On the initiative of the John Paul II Foundation, on October 22nd, on the liturgical remembrance of St. John Paul II, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Tomb of St. John Paul II, a solemn Holy Mass was celebrated. H. Em. Kazimierz Cardinal Nycz celebrated the Mass and delivered the homily. In his homily he said, among other things: “We know that due to its length and the number of documents and matters that the Holy Father decided, it was a great pontificate of the great Pope. And, it is necessary that we commemorate him here in the Vatican, at his altar, and at the same time, through his intercession, we offer prayers for the intentions of the Church and the entire world, which so much needs our prayer today.” Referring to the Papal words “do not be afraid” stated during the inauguration homily delivered exactly 43 years ago, he explained: “the Pope knew well what fears accompanied the man of that time. These were the fears of the world, the fears for peace, the fears of Europe, especially ours: central-eastern, the fears of Poland. And, the Pope took this context into account when he said: do not be afraid. But, he also thought of another very important fear: the fear of modern man of God, of Christ. It is a fear that God will not take away his freedom. Freedom, understood as it is, is sometimes understood today: that if I accept the Gospel and God, I will cease to be free.” The Cardinal emphasized that despite the Papal appeal and the proclamation of hope, these fears are still valid today. “In view of the fear of modern man of God received authentically in everyday life, this proclamation of hope takes on particular importance (…) Let us try to remember this in our prayer for our homeland and in the intentions of the entire Church to which we belong”
The Holy Mass at the Tomb of St. John Paul II was also concelebrated by Archbishop Józef Guzdek, Bishop Piotr Jarecki and priests from the Vatican and Rome, with the participation of numerous faithful.
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