On the day of the liturgical remembrance of St. John Paul II, it is worth recalling that three years after his election to the See of Peter, on October 16, 1981, John Paul II established a Foundation bearing his name.
Włodzimierz Rędzioch talks with Monsignor Paweł Ptasznik, Chairman of the Foundation
In Rome, the jubilee of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of this ecclesiastical organization based in the Vatican was celebrated. The Foundation promotes educational, scientific, cultural, religious and charitable initiatives related to the pontificate of the Pope from Poland; documents and disseminates the great legacy of John Paul II, also within the framework of the Centre for Documentation and Studies, which is located in the Polish Home in Rome, at via Cassia 1200. Documents relating to the pontificate are stored there, with a library of over 30,000 volumes; in the Center there is also a Museum, where the gifts received by the Pope were collected – there are over 10,000 objects cataloged in it.
John Paul II wanted the Foundation to also take care of the development of the intellectual elites of Central and Eastern Europe, which is why since the 90s it has been running a scholarship program for young people from the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, enabling studies at Catholic universities in Poland, at the Catholic University of Lublin (in Lublin there is the Foundation Home for students) and the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow. So far, more than a thousand people have benefited from this form of help.
The activities of the Foundation are managed by the Administrative Council headed by the Chairman. At the beginning it was Cardinal Władysław Rubin, then Archbishop Szczepan Wesoły and Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, and now it is Monsignor Paweł Ptasznik, Rector of the Polish Church of St. Stanislaus in Rome and Pastor of the Roman Polonia. On the other hand, the Administrative Secretariat of the Foundation is the responsibility of Father dr Krzysztof Wieliczko OSPPE assisted by Anna Kielech. The Foundation’s activity is possible thanks to the generosity of benefactors from all over the world. A very important role in helping to preserve the legacy of the pontificate of John Paul II is played by the Chapters – there are currently 49 of them in 18 countries on four continents.
Włodzimierz Rędzioch: – On September 21, 25, 2022 celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the John Paul II Foundation took place in Rome. Why were these celebrations held with a one-year delay?
Monsignor. Paweł Ptasznik: – It is true; the 40th anniversary fell last year, but due to the pandemic, members of the Foundation’s Chapters, which operate all over the world, could not come to Rome. Therefore, the celebrations have been postponed to the current year.
– What made up the rich, several-day program of celebrations?
– The program of the anniversary celebrations was indeed very rich. On the first day, September 21, participants attended the general audience with Pope Francis. On September 23, at the Urbaniana University, a symposium was held “How to pass on the legacy of the pontificate to the next generations? The John Paul II Foundation in the face of new challenges”. It was attended by, among many,: the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Holy See, Adam Kwiatkowski, who read the letter of President Andrzej Duda to the participants of the symposium, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Msgr. Stefan Wylężek, Msgr. Sławomir Oder and Fr. Andrzej Dobrzyński. The guest of the meeting was the head of the Cardinal Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Foundation, Father Federico Lombardi. However, the Chairman of the new papal John Paul I Foundation, cardinal Pietro Parolin, could not attend the meeting – the symposium was attended by the vice-president of the Foundation, Prof. Stefania Falasca, who was the vice-postulator in the beatification process of John Paul I. The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Rome, Anna Maria Anders, was also present.
In the second part of the symposium, a panel discussion was held, in which Archbishop Józef Staniewski, Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev, Father Michał Paluch OP from the University of St. Thomas “Angelicum” and Wojciech Halarewicz from Mazda Europa, a member of the Foundation Council; editor Michał Kłosowski was the moderator.
The symposium at the Urbaniana University served not only to remind the history of the Foundation, but also became an opportunity to reflect on new forms of passing on the heritage of John Paul II and on the prospects for development for the future. The work of the symposium was summed up in his speech by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz.
– The program also included pilgrimages and Holy Masses ….
– Over 400 people from all over the world came to the Roman celebrations of the Foundation. They wanted the celebrations to have a spiritual and pilgrimage character. That is why trips were organized to the Marian shrine “Ad Rupes” in Castel Sant’Elia and to the sanctuary of St. Rita in Cascia. There were also Holy Masses at the tomb of St. John Paul II, which I had the honor to celebrate on September 22, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, under the leadership of Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski (September 23). Particularly solemn was the Eucharist at the altar of the Cathedral in the Vatican Basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Dziwisz (Sunday, September 25).
On Saturday evening, in the Basilica of St. Pancracy, a concert entitled “Music for the Glory of God” took place, in which the Roman Chamber Orchestra and the choir of the Warsaw Archcathedral under the direction of Teresa Krasowska. The concert features soloists: Ewa Biegas and Father Rafał Kobyliński SJ.
Members of the Administrative Council and Presidents of the Foundation’s Chapters from various countries also met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Holy See at the embassy headquarters.
– The five-day celebration of the 40th anniversary of the John Paul II Foundation required a great organizational effort …
– This is true. As the Chairman of the Foundation, I would like to thank Fr Krzysztof Wieliczko, the Administrator of the Foundation, and Fr Łukasz Kotarba, Director of the John Paul II Polish Home, who effectively took care of the logistics and transport of guests, and Fr Andrzej Dobrzyński, who undertook the organization of the symposium on Urbaniana. I am also grateful to the Sacred Heart Sisters and Ms. Anna Kielech, who helped in the organization of these events. Also, I would like to thank you and the other representatives of the media who have wished to participate and report on the course of this jubilee.
– In conclusion, I would like to ask you about the plans for the future, which you certainly discussed during the meetings of the members of the Council. What new forms of activity do you intend to introduce?
It seems that with the passage of time it becomes more and more necessary to recall the work and teaching of St. John Paul II. Therefore, the Foundation, without giving up scholarship activities and helping pilgrims coming to the Eternal City, sets itself the priority of developing the activities of the Center for Documentation and Study of the Pontificate of John Paul II. We would like as many people as possible to be able to use the rich collections of the Centre. It seems necessary to establish closer cooperation with the university communities in Rome and around the world, as well as to make greater use of the possibilities of contemporary public and social media. Perhaps it will also be possible to take up with new enthusiasm the issue of the promotion of Christian culture, which John Paul II cared about so much. The reflection on new challenges and possibilities of responding to them, initiated by the statements during the Symposium, is still ongoing and I hope that it will open up new perspectives for the Foundation’s activities.
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The anniversary celebrations ended on Sunday, September 25, 2022 in the premises of the General Curia of the School Brothers on via Aurelia. During the dinner, Cardinal Ryłko, in gratitude for his long activity in the Foundation, was given a triptych depicting Our Lady of Częstochowa, St. Faustina and St. John Paul II. There was also, of course, a “birthday” cake, which was brought for this occasion from Wadowice – its first, symbolic piece was cut off by Cardinal Dziwisz.
Photo: Włodzimierz Rędzioch
