A fixed point of life” “

Since 10 November the Polish government has been led by a man of the centre-right: Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, who represents a coalition supported by the PIS (Justice and Law), LPR (League of Polish Families), PSL (Peasants’ Party) and Samoobrona (Self-Defence). On 23 December Lech Kaczynski, twin brother of the leader of the PIS Jaroslaw, will assume the post of President of the Polish State, taking over from Aleksander Kwasniewski, exponent of the Alliance of the Left (heir of the Communist Party), who has led the country for the last ten years. Apart from a change of guard at the political level, Poland in 2005 has had to come to terms with the end of the “Wojtyla era”, with the death of John Paul II and its repercussions both at the international level and in religious terms. SIR interviewed the general secretary of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Piotr Libera . Eight months after the death of John Paul II, with what spirit does the Polish Church regard his legacy and how does it look to the future? “The Church in Poland is still living in the spirit of gratitude for the great grace of the pontificate of John Paul II. That spirit inspires Poles to pray to the Lord for his beatification. At the same time it seems we still feel his spiritual presence more strongly than ever: many faithful thus say they can feel his presence in their daily life. On the other hand the Polish Church, with a heart and spirit of filial openness, has welcomed the new Pope. A ‘special’ sign is the fact that, after the Polish Pope, we now have a German Pope. In our historical perspective, this is very significant, also because in recent months we have celebrated the 40th anniversary of the exchange of letters of mutual reconciliation between the German and Polish episcopates. I would like to add that the Polish people is awaiting with great joy the first apostolic visit of Benedict XVI, which will probably take place in May 2006″. Pope Benedict XVI has exhorted the Polish bishops to devote themselves to the education of youth, the support of the family, and pastoral endeavour in the field of culture… “In all these fields of pastoral care we have had in the past a long and positive tradition and also significant experience. However, the situation in Poland, as in other countries, is now changing and we must seek new approaches, new methods. The discourses of the Pope, on the one hand, confirm the progress we have so far made; on the other, they give us new impulses and encourage us to be more imaginative in our pastoral work. The present socio-cultural situation of our nation is gradually being characterised by a more liberal and consumerist tendency. But there is also a strong hunger for God and for spiritual life: our parishes, ecclesial communities, and university apostolate are still fairly strong and open to the grace of the Holy Spirit”. In Poland too, are you not beginning to feel the “silent apostasy” of which Benedict XVI has spoken, as a creeping danger of the loss of faith? “The situation in Poland is very diversified. In the big cities such as Warsaw, Wroclaw and Poznan, and in some circles of these big urban areas, one could perhaps speak of symptoms similar to the apostasy indicated by the Pope. I say ‘perhaps’ because it is still too early for a precise interpretation of some tendencies and changes taking place. It should be pointed out, however, that apart from the big cities, we still have millions of compatriots who are still bound to the Church and to the faith. The faith of our people is ancient and profound: it remains for many a fixed point of life”. How do you evaluate the new political situation in the country? “A radical change in Poland has taken place following the presidential and general elections: after the Communist option of the left, we now have the option of the right. Given that the new era has barely begun, it’s difficult to make an evaluation. It may however be said that there is great hope in the Polish people. The hope is that these changes may bring improvements to life and to political ethics”. What does Poland now expect from the European Union? “Our country especially expects solidarity from the EU, in other words a spirit of cooperation, of pulling together, between partners to be able to develop our industry and our agriculture, especially in the poorer areas of the country. We also hope to participate in cultural and spiritual exchange: Poland, in view of her history and her tradition, can be a bridge between Western and Eastern culture”.