The Warsaw Voice | 30 maj 2006
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During meetings with crowds of the faithful, who gave him an enthusiastic reception, Pope Benedict XVI called on them to "stand firm in your faith", and spoke of the special role Poland is to play in the work of evangelization. In his homilies, he also referred to the current problems faced by the Polish Church. According to the pope's announcement, it was "no mere sentimental journey" in the footsteps of John Paul II.
The papal journey in Poland started May 25, when a few minutes before 11 a.m., the airplane carrying Benedict XVI landed at Warsaw's Okęcie Airport. The visit lasted four days, with a very intensive program. In the course of his stay, the pope visited Warsaw, Częstochowa, Cracow, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. May 28 in the evening, Cracow-Balice Airport hosted the distinguished guest’s farewell ceremony. During the visit, Benedict XVI celebrated two open-air Holy Masses: in Warsaw on Piłsudskiego Square and in Cracow’s Błonia park. Both were attended by hundreds of thousands of the faithful, who were not even discouraged by unfavorable weather. In Warsaw, the Mass was celebrated in pouring rain. Polish Catholics came to listen in defiance of the inconvenience and the fears expressed by some regarding whether the German Pope could expect as warm a welcome in Poland as was shown to the Polish Pope. For his part, Benedict XVI repeatedly referred to the memory of his “beloved predecessor”, including frequent quotations of words spoken by John Paul II during his visits to Poland.
Papal commentary
The reception of John Paul II’s successor, the first pope other than John Paul II ever to visit Poland, was enthusiastic from the very beginning. Already during the initial trip by popemobile through the streets of Warsaw on the way from the airport, you could see numerous city residents gathering to heartily greet the pope. The German Pope, Benedict XVI, then made a symbolic gesture towards the city, that suffered severely as a result of World War II and the German occupation. Instead of going directly to St. John’s Cathedral, the pope extended the route so as to go past some of Warsaw’s monuments: of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, the Heroes of the Ghetto, and the monument dedicated to Poles Fallen and Murdered in the East. During the meeting with Polish bishops and clergy in Warsaw’s Cathedral, Benedict XVI spoke of the essence of the priesthood, referring indirectly to specific current problems with which the Polish Church is struggling. The first passage to be taken up by most news services said that priests are expected to be “specialists in promoting the encounter between man and God”, and not to be experts “in economics, construction or politics”. All commentators agree that such statements were in reference to the excessively political character of the Radio Maryja station run by the Redemptorist fathers under the slogan “Catholic voice in your home”. Another passage from the pope’s statement was generally interpreted as his commentary on the problem of verification of priests vis-a-vis their cooperation with the former communist security services. Benedict XVI stressed that the Church should not “exclude sinners from her ranks”, but added that “we must therefore learn to live Christian penance with sincerity”. He stressed that “we must guard against the arrogant claim of setting ourselves up to judge earlier generations, who lived in different times and different circumstances”, pointing out that “humble sincerity is needed in order not to deny the sins of the past, and at the same time not to indulge in facile accusations in the absence of real evidence”.
Religious education in faith
Benedict XVI’s visit to Poland was anchored by the motto “Stand firm in your faith”. Accordingly, most papal addresses were about Catholic religious instruction, and the deepening of faith. A special character marked the papal homily during the Mass celebrated on May 28 in the morning in Cracow’s Błonia park, according to some estimates attended by nearly one million faithful, including 20 cardinals, 28 archbishops, 120 bishops and 1,500 priests from a dozen countries. The pope then spoke words referring to the special calling of the Polish nation following the pontificate of John Paul II. “When Karol Wojtyła was elected to the See of Peter... your land became a place of special witness to faith in Jesus Christ. You were called to give this witness before the whole world. This vocation of yours is always needed, and it is perhaps even more urgent than ever, now that the Servant of God (John Paul II) has passed from this life”, the pope said. He appealed to Poles to “share with the other peoples of Europe and the world the treasure of your faith”. The previous evening, the same venue hosted Benedict XVI’s meeting with about 700,000 young people. The tradition of meetings with youth was initiated by John Paul II. Here, Benedict XVI also opened his speech with the words of his predecessor: “Dear Young Friends!”. He devoted his speech - repeatedly interrupted with applause and chants “Benedetto”, “Dziękujemy” (“We thank you”) - to the words from the Gospel according to St. Matthew of “a house that will never collapse because it is built on the rock”. Benedict XVI said that “in the heart of every man there is the desire for a house. Even more so in the young person’s heart is a great longing for a proper house, a stable house”, where they may return with joy and where “the daily bread is love”. The pope appealed to young people instructing them: “Do not be afraid of this desire” and “Do not be discouraged”. “A strong faith must endure tests”, he said. In Błonia, pilgrims from other countries were also present, including Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovakia, Russia, Belarus and Spain.
Marcin Mierzejewski
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