From the hills to Europe

“We must not forget that our Country’s present freedom and its role in Europe are mostly due to the son of this Church, God’s servant John Paul II”, declared cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz in his homily delivered in Lagiewniki on March 30, Sunday of Divine Mercy. With these words, the former personal secretary of Karol Wojtyla, appointed his successor in the archdiocese of Krakow, opened the week marking commemorations for the third anniversary since the death of John Paul II. “From the Mercy Hill there is a clear view of our Country”, His Eminence affirmed. He recalled the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty which was undergoing Parliament debate and which was definitively approved on April 2, now awaiting only the final signature of the President of the Republic. A symbolic identity. Sociologian Tomasz Zukowski remarked that the death of John Paul II upset the Poles more than any other event of the past years: 79% were “deeply touched” by those moments, 59% felt “a strong tie with other compatriots” while 50% claimed that the death of Pope Wojtyla was a moment for a “personal reflection”. According to Eileen Barker, from the London School of Economics, the “organized spontaneity” displayed by Poles for the death of the Pope is unique compared to other Countries. “We may say that Catholicism is like a matrix representing a symbolic identity of the Polish People”, affirmed Professor Enzo Pace from Padua’s University, who also took part in the seminar. According to surveys, the Poles believe that the John Paul II’s pontificate greatly influenced their lives, and brought about major changes in the world. More active participation. On the occasion of the new edition of the monumental book on “The History of Polish Catholicism”, historian Jerzy Kloczowski recalled the remarks of Umberto Eco who claimed that Europe is currently facing the twilight of Christianity, comparable to the fall of the Roman Empire. The Polish scholar believes that these studies are not final. In his opinion, the solution for Europe is “greater entrenchment in the richness of individual cultural heritage, mostly retraceable in its Judeo-Christian roots”. Kloczowski also made a warning: “If this should not happen, in Europe we might be faced with a resurgence of totalitarian regimes expressed with new and previously unknown modalities”. “The Polish population must participate more actively in the debate on the future of Europe since our history is marked by the experience of totalitarian rule. This experience might turn useful in the construction of Europe’s future”, he pointed out. “Europe should be a federation of people, not a unified mega-state, isolated from cultures, traditions and from the history of the different national states” declared in Radom, Stanislaw Kowalczyk from Lublin’s Catholic University, during the social week on “Poland – Identity – Europe. Questions on today’s patriotism”. The professor also pointed out that the present generation has inherited Poland’s entire thousand-year long history, and added that the future of our continent can be built only on the foundations of acquired experience. The commitment towards John Paul II. Within the framework of the different initiatives (functions, celebrations and other events) which drew the Poles closer to the personality of John Paul II on the occasion of his death, some were related especially to the defense of life. On March 24 with the slogan “I am a mother, and this is my career”, was celebrated the Day of Life, established by the Polish Parliament four years ago. According to data published on that occasion, the Poles rank first in the world as the ones who mostly yearn for parenthood (2,33), however birth-rate in 2007 was only 1,23-1,27%. Since 1998, the Day of Annunciation, Poland has been celebrating the Day of the Sacrality of Life, proclaimed by Polish Bishops in response to the appeal expressed by John Paul II in the Encyclical “Evangelium vitae”. The Day (which this year was postponed to March 31st) was devoted especially to the promotion of the moratorium on abortion. According to Pawel Wosicki, President of the Polish Federation of Movements for Life, if Poland were to submit the moratorium to the UN, “the Poles’ commitment for John Paul II the Great would be implemented. It would represent the implementation of his spiritual heritage”.