My Venerable Brother Bishops,
1. In a spirit of thanksgiving for the gift of another pilgrimage to my
homeland, I greet you most cordially, Pastors of the Church in Poland. I salute
you all, the Cardinal Primate as President of the Conference, the Cardinals, the
Archbishops and Bishops. Please accept, as an expression of fraternal love, a
special word of solidarity and enduring closeness to the Church in Poland.
This present pilgrimage, the longest of all that I have made so far, comes on
the eve of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, in the year dedicated to God the
Father. The grace of faith and the light of the Holy Spirit who lives in the
Church enable us to see the full salvific dimension of the events and the great
anniversaries to which this pilgrimage is linked. As sons of the one "Father who
is in heaven" (Mt 5:45), we experience once again his love in shared
celebration. This love, revealed in Christ, is the very heart of the Christian
life: "This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom you have sent" (Jn 17:3).
Among the various historical events and anniversaries, viewed in the context
of God's saving plan which includes our own time, we celebrate the millennium of
the canonization of Saint Adalbert, the Jubilee of the millennium of the
establishment of Church structures in Poland, with the first Metropolitan See
and the Archdiocese of Gniezno - with the suffragan Dioceses of Krakow, Wroclaw
and Kolobrzeg - and the Bicentenary of the erection of the Diocese of Warsaw. We
will also conclude the Second Plenary Synod.
2. I give thanks to God for the twenty years of my service to the holy Church
in the See of Peter, and also because in that time I have been able to serve the
Church in my homeland in a special way. This moment of historic change calls us
to look with Christian hope towards the future, towards the third millennium
which is now so near.
This present visit is in a sense the crowning of all my previous pilgrimages
to Poland. This is also highlighted by the theme of the pilgrimage: "God is
love" (1 Jn 4:8). Love is in fact "the fulfilling of the Law" (Rom
13:10). "Charity, in its twofold reality as love of God and neighbour, is the
summing up of the moral life of the believer. It has in God its source and its
goal" (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 50).
3. The Gospel of the Eight Beatitudes contained in the Sermon on the Mount
accompanies this pilgrimage in a certain way and directs our thoughts to Christ.
His life is the fulfilment of all the Beatitudes and shows forth a vision of
Christianity which is valid for all time. Formed in this spirit, those who
follow and proclaim Christ will be for every generation living witnesses to his
saving presence and will lead others to God who is love. The Church, as a
"universal sacrament of salvation" (Lumen Gentium, 48), must become day
by day a sign of Christ living through the ages, a more comprehensible and
transparent sign that wants "all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth" (1 Tm 2:4). The indispensable condition for this, that is,
for the realization of the Church's saving mission, is love. Upon love the
Church is founded, and upon love the Church grows and develops, "that they may
become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have
loved them just as you have loved me" (Jn 17:23). The essence of the
apostolate of all members of the Church is the spreading of the truth about
God's love. Do all that you can to see that this truth is proclaimed, accepted
and realized in the life of Pastors and all believers.
The Sermon on the Mount is the programme for the whole Church. The community
of the New Covenant is formed when it is based upon the law of love written in
every human heart (cf. Jer 31:31-33; Heb 10:16-17). The Gospel
Beatitudes are in a sense the concrete form of this law, and at the same time
they ensure a true and lasting happiness which springs from purity and peace of
heart, the fruits of reconciliation with God and men.
4. The ranks of the Saints and Blessed are an eloquent sign of the fulfilment
of the promise of the Beatitudes. Included in these ranks are those who will be
raised to the glory of the altars during this pilgrimage: Blessed Kinga, who
will be canonized at Stary Sacz, Blessed Wincenty Frelichowski, raised to the
honours of the altars a few days ago at Torun, then the Servant of God Regina
Protmann, together with the Servant of God Edmund Bojanowski and the one hundred
and eight martyrs who during the inhuman occupation bore heroic witness to the
faith and whom the Church will proclaim Blessed in Warsaw in a few days' time.
For the Church in Poland, together with the host of sons and daughters of this
land, they are a sign and an encouragement which reminds us how the grace of
holiness can flourish in every situation and in every circumstance of life, even
in the midst of persecution, oppression and injustice. Among these heroes of the
faith there are Bishops and priests who, imitating Christ the Good Shepherd, did
not hesitate to "lay down their lives for their sheep" (cf. Jn 10:11).
