An exhortation without voice, a lighted window, an empty chair

April is the cruelest month.

"No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what in this Message I wish to say to believers and non-believers alike, to all men and women of good will who are concerned for the good of the human family and for its future.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what I wish to say to those responsible for the future of the human community, entreating them to be guided in their weighty and difficult decisions by the light of man's true good, always with a view to the common good.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: I shall not tire of repeating this warning to those who, for one reason or another, nourish feelings of hatred, a desire for revenge or the will to destroy."

- Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace, Assisi, Italy, 2002

Quoted often by those who wished to end war, he was ignored by the same when it came to his stance on abortion and euthanasia. Quoted often by those who wished to end abortion, too many of the same refused to listen to his passionate and reasoned attack on the death penalty and military solutions to political problems. Cited as an example by champions of human rights, his words on the violence of poverty were too often a footnote lost in the complacency of consumerism.

History will confirm his position as one of the most consistent defenders of the integrity of life and the human person among our world leaders. May the rest hear him clearly, and soon.