SEPARATION OF THE CROSS FROM JOHN PAUL II ?!

Fr. Ireneusz Skubiś, The Honourable Editor-in-Chief of ‘Niedziela’

It was really shocking not only in Poland but also in whole Europe to hear the decision of the supreme body of administrative judiciary system in France in reference to removing the cross from the monument to John Paul II in the commune Ploermel in Bretania. How can one censor the artistic work, but mainly deprive it of its most essential significance – indeed the person of John Paul II is inseparably connected with the cross of Christ! Luckily there appear other suggestions from Poland and from France, accepting the monument – however, we see how ill societies of Europe are, that they are reacting to Christian symbols in such an allergic way. They are not doing so towards other cultures which are developing on our continent without any more conditions.

St. John Paul II asked ‘the oldest daughter of the Church’ what it had been doing with its baptism and warned: ‘History teaches us that democracy without values changes into open or camouflaged totalitarianism’. Therefore, it is good that here the prime minister Beata Szydło reacted, saying: ‘Our great compatriot, the great European is the symbol of Christian united Europe. The dictate of political correctness – of secularism of the country – introduces a place for values, with whose culture we are not familiar, and which lead to terrorizing everyday life of the Europeans’. And she emphasized: ‘The Polish government is going to take action so that the monument of our compatriot would be saved from censorship, and we suggest bringing it to Poland, as far as there is agreement from the French authorities and the local society’.

These words made a great impression on French politicians and echoed in Europe which needs great rebirth, awakening from lethargy of secularism, unfaithfulness to God, loss of thinking what is essential. We hope that our actions taken in Poland also by the ‘Europa Christi’ movement will arouse thinking in wise people, as today we really need to be aware of our Christian identity and solidarity. In Poland there is a problem of de-Christianization. Recently we have noticed among the others, a fight for Sundays off. I will remind that we all, Christians, are obliged to follow up the third commandment of the Decalogue: ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy’. And here not economic conditions or the very intention of letting people have time off are important so much but the very fact that God demands keeping Sunday the holy day, that is worshipping God the Creator. Nobody who wants to be a faithful son of Church can censor God’s commands.

(AA)

„Niedziela” 46/2017

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl