|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Pope John Paul II, born on May 18th, 1920, in Wadowice (Poland), is said to be the most recognized person in the world in the 20th century. He was, by far, the most traveled pope in the 2,000 year history of the Church, and he spoke eight languages. Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Kraków was 58 years old when the College of Cardinals elected him to lead the Roman Catholic Church on October 16th, 1978. He was the first non-Italian chosen as pope in 456 years and the youngest in 20th century. He was the first Pope from Poland in the 1000-year history of Christian Polish nation. He was the 264th pope in Church history.
John Paul II suffered serious wounds during an assassination attempt on May 13th, 1981, at the age of 61. Nevertheless, the pontiff has demonstrated his mental agility as being untouched by the years when he wrote a book entitled Crossing the Threshold of Hope during the fifteenth year of his Church leadership.
John Paul II taught us the way to salvation in his numerous encyclicals, letters, other writings and in countless speeches delivered in dozens of languages. His encyclicals Veritatis splendor (5 Oct 1994) and Evangelium Vitae -- On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life (25th March 1995) show the mankind how to live and why to live.
While conveying the message of God in our times, he faced the fate of
Jesus Christ: hatred, slander campaigns, assassination attempts
(eg. in 1981, 1982) by dark powers of this world, and at the same time hundreds of millions of upright women and men, young and old, listening carefully and with love to his words.
Because in the time of civilization of death, wars, terror, genocide, euthanasia, abortion and other derivatives of fascism, exploitation and poverty, imposed by politicians, he had the courage to call for civilization of life and love.
Because in the time of mass media propagating brutality, selfishness, egoism, deviations, distrust towards family, friends, neighbors and strangers, he called for love and solidarity.
Because in times of glorification of astrology, superstition, occultism, satanism and of crimes and criminals produced by them, he spoke about the only true God, the Almighty, who is the Judge over good and bad, who loves all humans and who sent
His Only Son Jesus Christ to liberate all peoples from the evil.
Much too often political meaning is assigned to the purely religious papal visits to the many countries of the world, including Poland. E.g. communists in Poland blamed the Pope for workers' uprising of 1980 forgetting the truth they preached so vigorously, that worsening living conditions may give rise to workers' protests (in capitalistic countries of course). Politicians were worried by costs of papal visits (covered. by the way, mostly by the Church), never complaining about costs of olympic game participation and TV transmissions, numerous visits of politicians from fraternal countries etc. They accused the Pope of restricting the right of choice. The Pope has, however, no police and no military force, and no economical power to restrict anybody's rights. And the politicians are just forgetting that they themselves prosecuted those who attempted to make use of such a right just choosing Catholic faith, abusing the powers (military, police and economy) they had.
Yet there is clearly something political about the religion in general.
Performance of a politician and of a policy is usually evaluated along three dimensions: common weal, moral quality and efficacy. While the sense of common weal and of efficacy may be totally manipulated by mass media, the sense of morality of the citizens gets out of control of politicians due to religious foundations of morality.
Hence politicians would like to change somehow the religion so that it blindly justifies whatever they do.
Jesus Christ was condemned to death in a political trial though
He never attempted to acquire political influence.
History of the world, and also of Poland demonstrates numerous examples of kings that liked bishops during crowning celebrations and executed them if those criticized their amoral way of life.
There is clearly something political about the Catholic religion, but not due to Catholic religion trying to influence the policy, but rather due to attempts of politicians to influence the religion.
As the Cardinal Wyszynski once said:
"It is not the Church that wants to sit on thrones, but it is the rulers that want to sit on the altars".
The Pope made more strong statements, with quiet voice, in favor of poor and oppressed people:
He repeated the words against killing children in
Kalisz during this visit.
He called the countries with unemployment underdeveloped
and appealed for granting possibility of work for all those who want to.
He appealed to physicians to take care of their patients.
