Vatican City, 25 April 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has sent a video message to the Polish faithful,
compatriots of Pope John Paul II, and a written message to the
citizens of Bergamo, the province in which the village of “Sotto il
Monte”, birthplace of Pope John XXIII, is located.
In his video message, rebroadcast by
Polish Television (TVP) and by Polish Radio, the Pope remarks that he
is happy to be able to proclaim John Paul II a saint, and expresses
his gratitude to the Polish Pope for his “tireless service, is
spiritual guidance, for bringing the Church into the third millennium
of faith, and for his extraordinary witness of holiness”. Francis
recalls the words Pope Benedict XVI used to describe Pope Wojtyla in
the homily of his beatification in May 2011: “society, culture,
political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back
with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from
God – a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith,
love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this
exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to
be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak
of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because
truth is the guarantee of liberty”.
In his message to the citizens of
Bergamo, published in the daily newspaper “L'Eco di Bergamo” with
which Pope Roncalli collaborated during the years of his priesthood,
he invites them to “give thanks to God for his holiness, a great
gift to the universal Church”, and he encourages them to “conserve
the memory of the land in which it germinated: a land of profound
faith lived in daily life, in families that are poor but united by
the love of the Lord, of communities capable of sharing in
simplicity”.
The Holy Father comments that “the
renewal brought by Vatican Council II opened up the way, and it is a
special joy that the canonisation of Pope Roncalli should take place
alongside that of Blessed John Paul II, who continued this renewal
during his long pontificate”. He expresses his hope that “civil
society too may always draw inspiration from the life of Bergamo's
Pope and from the environment that he generated, searching new ways,
adapted to the times, of building co-existence based on the perennial
values of fraternity and solidarity”.
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