The gratefulness of his land

On June 5 Msgr. Celestino Migliore, Apostolic nuncio to Poland, presided over the solemn thanksgiving liturgy by the Polish people for the beatification of John Paul II. The Holy Mass was celebrated in the Shrine of the Divine Providence, south of Warsaw, where the reliquary of the new Blessed was placed. Faithful to God. In his homily the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference (KEP), Msgr. Jozef Michalik, recalled the figure of the Polish primate servant of God Stefan Wyszynski upon his 30th death anniversary, along with that of his friend and disciple John Paul II. The prelate underlined that “the promotion of goodness, the liberation and the purification of love and the moral foundations of Europe” should represent the task of the next EU Polish presidency. “Although today the idea that men, parliaments, international groups and companies can decide ethical norms, morals, justice and truth, Christians are called to bear witness to their love for God and for His Law,” said the KEP president. Thus Poland, to the lead of the EU, “must focus not on the gains of production, statistical findings and analyses, but on the prospect of a future measured on ethical grounds, whereby the yardstick is honor, dignity, respect for labour and assistance to those in need”. The prelate branded civil unions (object of ongoing parliamentary debate in Poland) as causing the “weakness of the family, harming the children and humiliating women”.The enthusiasm of the youth. To the thanksgiving ceremony for the beatification of the Polish Pope took part also over 80 thousand young people gathered on the Lednica esplanade on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 June. The XV meeting of Polish youth was presided over by the Polish primate Jozef Kowalczyk. The prelate presided over the solemn liturgy co-celebrated by over one thousand priests arrived to Lednica with the youth. “Blessed John Paul II has brought us here so you may give thanks to God for the life, service and testimony of the Polish pope”, said Msgr. Kowalczyk, who was conquered by the enthusiasm of the youth attending the meeting and by their ways of expressing faith. The primate of Poland said he hopes that young Poles, as augured by John Paul II, “may make the most of the recovered freedom”. The event was also the occasion to recall all the messages of the Polish Pope addressed to the youth of Lednica. The traditional passage under the large fish-shaped portico for the symbolical renewal of the baptismal promises, for making the confession of faith vow in Christ, closed the celebration. Large groups of participants arrived from abroad to attend this year’s event, that notably include the Primate of the Czech Republic Msgr. Domenico Duka, along with numerous pilgrims from across Europe.Non-negotiable values. Special thanksgiving liturgies, some of which are officiated by the aides of Blessed Wojtyla are being celebrated across Polish cities that were visited by John Paul II. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, longtime private secretary of Karol Wojtyla, upon participating in one of these ceremonies in Rzeszow said: “Blessed John Paul II is today for us the symbol of the assumption of responsibility for personal and civil life, for juridical and moral order, for the love and the tranquility of our families and in our homes”. In 1991, during his first visit to Poland after the fall of the Soviet regime, the Pontiff highlighted the underlying values of a sovereign State. Today, 52% of all Poles say that the Decalogue constitutes not only the foundation of moral norms but also the canon of laws. 75% confirm that “the Church is our common good”, while almost 60% are in favour of the displaying of the Cross in public places. The great majority of the Polish population (92%) agrees that “today, given the increasing numbers of marriages that end with a divorce, united families are called to constitute a social model”. According to the survey carried out in mid-March this year by the Statistical Cbos institute, 82% of young people, despite their concerns, welcome a new fatherhood/motherhood, and less than 15% said they wouldn’t reject abortion in difficult economic situations. 85% of respondents is against the possibility of “prompting the death of a terminal patient before cumbersome medical care”.