He stated that unity of Europe is only possible if all return back to the
Catholic faith. He insisted that a nation should be granted education and scientific research.
The people cheered and politicians complained. As usual ...
For more information see also:
He already visited a number of Polish towns:
The most “political” papal pilgrimage to Poland seems to be the recent one of August 2002. The ruling “camp” expected the Pope to speak in favor of EU membership of Poland. And they waited quietly till the last speech of the Pope at the Balice airport near Cracow on August 19th, 2002. Then they could air on TV and radio as well as write in newspapers that the Pope said: “I hope that Polish society (…) will find in the structures of European community the position proper for itself”. What the people forget about when reading this most cite statement of the Pope is the broad context of this statement in the Pope’s speech. The speech at the airport on August 19th started with the words: “Poland, My lovely Homeland, God elevated you and distinguished you” and then a moment later followed: “I hope that Polish society (…) will find in the structures of European community the position proper for itself” that is, (according to the starting statement), the elevated position, the distinguished position, that is the leadership position. No other position of Poland in the structures of European community is acceptable to the Pope.
Why should Poland be the leader among all nations of Europe and the world? This matter was widely explained in earlier speeches of the Pope during His visit. Citing words of our Lord Jesus directed to Saint Faustyna, He spoke in the sanctuary of God’s Mercy in Lagiewniki in Cracow (August 17th) “From here the spark will start that will prepare the world for the second coming of the Christ” who will come to judge the living and the dead at the end of this world. As He pointed during the Mess at the Blonie in Cracow (August 18th), other nations do not deserve this leadership position because they “celebrate the mystery of evil” by “claiming the plenipotentiaries of God for themselves, by attempting to decide about the beginning and the end of human life, by deciding which life is worthy or not worthy to live,, by attempting to determine the shape of life via genetic manipulations, by violating human rights of old, sick and handicapped people denying their right to live and to be cared for”. The Pope condemned also those responsible for unemployment, for poverty especially of multi-child families and old people, the ideology of liberalism.
On August 17th, when the President of Poland was greeting Him upon arrival and speaking about the anticipated membership in the European Union, the Pope made a strong reply that it is not permissible to build one’s own prosperity on the poverty and suffering of the other people.
How shall Poland prepare for this leadership to the nations of Europe and the world? This issue was addressed by the Pope first of all in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska during celebration of 400 years of the founding of the sanctuary (August 19th). The Pope obliged Polish nation to unite in one Catholic faith, to unite politically and socially and to keep national purity and territorial integrity of Polish state. In this and other speeches He appealed for taking care of old, sick, unemployed and poor people, to eliminate unemployment, to promote multi-child families. We shall excercise mercy to our neighbor to enjoy mercy from God.
Later on, the Pope's vision of united Europe as a human friendly one based on Christian love and mercy conflicted him with the former French president D'Estaing, who headed the Constitutional Convention. As Nasz Dziennik reported on April 5th, 2005: D'Estaing odmówil prosbie Papieza. Byly prezydent Francji Valery Giscard d'Estaing ujawnil, ze Ojciec Swiety Jan Pawel II osobiscie bardzo zabiegal o to, aby w traktacie konstytucyjnym Unii Europejskiej zostalo wymienione z nazwy chrzescijanstwo. "Na koniec naszej rozmowy Papiez powiedzial do mnie, ze jego zyczeniem jest, aby w dokumencie europejskim zostalo wyraznie uzyte slowo 'chrzescijanski'" - stwierdzil francuski polityk w wywiadzie dla gazety "Le Figaro" (wczorajsze wydanie). Giscard d'Estaing, który kierowal pracami nad traktatem konstytucyjnym, przyznal, ze wtedy odpowiedzial Papiezowi, iz Jego prosba nie bedzie mogla byc spelniona (info base on reports of WP and KAI).
