Here a group of highly intelligent Roman Catholic writers, all regular contributors to The Tablet, provide their own assessment of the Papacy of John Paul II.

The Papacy of John Paul II lasted twenty-seven years; the third longest in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Rowan Williams has said 'He never wavered in the struggle for what was right', but this in itself was a matter of controversy.

The Pope, who understood the media and how to make use of it, devoted his life to propounding the Christian Gospel tirelessly as he saw it. At the time of his death, he was the leader of a Church with membership of a billion people.

He changed the course of history by his part in toppling the Communist powers of Eastern Europe, but faced with the crisis of sexual scandal in the Roman Catholic Church and the ruthless advance of AIDS in the African continent, some may feel his response was less adequate.

Already called Pope John Paul the Great, his influence will continue to be felt for centuries.