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EDITORIAL
from issue no. 03 - 2006

Don't be afraid


The anniversary of the death of John Paul II took place, by a singular coincidence, in a climate of great emotion because of the announcement – after so many days of anxious searching – of the murder in Emilia of the small child Tommaso Onofri. The Pope of young people has welcomed him into Paradise.... Another coincidence with the anniversary: the announcement of the death of Giorgio Rumi, who several times wrote very fine pages on the twenty-seven years of the pontificate


Giulio Andreotti


John Paul II greeting the enormous number of couples 
and families present in Saint Peter’s Square on the Jubilee 
of Families, 15 October 2000

John Paul II greeting the enormous number of couples and families present in Saint Peter’s Square on the Jubilee of Families, 15 October 2000

The anniversary of the death of John Paul II took place, by a singular coincidence, in a climate of great emotion because of the announcement – after so many days of anxious searching – of the murder in Emilia of the small child Tommaso Onofri. The Pope of young people has welcomed him into Paradise.
A great many young people gathered in Rome – many from Poland – to relive the unforgettable hours of the return of Pope Wojtyla to his Father’s House. But every day since then enormous numbers of faithful have been queuing to pray at his tomb.
Last Thursday, in the presence of Benedict XVI, the new dramatization devoted to the Polish Pope was shown in the Vatican. It seemed to me even more effective than the previous one, because devoted only – and with great skill – to the years of his pontificate, while the other reconstructed his childhood, youth and entire ecclesiastical cursus honorum against the tormented political background of his homeland.
Another coincidence with the anniversary: the announcement of the death of Giorgio Rumi, who several times wrote very fine pages on the twenty-seven years of the pontificate.
In history – not only in the history of the Church – John Paul II will be acknowledged to have had a decisive role in the decline and defeat of the Bolshevik domination of the East. It was no accident that Moscow tried to induce the Warsaw government to forbid the visit by the new Pope, that was bound, however, to have a huge popular impact. But it was more than wishful thinking when one considers the mass participation of leaders in Rome at the moment of the unexpected investiture of their fellow-countrymen.
Among the papers which I hold most dear I keep the letter – dated 5 January 2005 – with which John Paul II answered my Christmas wishes in a way I found flattering: «... I renew my grateful appreciation for your constant commitment in encouraging peaceful co-existence among peoples, in line with the indications offered by the Magisterium of the Church»
The calls for courage and the admonishment never to be afraid were without doubt decisive in the growth of the movement of popular solidarity headed by Lech Walesa. It is no accident that since then the interclass system, at first more or less confused with capitalism, has ceased to be considered illegitimate. We Italians know something of it here also and, if I may say so, especially we Christian Democrats.
When the authoritarian change of direction by General Jaruzelski took place in Poland, and by reaction there was international isolation of Poland, the Pope personally followed events with great intensity.
Among the papers which I hold most dear I keep the letter – dated 5 January 2005 – with which John Paul II answered my Christmas wishes in a way I found flattering: «... I renew my grateful appreciation for your constant commitment in encouraging peaceful co-existence among peoples, in line with the indications offered by the Magisterium of the Church».
Among the many polemical expressions current today on relations between State and Church in Italy, this underlining of the frequent phases of overlap seems very important to me. I am thinking in particular retrospectively of the support given by Pius XII to the Atlantic Alliance, with the invitation to go beyond the instinctive opposition of Catholics to military treaties. I am thinking of the convergence between Paul VI and Moro in associating the Holy See in the first person with the European security and cooperation policy. But I am also thinking of the crisis in 1984 I mentioned earlier.
The German Foreign Minister Genscher had shown a willingness to break the isolation of Poland, but asked that the visit program included homage to be paid at the tomb of Father Popieluszko, the priest whose assassination the rumours attributed to the communist police. The answer was negative and the visit faded. I also reproduced (I was at the Foreign Ministry) the same condition, with the addition, even tougher, of also meeting the leaders of Solidarnosc.
The Polish response was positive and this favorable treatment of the Italian government, compared to that accorded the Germans, was certainly due to the desire to see that clarification and messages reached the Holy Father (Jaruzelski told me explicitly).
I was able to pay homage to the poor murdered priest at an ad hoc mass, in the presence of a great many faithful, among mountains of flowers and candles.
Immediately afterwards in the Italian embassy I met the underground leaders of Solidarnosc, who saw a signal of government detente in the event.
President Jaruzelski received me, keeping me for several hours. Many years later, in quite changed circumstances, I have had (and I still have) occasion to meet him at the meetings of the Forum conceived by Gorbacev and we were able to ascertain the correctness of the information of that time. With the “state of emergency” he had blocked the Soviet invasion already decided; he claimed it as a patriotic merit for himself as a Pole. But there was more. He had also been cleaning up the Communist Party, hoping that the dust from which he had freed the Party would not be picked up by Walesa’s people, so contaminating the Movement.
As for the assassination of Father Popieluszko, those responsible had been uncovered and the trial would take place rapidly, with the obvious penal consequences.
Our ambassador explained to me the meaning of an indication from the president of the absurdity of considering him pro-Soviet, after what had been done to his family (seemingly dispersed in Siberia).
Immediately before and immediately after the trip to Warsaw I had the privilege of being invited to dinner by the Holy Father so as to be able to speak without the limitations of a formal audience.
In relation to one international event, on the other hand, the Italian position did not coincide with that of the Vatican. Firmly against all wars, the Pope didn’t approve of the Gulf War whereby the sovereignty of Kuwait, invaded by the Iraqis, was restored. In fact the Gospel reproaches the king who doesn’t make peace with an invader very much stronger than himself, but doesn’t contemplate a ban on defending one’s territory. I think that the Pope believed that other approaches to Saddam Hussein were still necessary and possible. He was, however, very glad to learn that punitive proposals had been rejected. I could assure him with certainty that the idea of those who wanted punitive invasion of Iraqi territory had been rejected.
Karol Wojtyla Archbishop of Krakow

Karol Wojtyla Archbishop of Krakow

For historical accuracy I can report the expression of the then Chief of Staff, General Colin Powell: «My men won’t set foot on Iraqi territory. It would be a trap. We had to liberate Kuwait. Period».
Another chapter in the pontificate of John Paul II deserves at least a mention: the great opening toward the Jews in the framework of a hoped-for dialogue between religions.
In this framework should be seen the modification to the Concordat of 1929 that also got rid of the rigid interpretation whereby there were strong limitations in Rome on religious pluralism. Out of that came delicate questions with the Protestants, even personally with the US Secretary of State Forster Dulles, promoter of a presence in Rome for the Church of Christ.
The diplomatic expansion of the Holy See since 1978, with the setting up of relations also with delicate aspects (State of Israel, Libya, Palestinian Authority) has been formidable.
Two gaps still remain: China and the Saudi Arabia, but both those countries “participated” in the universal mourning at the death of John Paul II. The path – still difficult – has not, however, been abandoned.
In a world that changes (suffice to think of the emigrations of Moslems to non-Moslem areas) many problems become complicated and burdensome. Firmness of principles must go along with great willingness to dialogue. And where the way was blocked by historic obstacles of incomprehension, even of conflict, Pope Wojtyla courageously opened a path towards agreement, not being afraid even to rewrite pages in the temporal history of the Church.
Never be afraid. It is the great inheritance he has left.


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