JOHN PAUL II CANONIZES BLESSED KINGA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 16, 1999 (VIS) - This morning the Pope travelled by car from Krakow to Stary Sacz, a city 20 kilometers from the frontier with Slovakia. At 10:45, on the square in front of the Poor Clares' Monastery, the Holy Father celebrated Mass and canonized the Blessed Kinga in the presence of half a million people.

Before the rite of canonization, a brief biography of the new saint was presented. Born in Esztergom, Hungary, in 1234, she was the third daughter of King Bela IV of the Arpad dynasty, and of Maria, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Theodore I Lascaris. In 1239, Kinga married Polish Prince Boleslao of Sandomierz and convinced her husband that they live together in virginity. She was at her spouse's side for 40 years, governing through a very difficult political and social situation as the country was devastated by two Tartar invasions, in 1241 and in 1259-60. In 1280, following her husband's death, she founded the Poor Clares' monastery, entered it herself in 1288 and became prioress. She died on July 24, 1292 at the age of 58. In 1690 Pope Alexander VIII confirmed her cult which had existed for centuries. This act was equivalent to her beatification.

After the Liturgy of the Word, the Pope's homily was read by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, archbishop of Krakow.

Speaking of sanctity, the Pope asked: "What can be done to make the family, the school, the workplace, the office, the villages and the cities, and finally the whole country a dwelling-place of saints, who can influence others by their goodness, their fidelity to Christ's teaching and the witness of their everyday lives, and thus foster the spiritual growth of all people? Saint Kinga and all the Saints and Blessed of the thirteenth century reply: It requires witness. It requires courage."

After recalling that Kinga "sought to consecrate herself to God wholeheartedly by a vow of virginity," John Paul II said: "This way of life, perhaps difficult to understand nowadays, yet deeply rooted in the tradition of the early Church, gave Saint Kinga that inner freedom which enabled her to be concerned first of all with the things of the Lord and to lead a profound religious life. ... Saint Kinga teaches us that both marriage and virginity lived in union with Christ can become a path to holiness. ... She reminds us that the value of marriage, this indissoluble union of love between two persons, cannot be brought into question under any circumstances."

"As a princess she knew how to be about her Father's business even in this world. At her husband's side she shared in his rule, showing firmness and courage, generosity and concern for the good of the country and her subjects. ... To raise the country from ruin she did not hesitate to give away the entire dowry received from her father. ... Having renounced natural motherhood, she became a true mother to all."

The Pope concluded by underlining that "today's world needs the holiness of Christians who in the ordinary conditions of family and professional life take on their proper daily duties, and who, in their desire to do the will of the Creator and to serve others each day, respond to His eternal love."

After the Mass, John Paul II went to the Poor Clares' Monastery, where he had lunch with his entourage.

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