAW clarifying when drivers are required to stop their cars for pedestrians at crosswalks will help reduce the number of accidents in Hawaii. However, no single initiative will be effective if motorists and people on foot aren't sensible about sharing the road.

State lawmakers are considering two bills that would more plainly define current law about when a driver must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk where there are no traffic signals. The measures require a driver to stop if a pedestrian is in the same lane as the vehicle or if the pedestrian is within one lane of the car.

The existing law is vague and ambiguous, making it practically unenforceable, said state transportation director Rod Haraga and Rep. Joe Souki and Sen. Lorraine Inouye, who head legislative transportation committees. Lawmakers should pass an amendment since it will help police carry out enforcement.

The fix is but one tool necessary to prevent pedestrian accidents since most people struck by cars aren't in crosswalks. Fewer than 20 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred at marked intersections, according to recent state Department of Transportation data. Most accidents take place when a person is walking along a street near a busy thoroughfare where there are no crosswalks.

This suggests that pedestrians and drivers weren't paying attention and that jaywalking and ignoring traffic rules and signals were involved. So more than changes in law, changes in behavior are needed.

Motorists should stop speeding and running red lights. They should constantly watch out for pedestrians. Pedestrians should observe traffic rules; jaywalking may save a little time and a few steps, but forfeit a life. Enforcement of traffic laws should be heightened, including ticketing cars parked near intersections that block pedestrian and driver views. Streets should be designed with pedestrian safety as a priority.

Above all, common sense and respect for others must prevail. Let's be careful out there.