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Was the trip to the Netherlands worth the risk? Papal advisers put the best face on things, insisting that John Paul knew all along that local conditions would make the visit difficult. Said one member of his entourage: "Everyone is happy there was no real disaster."
The trip performed one notable service: it demonstrated the weakened state of Dutch Catholicism after a generation of liberal experimentation and authoritarian Roman reaction. The dissenters who have so vexed John Paul are now graying, and younger Dutch no longer seem much interested in the church. The four days in May also delineated the frontiers of John Paul's impact. He can preach with elan to the converted. But in the Netherlands, at least, he showed little talent at persuading those who are skeptical about his inflexible papacy.