John Paul II: "How could I stand by and do nothing?"

"I'm often chided for talking about these things. But how could I fail to speak out? How could I fail to write about them? How could I stand by and do nothing?" - Pope John Paul II.

He spoke out because his faith compelled him to speak out whenever there was injustice or human rights were being violated. He spoke out about political oppression, economic exploitation, abortion, rampant capitalism, and more.

As Catholics, we are all called to speak out on these issues and other issues as well.

By the way, there are now reports that he could be beatified as early as 2010.