Solidarity
“This is a table that unites and does not divide”, said Jan Kosciuszko at the end of the Christmas dinner that he organised for the needy and the poor last night, 17 December, in Krakow. His restaurant prepared 50,000 traditional Christmas dishes with the help of a group of volunteers. Tens of thousands of people from all over Poland gathered around a long table set in the main square. In addition to a hot meal, the guests received parcels with food and sweets and could also benefit from medical checks. The Christmas table in Krakow, the largest in Poland, is just one of many initiatives that are being held in all Polish cities in the run-up to Christmas to help the most deprived. The homeless and the lonely will also meet in Krakow on Christmas Eve on the invitation of the local Caritas. In Warsaw, the Sant’Egidio Community has invited the poor to a Christmas luncheon on 25 December. In Poznan, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, President of the Polish Bishops, will wish a merry Christmas to the 1600 guests who will take part in the Christmas Eve dinner organized by Caritas. Also in these days, all those living in Lublin are invited to contribute to the preparation of the gifts for the poorest who will be attending the Vigil of Mercy on Sunday morning. On the website www.wigiliabezgranic.com, the Robert Schuman Institute calls on all families to invite one or more foreigners over for Christmas Eve, so as to have a “Christmas without borders”.
