Towards May 1st

The canonization of John Paul II raised much joy and enthusiasm in Poland. Millions of Polish pilgrims are preparing their visit to Rome, where they will attend the May 1st ceremony. A distinguished Pole. “Finally we will have a Saint of our times, someone we all knew very well”: Lech Walesa, Peace Nobel Prize recipient, founder of the first free labour union in a Communist country, rejoiced at the news. “The Polish Pope and Solidarnosc initiated the fall of Communism in Europe”, he added. Upon the announcement of the beatification Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, for almost 40 years the private secretary of Wojtyla, sent a letter to Benedict XVI in which he conveys his gratitude “on behalf of the entire diocese, of the city of Krakow, and on behalf of all Poland”. Msgr. Jozef Michalik, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference (KEP), thanked Benedict XVI on behalf of the Episcopate, in the belief that “the beatification of John Paul II will unite us even more to the successor of Peter and to his mission, so as to bring in the world the light of faith and of love”. Pope Wojtyla “is a great example to the world and to the Church”. The apostolic nuncio to Poland, Msgr. Celestino Migliore, acknowledging the eminence of Wojtyla, observed that his beatification crowns “the great contribution which Poland has brought to the world and to the Church through the pontificate of one of her sons”.Divine Mercy. For Msgr. Henryk Muszynski, former primate of Poland, the beatification “is a sign of hope for the entire world” and “a concrete sign of the Divine Mercy. It reminds us that at the peak of Christianity lies love, which folds into man at the time of need”. “The mystery of God’s Mercy is bound to the entire life of the Polish priest”, underlined cardinal Dziwisz, who recalled that Wojtyla died on the eve of the feast that he himself had established. Msgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, who was also the Pope’s secretary, recalls that John Paul II often observed how much the world “needs the Divine Mercy”, and that he welcomed the canonization of sr. Faustina and the proclamation of Divine Mercy Sunday. Msgr. Kazimierz Ryczan, bishop of Kielce, KEP delegate for the pastoral of workers, underlined: “The beatification of John Paul II that will take place Divine Mercy Sunday will reunite everyone around the mystery that was so dear to John Paul II”. Also for Msgr. Tadeusz Pieronek, who chaired the sainthood tribunal in Krakow, the date chosen for Wojtyla’s beatification is extremely meaningful. “The feast of the Divine Mercy, which this year falls on May 1st is a date which until today had also a completely different meaning”, he remarked. “It shows that the Day is not only an occasion for protest but also an opportunity to rejoice for the great men that the Lord bestows upon us”, he said. Call to sainthood. “The sanctity he irradiates, which entices and enchants other people cannot be denied”, said Msgr. Jozef Kowalczyk, metropolitan archbishop of Gniezno, who noted that while everyone share the faith in the sanctity of John Paul II, now confirmed with his beatification, “what is most important is that the late Pope changed the destiny of so many individuals who learned to open up to others, acknowledged the importance of responsibility, understood the meaning of a dignified acceptance of suffering, and notably, the significance of deep prayer”. Msgr. Wieslaw Mering of Wloclawek pointed out that the Pope “has taught us an ordinary form of sainthood, where there is space for smile, for the good done unto others, for the infinite patience with which Wojtyla endured verbal attacks”. “His example of sanctity – concluded Msgr. Mering – shows that in any situation we can respond to the friendship conveyed by the Lord, His call to sainthood”.