Dear Brothers, fix your eyes on the shining examples of their lives, so that
love of God and man may grow stronger in your hearts and in the hearts of all
those whom you serve as Pastors. An indispensable condition for fruitful
pastoral care is a personal relationship with Christ, which shows itself
primarily in prayer and in love filled with a spirit of sacrifice for the
Church, our Mother. "Zeal for your house has consumed me, and the insults of
those who insult you have fallen on me" (Ps 69:9).
5. At the source of all renewal there is the word of God, "which is able to
build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified"
(Acts 20:32). And as relevant as ever is the Second Vatican Council's
exhortation that "the preaching of the Church, as indeed the entire Christian
religion, should be nourished and ruled by Sacred Scripture. In the sacred books
the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children and talks with
them" (Dei Verbum, 21). Bishops above all must be open to the light and
power of the word of God, lest - as Saint Augustine warns - he who is entrusted
with the holy ministry of the word, but not hearing the word within, becomes a
mere display of empty preaching of the word of God (cf. Sermon 179, I:
PL 38, 966). "The word of God is alive and active" (Heb 4:12). May it
nourish your spirituality and become a source of fruitful apostolic work, in
keeping with Saint Thomas' principle: contemplata aliis tradere. The word
of God is the irreplaceable means of salvation for people in every age; it
contains such "force and power that it can serve the Church as her support and
vigour, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the
soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life" (Dei Verbum, 21).
6. The greatest pastoral duty of each of you is to care for the unerring
transmission of the deposit of faith. In our own days, the universal Church has
been given a precious instrument to help achieve this: the Catechism of the
Catholic Church. It is an eloquent sign of the unity of the Church's teaching.
In the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum I wrote: "This catechism is
not intended to replace the local catechisms duly approved by the ecclesiastical
authorities, the diocesan Bishops and the Episcopal Conferences, especially if
they have been approved by the Holy See. It is meant to encourage and assist in
the writing of new local catechisms, which take into account various situations
and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith and fidelity to
Catholic doctrine" (No. 4). The application of this by the Pastors of the Church
in Poland is one of the most urgent needs of the present time. A systematic and
comprehensive catechesis, including the catechesis of adults, is essential for
the deepening and strengthening of faith in people's hearts, a faith which has
its influence on the way they live and act.
7. The Second Plenary Synod has been a very important event for the Church in
Poland. The Synod documents cover all the most important areas of the Church's
life: the universal call to holiness, the work of the new evangelization,
liturgy and worship, the place and mission of lay Catholics in social, economic
and political life, the presence of Gospel inspiration in culture, the renewal
and strengthening of the family, education and formation for the priesthood and
religious life. The communities of local Churches which you head now face a most
important and surely most difficult task. I am thinking of the completion and
fulfilment of all that has been written in the Synod, in the form of
well-thought out directives, as a programme now ready to be put into action. I
hope and pray that the Synod becomes a source of inspiration and renewal of
Christian life in the spirit of the Gospel.
8. Concerning entry into the European Union, a very important question is the
creative contribution of believers to modern culture. I repeat once again what I
said to the Polish Bishops during their last Ad Limina visit early in
1998: "Europe needs a Poland which believes deeply and is culturally creative in
a Christian way, conscious of the role which Providence has entrusted to it.
Poland can and must offer a service to Europe which is in general terms
identical with the task of rebuilding at home a spiritual communion based upon
faithfulness to the Gospel. Our nation . . . has much to offer Europe, above all
Poland's Christian tradition and its rich religious experience today" (14
February 1998).
On the threshold of the third millennium, the Church in Poland faces new
historic challenges. Poland enters the twenty-first century as a free and
sovereign country. This freedom, if it is not to be abused, requires people
aware not only of their rights but also of their duties; generous people
motivated by love of the homeland and a spirit of service, who in a bond of
fraternity want to build the common good and contribute to a properly ordered
freedom in every aspect of personal, family and social life. As I have stressed
on a number of occasions, freedom demands constant reference to the truth of the
Gospel and to stable and well established moral norms which enable people to
distinguish between good and evil. This is especially important in our own day,
when Poland is going through a time of reform.
I am glad that lay people are committing themselves ever more fully to the
life of the Church and society. An expression of this are the many Catholic
associations and organizations, particularly Catholic Action, and the
participation of believers in public, economic and political life. It is my hope
that the Pastors will support the lay faithful, "so that, in a spirit of unity
and through honest and impartial service, working together with everyone, they
may be able to preserve and enhance Christian tradition and culture on the
socio-political level" (Address to Polish Bishops on their visit Ad Limina
Apostolorum, 16 January 1998). The social doctrine of the Church is bound to be
a great help in this field, and it needs to be more widely proclaimed so that
"the values and content of the Gospel may permeate the categories of human
thought, the criteria of human evaluation and the norms of human behaviour"
(Address to Polish Bishops on their visit Ad Limina Apostolorum, 14 February
1998).
