VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 1999 (VIS) - For the first time ever in his pontificate, Pope John Paul this morning addressed a national parliament, when he spoke to a joint session of Poland's 560-member parliament, whose two chambers are the Sejm (House of Representatives) and the Senate. In the past he has addressed the United Nations and the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Before going to the Sejm, the Pope went to the presidential palace in Warsaw where he paid a courtesy visit to Poland's President Aleksander Kwasniewski, elected to a five-year term in November 1995. This is the fourth time that the two have met. On his way to parliament, the Pope stopped to bless an army monument dedicated to those who died in World War II.
In Parliament, the Holy Father began his talk by thanking "Divine Providence" and "the Lord of History for the changes that have taken place in Poland (in the last 20 years), for the witness of dignity and spiritual strength of all those who, in those difficult days, were one in their concern for human rights, in their sense that the life of our nation could be better, could be more human."
"I know," affirmed the Pope, "that after many years without national sovereignty or genuine public life, it is not easy to build a new democratic and institutional order." He expressed "joy" at being "in the place where, through the formulation of laws, the enduring bases for the functioning of a democratic state, and a sovereign society within it, are established."
Remarking that laws must always be guided by the principles of the dignity of the person and human rights, he added: "The preamble of the Concordat between the Apostolic See and the Republic of Poland speaks very clearly of this: 'The development of a free and democratic society is based upon respect for the dignity of the human person and upon human rights'."
"Through the post-war period under the sway of a totalitarian system, the Church in Poland often acted in defense of the rights of man and of the nation; and still now, when democracy prevails, the Church seeks to help in setting upon solid ethical foundations the life of society and, as part of it, the legal system which regulates it. ... If the need arises (there must be) a warning against the dangers that can come from reductive visions of the essence and calling of man and of his dignity."
The Pope pointed out the need for "responsible use ... of the gift of freedom regained and upon the need to work together for the common good.
"We are all aware," he underscored, "that this meeting today in the Parliament would not have been possible had there not been the resolute protest of Polish workers on the Baltic coast in the unforgettable August of 1980. It would not have been possible without Solidarnosc, which chose the way of peaceful struggle for the rights of man and the nation. Solidarnosc also adopted the principle - how universally accepted then! - that 'there is no freedom without solidarity'."
"We cannot forget those events," affirmed John Paul II. "The memory of the moral lessons of Solidarnosc ... should today have greater influence upon the quality of the communal life of Poland, the way of being involved in politics or the manner of pursuing any public activity. ... Service of the nation must be directed to the common good." And this, he added, "is the task of all citizens. .. The exercise of political authority ... ought to be a generous service to man and to society, not a pursuit of gain by individuals or groups, disregarding the common good of the nation as a whole." Such an attitude, he stressed, is expected especially of Catholic lay people, in all spheres of life.
"A political community," he stated, "cannot be seen as independent of ethical principles," or we run the risk "that the fundamental rights of the human person will be denied. ... This is the risk of an alliance between democracy and ethical relativism, which would remove any sure moral reference point from political and social life, and on a deeper level make the acknowledgement of truth impossible."
He urged everyone involved in political life "to build a State which cares particularly for the family, for human life, for the education of the young, which respects the right to work, which considers the essential problems of the entire nation, and which is sensitive to the real needs of people, especially the poor and weak."
Pope John Paul then spoke of the Church's mission in the world, and recalled how, more than on any other continent, "the Church has brought to European culture a unique set of values. ... How impoverished European culture would have been without its Christian inspiration! This is the reason the Church warns against a reduced vision of Europe which would see it solely in its economic and political aspects, as she does against an uncritical attitude towards a consumerist model of life. If we wish Europe's new unity to last, we must build on the basis of the spiritual values which were once its foundation."
In concluding remarks, the Pope said: "Poland is fully entitled to take part in the world's general process of development and progress, and especially in that of Europe. The integration of Poland with the European Union has been supported by the Holy See from the beginning."
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