"One may praise or criticize John Paul II's political activities but his contribution to the transformation of Eastern Europe and collapse of the Soviet Union and socialism and to the consolidation of the Catholic Church on all continents is significant," Baburin said in a RIA Novosti interview.
"Rome saw transient hierarchs and those who were pillars of the church. John Paul II was, undoubtedly, not only a church pillar but also a prominent statesman," he stressed.
During his papacy John Paul II failed to settle relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, which did not let him visit Russia, Baburin noted.
"John Paul II is a great figure in the history of papacy. This man consolidated the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in the world," he added.
