Pope's funeral

The Vatican is considered a state, but that wasn't the reason the heads of state felt that they had to be there to see the Pope laid to rest. Nor were the world leaders there solely because the Pope had been the spiritual leader of the world's billion-plus Roman Catholics. They were there to honour a towering figure of moral authority who had a great influence over world affairs.

Within the Catholic church the debate has begun as to Pope John Paul II's legacy. There are differences of opinion with respect to his conservatism and traditionalism and his centralization of authority. But this is a question best left to Catholics -- of whom we have many in Bangladesh -- to sort out individually and as a community.

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For the rest of the world, the Pope will be remembered chiefly for his strong and uncompromising stands, first against communism and then in no less measure against the soullessness of capitalistic materialism. More than anything else, the Pope was a man of peace. His opposition to the Iraq war will not be forgotten.

What he has shown in death is that he can be a unifying force. President Bush and Prime Minister Blair were of course on hand to pay their respects -- but also leaders such as Robert Mugabe and Bashir Assad and Mohammad Khatami as well.

The lesson to be learned is that if the world can unite to mourn the death of this great man of peace, then we should be able to unite as humans to resolve our problems peacefully and with wisdom, and not on the battlefield. If the world leaders take away in their hearts this principle espoused by the Pope, then they truly will have honoured his memory.