9. In the spirit of the Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, you
must care in a special way for your brother priests and for seminarians, so that
inspired by a spirit of zeal and charity they may become priests after God's own
heart. Through them, Christ the High Priest wishes to be present in the midst of
his people "as one who serves" (Lk 22:27) and who "offers his life for his
sheep" (cf. Jn 10:15). This recalls Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr, in
the millennium of his canonization. Through his pastoral service and the blood
of his martyrdom, the Church in Poland experienced great growth almost one
thousand years ago, with his first Metropolitan See in Gniezno of the Piast.
I take this occasion to draw your attention to the important area of priestly
and religious vocations. There needs to be developed a pastoral strategy for
vocations, and first of all there is a need to pray a great deal and encourage
others to pray, so that there will be no lack of men and women ready to follow
the voice of Christ.
With equal insistence holy Pastors are called for by those great witnesses to
the faith who will be beatified in Warsaw: Antoni Julian Nowowiejski, Archbishop
Leon Wetmanski, Bishop Goral, together with the already beatified Wincenty
Frelichowski, and many priests, men and women religious and lay people. The
witness of their heroic fidelity is a great moral gift and a great
responsibility for those after them who have assumed the task of pastoral
service.
The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 directs our minds and hearts in a special
way towards the young people who in the new millennium will be the face of the
Church and of our homeland. Trust placed in young people does not give rise to
disappointment, for youth are particularly open to the truth of the Gospel. I
have experienced this many times during my apostolic journeys. I thank most
sincerely all those who devote their time and talents to passing on to the
younger generation the great heritage of Polish culture, tradition and
religiosity, who are involved in preparing young people for the beauty of love
in marriage and in responsible parenthood. If young people are to fulfil the
hope placed in them, they must be taught to draw strength from direct contact
with God in the liturgy and the holy sacraments, in Sacred Scripture, from the
life and apostolic work of the Church. Especially today, young people too need
hope. Every opportunity should be taken to ensure that the family, the Church,
the schools, local authorities and the State work together harmoniously to
protect young people from the dangers which today's consumer culture brings with
it.
To your special care I also commend the smallest but at the same time most
important "community of life and love" (Gaudium et Spes, 48): the family.
Society and the nation crumble without healthy and strong families. But the
stability and unity of the family are today seriously threatened. You must
oppose this danger, working with all people of good will to form a climate
favourable to the strengthening of the family. I am glad that in Poland too
there are emerging pro-family movements which spread a new style of Christian
behaviour and show that where there is true love and an atmosphere of faith
there is also room for new life.
You are well aware of my concern and my efforts to defend life and the
family. Wherever I am, I do not cease to proclaim in Christ's name the
fundamental right of every human being, the right to life. Continue to do all in
your power to safeguard the dignity and the moral health of the family, so that
it may be strong in God. May families know that the Church is close to them,
respects them and supports them in their efforts to maintain their identity,
stability and holiness. This I ask of you as Pastors in a special way.
10. Dear Brothers! All that I have just said demands a great mobilization and
spiritual openness on the part of the whole Church, and particularly of her
Pastors. Once again I make a fervent appeal to you: following Christ's own
example, be "as one who serves", be "good shepherds who know their sheep and are
known by them, like true fathers who are outstanding for their spirit of charity
and zeal towards all people" (Christus Dominus, 16). It is my hope that,
through your generous service filled with a spirit of self-sacrifice, the Church
in Poland will care for "the least of the brethren" (cf. Mt 10:42), for
the poor, for the sick, for those who have been wronged, for the suffering, for
those without hope. May the Church here serve everyone with the vast array of
saving gifts received from Christ for the good of all people. As the theme for
the next Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops announces, the Bishop must be
the servant of the Gospel of Christ, in order to bring hope to the world.
Jesus Christ has made you Pastors of the People of God at this historic time
which straddles two millennia. Your apostolic work can produce fruit for the
good of souls only because of his help and his light. "Without Christ we can do
nothing" (cf. Jn 15:5), without him our human efforts are useless. I pray
the Lord to grant abundant gifts to you and to the whole Church in Poland. In
your shared task of preaching the Gospel, I entrust you to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Mother of the Word Incarnate, the only Saviour of the world, and I bless
you from my heart.
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and
might be to our God for ever and ever! (Rev 7:12)
