The Vatican. I look at John Paul II’s cabinet on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace. From there, John Paul II on Sunday afternoon prays the Angelus and delivers his reflections. I’m surprised. The Papal cabinet is very modest. There is nothing from the splendor of the palace interiors. I see an old desk, with slight abrasions on the sides. By this desk the Pope works every day. On the shelf near the wall two phones with dials. Similar can probably be seen only in movies from the sixties and seventies of the last century. At the desk ordinary chairs. The place says a lot about the person who works here. I look around the room. In the library – Scripture and theological books, on the Pope’s desk two pictures – Father Pio and Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapiecha. Next to them is the figurine of Christ and Mary with the Child. When the Pope begins work, he also has a figure of Christ without hands in front of him. It is a gift from a demolished church in one of the villages of the former Yugoslavia. Very close is the famous icon of Our Lady of Kazan. There is also a picture of Our Lady of Jasna Góra and images of saints, among others: Maximilian Kolbe and Rafał Kalinowski.
Father Dziwisz is asked to the phone. At that time, Fr. Mieczysław Mokrzycki slides the curtains in the famous Papal window. Next door, in his bedroom, the Holy Father rests. A few steps away are: a private chapel, a dining room, and a small doctor’s office. Suddenly, the ringing sound is heard. The Pope calls his secretaries. They immediately abandon everything and quickly go to him.
Secretary of two Popes – conversation with Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki.
Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishing House
