In the wake of Pope John Paul II's death, there is one area group expressing less than a saintly view of the late pope.

The pope "had the opportunity to do so much good and did not," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

The foundation is a Madison-based national education group that works to promote the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, according to the group's Web site.

Gaylor said coverage of the pope's death was "overkill," and her group holds several reservations about the way the pope is being mourned, including last week's executive decision by Gov. Jim Doyle to lower flags in Wisconsin.

The pope "is not a head of state," Gaylor said. "We, (at the foundation), do not feel that the Vatican is a real government. We have received countless calls from the public who are voicing their displeasure over the decision to honor the pope by lowering the flags."

She said it is an inappropriate violation of church and state, and is not the best way for Catholics to mourn the pope.

"It is perfectly appropriate for Catholics to mourn the pope, but a better way to honor his death would be to remove the troops from Iraq," Gaylor said.

Gaylor said in 26 years Pope John Paul II "has done more harm than good," and his shortcomings as pope are not being publicized enough.

But other groups in Wisconsin recognize the pope as both a religious leader and the head of an autonomous state.

"The pope was a holy head of the Vatican City, which is a sovereign city-state, so we are mourning more than a religious leader but also a head of state," according to Kathleen Hohl, communications director for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

She said lowering the flags to half-staff is a traditional way to mourn the passing of a head of state, and that is exactly what the pope was. According to the Central Intelligence Agency's Web site, Vatican City gained independence from Italy Feb. 11, 1929, becoming the world's smallest state.

In the United Nations, Vatican City, also known as the Holy See, is considered a "non-member state." The Holy See has permanent observer status, which means they can attend General Assembly meetings but cannot vote.

"The decision was made because we are dealing with a great international figure; to so many people he was more than a religions leader," Hohl said.

This is also an issue that carries both political and religious importance, according to Robert Masson, an associate professor in the theology department.

"It is not simply a theological question," Masson said. "It has to do with who we are as a nation and how we understand our relationship with the church."

Masson said the separation of church and state is an important thing to consider, but people seem to be viewing the pope as a leader who transcended that separation.

"From what I have seen, people seem to be pointing to this pope as someone who was very important to them," and they feel he should be honored accordingly, Masson said.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has won several legal battles concerning the separation of church and state.

In 1996 the group got Wisconsin's Good Friday Law repealed. The law stated that every Good Friday state offices should close at noon in order to observe the crucifixion of Jesus.

Gaylor said it was an inappropriate law because it was a paid religious holiday and it endorsed Christianity in state offices. Also other religions were not afforded the same paid day off for their respective religious holidays.

The governor's office did not return calls seeking comment.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 12 2005.