„Następca św. Piotra, ale jeszcze z pełną świadomością następcy św. Stanisława”. O pielgrzymie i pielgrzymce Jana Pawła II do Polski A.D. 1979

Abstract

The subject of this article is the first pilgrimage by John Paul II to Poland in 1979. An analysis of his speeches delivered during this pilgrimage and the historical circumstances of the pilgrimage itself (the first pilgrimage by a Pope to Poland, a country with a socialist system at that time which promoted atheism; a visit by a Polish Pope to his home country shortly after his election to the Holy See; a visit to a Pope’s homeland other than Italy – a phenomenon unknown in the history of the papacy for the previous 455 years) allows us to capture its special character in the history of Poland and in the life of Karol Wojtyła / John Paul II. The Pope was faced with a difficult pastoral and diplomatic task, which was to fulfil his religious mission (strengthening the Christian faith in Poland and in other Slavic nations; showing the path of development for the Church in Poland; showing gratitude to the Polish Church for her heroic perseverance in the People’s Republic of Poland; emphasising the cultural role of Christianity in the world) and also to change the image of Poland in the world (while carefully avoiding any escalation of tensions between the Church and the state authorities and the influence of the USSR in Poland). This was accompanied – from a sociopsychological perspective – by his taking up the role of leader of the universal Church, a role which he had to learn, and, at the same time, maintaining the style of communication with his countrymen which he had developed earlier while a church dignitary in Poland.