By Adelle M. Banks
Pope John Paul II, The Passion of the Christ director Mel Gibson and the Dalai Lama are among the global figures listed in Time magazine’s new list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
“. . . [w]ithout the pope, without his political interventions, the 20th century could have ended differently,” wrote Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel in a tribute to the pontiff. “That is a measure of his influence on today’s world.”
The pope was only one of four honored in “The Time 100” who also was previously listed in the magazine’s “Time People of the Century.”
Gibson, whose tribute was written by Jerry B. Jenkins, co-author of the “Left Behind” novel series, was recognized for his box-office-topping movie.
“Gibson succeeded because he produced a film from that place within the fiber of his being where his own passions lie,” Jenkins writes in the magazine’s upcoming Monday issue.
Pico Iyer, author of Sun After Dark, heralded the Dalai Lama for drawing attention to Tibetan Buddhism and his native land.
“Now, largely thanks to him, Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism are a cherished part of many a neighborhood,” Iyer said.
Among the Muslim names cited on the list were Ali Husaini Sustani, a Shiite leader in Iraq; author Tariq Ramadan of France; and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi of Iran.
Bono, the lead singer of the pop band U2, who has worked with religious leaders to build awareness about AIDS, poverty and debt in Africa, also made the list.
