death of a pope

I'd start off with a tepid but heartfelt expression of regret on the loss of the pope. Next would be a "two-cheers" statement for his accomplishments along the lines of bringing attention to the world's significant problems, followed by a tart remark about the courage required to take a position against poverty or war. Then, to keep the reader off balance, a reiteration of the value of the good deeds he inspired - the millions of tiny good deeds done each day by one person to another person, hoping to live a righteous life following the pope's example. I'd offer some history and suggest that the pope's experiences under a totalitarian regime profoundly, and unhelpfully, affected his outlook. I might float the idea that his was a good mind twisted and deformed by Communism, kind of like Ayn Rand, so I can engage in a little pop psychology and look literate in the same sentence.
After a reminder that there are other, less flattering, views of His Holiness, I'd refresh the reader's memory regarding sending Mother Teresa to Panama to reassure Panamanians about General Noreiga. I'd also remind them of the pope's conservative stand on contraception and abortion and wonder aloud how many women's lives it cost. I'd mention his successes excluding women from the heirarchy of the Church before moving on to what I consider his most pernicious legacy, of sanctifying more individuals that all of his predecessors combined. I'd explain that this global seeding of raw superstitous belief among the least educated and most credulous will do egregous harm in the long run. I'd also point out that his Church obliterates and perverts indiginous cultures worldwide, and although these efforts by the Church predate John Paul II, some responsibility must be assigned to him.
At this point, I probably have to get into questions of good intentions and bad consequences and wind up making some remarks about consequences having more impact, especially if they're lethal, so that's where I get off criticizing the pope, who was only trying to do what he thought was right. I would put in something about how consequences matter and existentialism, and reinforce my case against the pope while I sound literate again.
I would note the calls for "reform" from within the Church and express doubts that any real reform could take place while such a belief system was in place, and I'd close with a pithy aphorism about how religious beliefs can never be dissuaded, they must always be abandoned voluntarily.