Toward the end of his reign, Pope John Paul II has been heavily promoting his Roman Catholic goddess, the Virgin Mary. Throughout his term as pope, he has consistently focused on Mary rather than Jesus.

He began by placing a large "M" on his coat of arms. His personal motto translates, "Mary, I am all yours." Later, when he was wounded by assassin Aqca, he repeatedly and publically thanked Mary rather than Jesus for saving his life.

For several months he has used one of his weekly Vatican appearances to describe how she is the "Mother of God," "Mother of the Church," etc.

Lately, there has been speculation as to whether he will use his infallibility to raise her to the next level of "Co-redeemer," "Co-mediator," and "Advocate of the people of God."

Already she has been declared by previous popes to have been born without sin (dogma of the Immaculate Conception, 1814) and taken bodily into heaven at her death (dogma of the Assumption, 1950). An organization has been formed to promote this new "dogma." It is called the Vox Populi Mariae Mediotrici (Voice of the People for Mary Mediatrix) and has collected over 4 million signatures, including a petition to persuade the pope to go ahead with the pronouncement.

The June 16, 1997 issue of Time magazine disclosed that "last year the Vatican quietly asked a special international panel of theologians for advice." Their response was that it would raise "ecumenical difficulties." Time translation: "Protestants and the Eastern Orthodox would go into orbit."

Most of the pressure on the pope is coming from areas of the world where Roman Catholicism dominates. In areas such as the U.S., where Catholics are trying to appear more biblically "Christian," the pronouncement could do great damage to the "ecumenical movement" which has made great strides seducing most of the "formerly" protestant churches into believing that Catholics are really saved, they just have a little different worship "tradition."

If Pope John Paul II does "take the plunge," maybe it would shock so called "Protestants" back to protesting again against this false church which has taken away the glory that belongs only to Jesus Christ and given it to the Virgin Mary goddess who has been constructed out of pagan mythology with no resemblance to the biblical Mary.