Świadectwo w rozmowie z Gian Franco Svidercoschim (Testimony in Conversations with Gian Franco Svidercoschi) (review)

Among the many publications on the late Pope John Paul II, there are some that have thrown new light on that exceptional human being. Among them, one can mention André Frossard's Dialogue avec Jean-Paul II (1982); Roman Antoni Gajczak's Wadowice miasto rodzinne Jana Pawła II (Wadowice: John Paul II's Native Town) (1986); Mieczysław Maliński's Przewodnik po z.yciu Karola Wojtyły (A Guide to Karol Wojtyła's Life) (1997); Caroline Pigozzi's Le Pape en privé (2000); and Tad Szulc's Pope John Paul II: The Biography (1995).Now another book has been added to this list. It contains recollections of the current archbishop of Cracow, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, who for about forty years was the late pope's closest collaborator. One may add that this association started accidentally.

In 1966, Karol Wojtyła, the charismatic archbishop of Cracow, started to look for a new personal secretary. In October of that year the choice fell on Dziwisz, whom, incidentally, the future pope had previously taught and ordained a priest in June 1963.Like the archbishop,his new personal secretary was of humble origin. Among his various assets, the physically strong Dziwisz was an accomplished skier.

Following his superior's death, the confidant of John Paul II, together with Gian Franco Svidercoschi, an Italian journalist, an expert on the Vatican and the author of books (e.g., Storia di Karol), has published his recollections from his association with "the Polish Pope," titled Świadectwo (Testimony, in English). It is the result of conversations in Italian between Dziwisz and Svidercoschi.

Świadectwo comprises an introduction and two parts, making together thirty-five short topical chapters. Part 1 concentrates on the Polish period of Dziwisz's collaboration with Wojtyła, and the second covers the pontificate. Dziwisz and Svidercoschi examine a large number of topics, dealing with Poland, Italy, other countries, the former Eastern Bloc, the West, the disintegration of the USSR, and the fall of European communism. Subsequently, they discuss important problems of the planet between December 1991 and the end of the pontificate. Much attention is devoted to religious issues. Further, Dziwisz and Svidercoschi have turned to the human aspect of Wojtyła's life between October 1966 and his death, showing him at work, at table, at prayer, and at rest. There are also discussion of the late pope's frequent foreign trips, the assassination attempt in May 1981, and his health problems.

As Dziwisz confesses, his fascination with Wojtyła started at the Cracow Theological Seminary. During their close association, the superior gradually turned into a father and a role model for his personal secretary,who was infatuated with John Paul II's unwavering faith and his strict observance of religious practices. Sad experiences of his earlier life had firmly convinced the future pontiff about the fragility and the futility of our earthly existence. Therefore, only eternal things mattered to him.

According to Dziwisz,Wojtyła spent much time daily praying, prostrating, kneeling as his predieu, and meditating in his chapel. Further, although very sociable, the late pope needed much time to be alone and had long periods of silence. At the same time, he did not neglect his body. Strange as it may appear, this man of God was an athlete, almost addicted to swimming, skiing, canoeing, walking in the mountains, or just tramping.

One sincerely wonders how the late pope managed to cope with the countless duties that he was supposed to perform. Certainly he strongly believed in what he did. But he also needed moments of relaxation. In addition to sports, he relaxed during his meals by inviting interesting people to his table.

Dziwisz stresses that from his early childhood Wojtyła was free of any ethnic or religious prejudices. The Jewish community in his native Wadowice constituted one-third of the whole. Young Karol maintained...