John Paul II Versus The Neocons

I have noticed the existence of a school of what probably sees itself as ultraconservative Catholicism, but which is inexplicably supportive of neoconservatism, and which is extremely hostile to John Paul II. I think I know why it so hostile, although I cannot for the life of me see why it is so supportive.

While John Paul II did not, and did not claim to, bring down the Soviet Union single-handedly, he did nevertheless make a significant contribution. When the USSR went away, the Scoop Jackson Trots suddenly found themselves in a world that they could no longer understand.

Throughout the 1990s (and these people were and are as close to the Clintons as to Bush-McCain), anyone at all, even such piffling figures as Aideed of Somalia and Noriega of Panama, had to be held up as substitute threats to civilisation as we knew it, just because there had to be one. And they are still at it. “Al-Qaeda” (there is no such organisation) has faded, Iraq has turned out never to have had any WMDs, nobody seriously believes that Iran has any, and so Russia is back. For now.

Oh, how much simpler their lives were during the Cold War. How the world made sense to them. And how cruel of John Paul II to do so much to bring that cosy simplicity to an end. That particular Pope really must have been the Antichrist after all.

Mustn’t he?