My Homeland and My Nation: The Theology of the Nation in the Teaching of John Paul II During his First Visit in Poland (June 2-10, 1979)

Janusz Królikowski My Homeland and My Nation: The Theology of the Nation in the Teaching ofJohn Paul II During his FirstVisit in Poland (June 2-10, 1979) A "Polish" Pope Already in the first days of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II declared explicitly diat he was 3"PoIiSh11POPe,1 and up to the present has constantly stressed that his nationality belongs in an integral way to his identity and his spirituality. It has been decisive in the way he has carried out his mission an universal pastor of the church. It could not be odierwise because the love of the homeland belongs fully to die fundamental structures ofhuman interiority as "a law ofthe human heart." With this in mind, in die first days ofhis pontificate, the Holy Fatiier addressed the Polish pilgrims and emphasized his tie to diem and dieir national roots: "The love ofthe homeland unites us and must unite us beyond all our differences . This has nothing to do with a narrow nationalism or chauvinism, Translated from the Italian by Msgr. Paul Langsfeld, Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland. Logos 1:2 1997 My Homeland and My Nation but springs from a law ofthe human heart. It is a measure ofhuman nobility , a measure often put to the test during our none too easy history."2 In a highly publicized interview in La Stampa, and then later in L'Osservatore Romano, in answer to a question about die way his being pope has been influenced by his being Polish, John Paul II responded, "I grew up there and so carry within me the whole history, culture, experience , and Polish language. Even today when I must write, I do it in Polish. The mother tongue cannot be replaced. Having lived in a country which has had to fight so much for its freedom, and which has been conditioned so much by its neighbors, including being attacked by them, I have been able to attain a deep understanding of the countries of the third world, which are dependent in another way—above all, economically dependent. I have spoken about this with African leaders. I have experienced what exploitation is, and so I have placed myself on the side of the poor, disenfranchised, oppressed, marginalized and defenseless."3 Recently in his book, Gift and Mystery, the Pope highlighted once again die significance ofhis Polish roots forhis priesthood. He wrote, "In this jubilee testimony how can I fail to express my gratitude to the whole Church in Poland, in which my priesthood was born and developed ? It is a Church marked by a thousand-year heritage of faith, a Church which down the centuries has produced many saints and blesseds, and is entrusted to the patronage of two saintly bishops and martyrs: Adalbert and Stanislaus. It is a Church closely linked to die Polish people and their culture, a Church which has always upheld and defended that people, especially in the tragic periods of its history."4 Just as on the one hand die Polish roots have shaped the ecclesial and pastoral mission of Pope John Paul II, so on the other hand his nationality accounts for his continual and personal presence in 57 58 Logos the homeland, die nation of birth. This allows him to "interpret" theologically and philosophically the identity, the history and die culture of the nation. From diese interpretations, the Pope derives pastoral and cultural directives for his homeland botii for the present and the future. The pastoral and magisterial office ofdie Pope moves what could be called die Pope's "national" teaching beyond a purely philosophical-theological interpretation to concrete, audioritative norms which govern the life choices of his fellow Poles. Indeed, it is not possible to imagine die recent history of Poland, with all the changes which have occurred diere, without tiiis pope and die teaching he has directed to us Poles. His Holiness Pope John Paul II has instructed us in many ways regarding national identity and the theology of the homeland and the nation, the significance of Polish tradition and culture, as well as die interpretation of die "signs of the times" in our national life. This teaching forms a theological...