Czcigodny Ojciec Izydor Matuszewski,
General Zakonu Paulinów, Jasna Góra
Wszechmogacy i milosierny Bóg, który dal narodowi polskiemu w Najswietszej Maryi Pannie przedziwna pomoc i obrone, i w sposób niezwykly wslawil czcia wiernych Jej Jasnogórski wizerunek, wiele razy w historii naszej Ojczyzny za Jej wstawiennictwem okazywal nam swoje nieskonczone milosierdzie. Za te szczególna Boza opieke dziekujemy w sposób szczególny dzis, gdy przezywamy jubileusz 350 lat od cudownej obrony Klasztoru Jasnogórskiego w czasie tak zwanego potopu szwedzkiego.
Odwolujac sie do tych wydarzen z drugiej polowy XVII stulecia, uswiadamiamy sobie, ze widmo calkowitej utraty suwerennosci panstwa nioslo ze soba grozbe zniewolenia polskiego ducha. Wielu utracilo wówczas nadzieje, porzucajac wiare ojców i poddajac sie panowaniu wroga, który jako jeden z celów stawial sobie wykorzenienie katolicyzmu. Z Bozego zrzadzenia Jasna Góra stala sie opatrznosciowym bastionem w walce o zachowanie wolnosci i narodowej tozsamosci. Dobrze to rozumial ówczesny przeor czestochowskiego klasztoru O. Augustyn Kordecki. Jak pisze Sienkiewicz, powtarzal on czesto: "Jeszcze Najswietsza Panna pokaze, ze od burzacych kolubryn silniejsza". Nawiazujac do tego wyrazu wiary w moc Jasnogórskiej Królowej, mówilem kiedys: "Jezeli patrzymy na postac Augustyna Kordeckiego, jego bohaterska decyzje obrony Jasnej Góry, jego zwyciestwo, wówczas odzywaja w nim jakze liczne postacie naszej historii - postacie pasterzy, kaplanów i zarazem zolnierzy. Jego geniusz byl zapoczatkowaniem nowych czasów, nowych zadan dziejowych i ducha polskiego. O. Augustyn Kordecki odniósl zwyciestwo. Jasna Góra zadziwila caly naród. Ona jedna potrafila sie obronic przed 'potopem', ostatnia wyspa niepodleglego bytu i niepodleglego ducha. Ten fakt mówil bardzo wiele wspólczesnym, ale ten fakt mówil jeszcze wiecej potomnym" (6.05.1973). Niech ten fakt mówi równiez do naszego pokolenia. Niech stanie sie wezwaniem do jednosci w budowaniu dobra, dla pomyslnej przyszlosci Polski i wszystkich Polaków. Niech przywoluje do strzezenia skarbca ponadczasowych wartosci, aby korzystanie z wolnosci bylo ku zbudowaniu, a nie ku upadkowi.
Klekajac przed obliczem Jasnogórskiej Królowej, modle sie, aby mój naród, przez wiare w Jej niezawodna pomoc i obrone, odnosil zwyciestwo nad wszystkim, co zagraza godnosci ludzkiej i dobru naszej Ojczyzny. Polecam Jej macierzynskiej opiece Kosciól na ziemi polskiej, aby przez swiadectwo swietosci i pokory zawsze umacnial nadzieje na lepszy swiat w sercach wszystkich wierzacych. Prosze o odwage dla odpowiedzialnych za przyszlosc Polski, aby wpatrzeni w postac O. Augustyna, potrafili bronic kazdego dobra, które sluzy Rzeczypospolitej.
Blogoslawie i ofiarowuje nowe korony dla Jasnogórskiego Wizerunku, jednoczac sie w duchu z Paulinami, strózami Sanktuarium, i z wszystkimi Pielgrzymami. Zawierzam nasza Ojczyzne, caly Kosciól i siebie samego Jej matczynej opiece. Totus Tuus!
Watykan, 1 kwietnia 2005 r.
Jan Pawel II
To the beginning of this page 
Catholic Church in Poland