The Pope's impact upon the international stage, both in the political and doctrinal spheres, has been immense.

Critics will attempt to portray him as a reactionary who refused to budge on issues such as artificial birth control, divorce and married priests. Yet many people, especially those of faith, will revere him as a prophetic voice who stood firm against a tide of secularism that was threatening to consign traditional ethics in the western world to oblivion.

As one who canonised a record number of saints, he is almost certain himself to be placed on the fast track to sainthood, following in the footsteps of Mother Teresa. This will be one way his successor, to be drawn from a conservative College of Cardinals appointed almost in total by John Paul II, will attempt to preserve his legacy.

The man known as "God's athlete" has inspired thousands by the remarkable and "serene" manner of his dying, ensuring that the last leg of his race on earth has been one of the most memorable. In a Church determined to fight a Western attitude of denial in the face of death, the Eastertide references in Rome to the "Passion of Pope John Paul II" have been more than apt.

Karol Wojtyla was appointed Pope in 1978 at 58, the youngest Pope of the last century and the first Pole. Although as Archbishop of Krakow he had already made an impact in his native country, he was little known outside the church.

He was not considered anywhere near a favourite when the College of Cardinals began sitting in the Sistine Chapel to elect a successor to Pope John Paul, who died after just 33 days in office.

He went on to become one of the most powerful leaders of any institution, not just the Church. He moved during his papacy from battling communism, a fight in which he was resoundingly successful, to waging war against capitalism and what he perceived as the moral decline of Western democracy. In this, his victory remains less certain.

His successor will also have to work hard to overcome some bitterness among the Catholic faithful that he has left behind. Documented by John Cornwell in The Pope in Winter, the failure of the Church under his leadership to deal adequately with priests guilty of sexual abuse caused despair among the laity in the US and Ireland in particular.

The Pope's uncompromising stance against artificial contraception, which he described as "evil", alienated thousands. Many simply chose to ignore it, thereby denting the credibility of the Church's teaching authority.

The extension of this rule to the use of condoms in the fight against Aids in Africa, has, according to Cornwell, condemned "untold Catholics" to almost certain death. The exclusion from communion of divorced and remarried Catholics who have not been granted annulments has seemed equally harsh and has again been widely ignored by priests and laity.

But it would be a tragedy if the Pope were to be remembered solely for his refusal to budge in these areas, especially as the Church here is its divided, with many thousands applauding his stand, particularly on the "life" issues. On abortion and euthanasia, he has been valiant in his defence of the weakest in society.

The focus over the next few days should be on the remarkable achievements of the Pope. He placed the dignity of the human being at the heart of much of his teaching, giving a voice to millions of the dispossessed across the world. In the centrality of prayer to his own devotional life he set an example to millions.

His devotion of Mary ensured continuing iconic status to an unfashionable but valuable role model to women worldwide. His public forgiveness of the man who tried unsuccessfully to shoot him dead in 1981 was unforgettable. He never ceased to champion human rights and to evangelise to the young.

Some might have been suspicious of his ecumenical endeavours, fearing, probably with just cause, that any unity would be on his terms alone. But there was nothing half-hearted in his various apologies for the Crusades, for the injustices done to the likes of Galileo, to the Jewish people over the ages and to other victims of the Inquisition.

In much of his work, he was simply developing to the full the work of the Second Vatican Council, which met from 1962-65 on the initiative of Pope John XXIII and under the leadership of Pope Paul VI from 1963. The council's aim was to renew the religious life of the Church and brings its teachings, discipline and organisation up to date.

There can be no doubt that he has succeeded in the former. As for bringing the Church up to date, there are many who believe it has already gone too far in this direction, while equally as many believe still more needs to be done. And while the Pope may not have succeeded in his dream of a united Christendom, a dream inspired by a Gospel imperative and shared by his predecessors, it is not clear that anyone else could have done any better.

In an age of ever-advancing secularism, the Papacy of John Paul II has ensured that the Catholic Church has remained one of the most powerful forces in the modern world.

As head of a state without arms beyond the spiritual, and one that subsists within an increasingly materialistic world, his achievements have been close to miraculous.

His has been an exemplary life and a holy one, and it is for these qualities that he will one day be canonised, and for which he will always be remembered.

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