The Polish Church and John Paul II’s Evangelization Mission in Slavic Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/rsth.v27i1.115Keywords:
Pope John Paul II, Theology of the Slavic Nations, EvangelizationAbstract
Pope John Paul not only used his roots in Slavic culture for the political development of the Church, but gave a theological justification for the role he carved out for Poland. He saw Poland as “the chosen nation” for direct Church mission. In this article, I examine both Wojtyla’s theology of the Slavic “nations” and the specific role of the Polish people in his theory. I will survey the so-called “outstanding historic mission” of the Polish church in the re-Christianizing of Central and Eastern Europe…history for him was read in the light of the Gospel, which he believed provided a “hermeneutic key” to both world and human history. I argue that the Pope wished to extend this vision to all Slavic nations as a way of encouraging a Christian destiny “from the Atlantic to the Urals.” In my final assessment I note that this missionary vision of Pope John Paul II proved to be unsuccessful.
References
Bernstein C. and M. Politi 1999 Jego Swiatobliwosc Jan Pawel II i nieznana historia naszych czasów, Warsaw: Da Capo.
Pope John-Paul II 1983 Akt europejski, “L’Osservatore Romano” No. 2, – hereinafter OR.
a Euntes in mundum, OR No. 2.
b Akatyst w lacznosci z Kosciolami Wschodu i Zachodu, OR No. 3–4.
c Moje rodzinne dziedzictwo pomaga mi odkrywac i rozumiec innych, OR No. 10–11.
Spotykamy sie dzis na ruinach wiezy Babel, OR No. 5.
Oto otwiera sie nowy rozdzial w planach Opatrznosci, OR No.6.
Trzeba na nowo ukazac Europie wartosci i piekno kultury chrzescijanskiej, OR No. 9–10.
Tertio millennio adveniente, OR No. 12.
Ecclesia in Europa, OR No. 7–8.
Pamiec i tozsamosc, Kraków, ed. Znak.
Ratzinger J. 2005 Droga krzyzowa w Koloseum w Wielki Piatek, OR No.6.
Wyszynski Stefan Prymas Polski 1990 Nauczanie spoleczne 1946–1981, Warsaw, Ed.. Odess.
