HOLY FATHER BEATIFIES 110 POLES, INCLUDING 108 MARTYRS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 13, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning celebrated Mass in Warsaw's Jozef Pilsudski Square during which he beatified 110 Poles, including 108 martyrs, both clergy and lay people, and said that "today we are celebrating the victory of those who, in our times, gave their lives for Christ in order to possess life forever in his glory" and "above all because they bear witness to the victory of Christ, which restores hope."

"This victory has a special character," he told the more than 700,000 faithful present, "since it was shared by clergy and laity alike, by young people and old, by people from different classes and states, ... (by) religious brothers and sisters who persevered in the service of charity and in offering their torments for their neighbor."

The Pope pointed out that "Blessed Regina Protmann, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Catherine, ... dedicated herself with all her heart to the work of renewal of the Church at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, ... after the Council of Trent. She took an active part in the post-conciliar reform of the Church. She founded a congregation which united contemplation of the mysteries of God with the instruction of young children and girls. She gave particular attention to the pastoral care of women."

"The apostolate of mercy also filled the life of Blessed Edmund Bojanowski," stated the Holy Father. Despite delicate health, this landowner from Wielkopolska ... undertook and inspired a vast activity on behalf of the rural population, with perseverance, prudence and generosity of heart, Guided by a discernment that was very sensitive to people's needs, he launched numerous educational, cultural and religious works aimed at the material and moral support of the rural family. He remained in the lay state and founded the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy and Immaculate Virgin. ... In his many-faceted activity he anticipated much of what the Second Vatican Council said about the apostolate of the laity."

Earlier in his homily, John Paul II returned to a recurrent theme of his speeches in Poland: the changes that have taken place in his native country over the past 20 years. "Before our eyes," he said, "changes of political, social and economic systems have taken place, enabling individuals and nations to see anew the splendor of their own dignity. Truth and justice are recovering their proper value, becoming a challenge for all those who are able to appreciate the gift of freedom. ... We especially give glory to God for what has happened in the life of the Church during these 20 years. In thanksgiving, therefore, we join with the Churches of the Western and Eastern tradition, with our neighboring peoples who have emerged from the catacombs and are openly carrying out their mission. Their vitality is a magnificent witness to the power of Christ's grace which enables weak men to become capable of heroism, frequently to the point of martyrdom."

After Mass, and before reciting the angelus, The Pope again referred to the 108 new Blesseds, the martyrs of World War II, saying "we give thanks to God for those from our own generation who are witnesses to His presence. We give Him thanks, believing that from Him comes the power which enables the weak to persevere in love, despite trials and difficult experiences." May the example of today's martyrs, he concluded, "become a support for those who are tempted to doubt or despair because of the difficulties of daily life."

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