An Alliance Between Evangelicals and, Catholics?

Though the Pope departed this earthly life April 2, his legacy which including the special esteem in which many American evangelical Protestants held him and many of his teachings -- lives on.

Perhaps the most prominent evidence of Pope John Paul II's special place in the hearts of evangelicals came in comments by the United States currently most prominent evangelical, President Bush. "The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home," Bush said, in a statement he issued shortly after Vatican officials announced the pontiff's death.

Bush later attended a special memorial Mass at Washington's St. Matthew's Cathedral, located just a few blocks from the White House.

Bush has frequently made reference to the "culture of life," a phrase coined by John Paul II in his many writings on life-ethics issues. Bush has used them mainly in the context of discussing abortion, stem-cell research and euthanasia. He cited the term repeatedly in discussing the recent dispute over the fate of Terri Schiavo.

Indeed, many prominent evangelicals cited the pope's commitment to a pro-life ethic in reflections on his legacy.

"His passion brought leadership on many cultural issues, including traditional marriage and the protection of unborn children. He also took a strong stance against embryonic stem cell research and human cloning," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, in a statement on John Paul II's death. "The pope must be recognized for his prolific writings, his gift for language, and his outspoken affirmation of life that we enjoy from our Creator, from conception to natural death."

Such effusive praise for a pope from conservative Protestants stands in stark contrast to the views of Catholicism in general -- and the papacy in particular -- many evangelical leaders expressed prior to John Paul II's election in 1978. Indeed, many conservative and fundamentalist Protestants led opposition to the election of President John F. Kennedy in 1960 because of Kennedy's Catholicism.

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