Over a hundred scholarships for students, the second edition of the international John Paul II Award, new media challenges, Christian culture in the contemporary world, engaging young people in reflecting on the Pope’s teaching, the next John Paul II Days in Rome, the development of the Center for Documentation and Research of the Pontificate of John Paul II in Rome, the role of the Foundation in changing realities, or the modernization of the Pilgrim House – these are just some of the tasks facing the John Paul II Vatican Foundation this year. These will be discussed by the Administrative Council, whose members are coming to Rome for the annual meeting on February 4-5. Participants will include, among others, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, and Bishop Sławomir Oder. The meeting will begin with a morning Eucharist at the tomb of St. John Paul II in the Vatican, presided over by the Metropolitan of Krakow. The Council is chaired by Msgr. Paweł Ptasznik, a long-time close collaborator of the Pope.
What is the Vatican John Paul II Foundation?
The John Paul II Vatican Foundation is a church non-profit organization with its official seat in the Vatican. It was established on October 16, 1981, by a papal decree of John Paul II. It carries out numerous religious, scientific, cultural, and charitable initiatives, including:
- Popularizing and developing the teachings of John Paul II,
- Awarding academic scholarships,
- Taking care of pilgrims coming to Rome,
- Assisting in the formation of lay and clerical persons (especially students),
- Cooperating with international scientific and religious institutions and papal universities,
- Integrating communities involved in popularizing and developing the teachings of the Polish Pope,
- Providing various types of support to projects related to the legacy of John Paul II.
The Foundation achieves its goals through five units it operates, whose directors present their annual reports and discuss proposals and projects for the coming year during the annual meeting of the Administrative Council. These are:
- The Documentation and Study Center of the Pontificate of John Paul II in Rome,
- The Pilgrim House (John Paul II Polish House) in Rome,
- The Student House (John Paul II Vatican Foundation Student House) in Lublin,
- The Administrative Secretariat,
- The Media and Events Office.
The above units are managed by: Fr. Andrzej Dobrzyński, Fr. Mateusz Wójcik, Fr. Jan Strzałka SCJ, Fr. Dariusz Giers, and Fr. Tomasz Podlewski.
Support for Students and Pilgrims
The Foundation’s efforts to support youth, academic communities, and Roman pilgrims deserve special attention. It closely cooperates with the Catholic University of Lublin and the John Paul II Pontifical University in Krakow. Over 100 people live in the Student House it runs in Lublin. Each year, the Foundation awards 25 five-year scholarships for the entire cycle of higher education studies to students from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Eastern Bloc countries (including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia) and over a hundred one-time scholarships to students from Poland and around the world. Thanks to the John Paul II Vatican Foundation, over 1,100 master’s degrees and over 20 doctorates have been obtained, and its scholarship recipients include several dozen clerical and consecrated persons, including three bishops from Eastern Europe and Asia. Over 5,000 pilgrims come annually to the John Paul II House in Rome.
John Paul II Award
Since last year, the Foundation has been awarding the St. John Paul II Award (Premio San Giovanni Paolo II). The Award Committee, composed of several representatives of international scientific and church communities, is chaired by Cardinal Kurt Koch – Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The award honors individuals and institutions distinguished by charitable, scientific, and artistic work inspired by the teachings of the Polish Pope. The first-ever laureate of the award was the John Paul II Justice and Peace Center in Uganda.
St. John Paul II Days in Rome
Also since last year, the Foundation has been co-organizing the St. John Paul II Days at the Pontifical Universities in Rome. The multi-day scientific and cultural event in the Eternal City, initiated in cooperation with the Church of St. Stanislaus B&M in Rome and the John Paul II Pontifical University in Krakow, aims to popularize and develop the teachings of the Polish Pope in Roman academic circles. The first edition of the event at the end of November 2024 was organized at three papal universities in Rome (Angelicum, Santa Croce, Gregorian). It was attended by several dozen scientists and several hundred participants, and in the accompanying scientific competition for students, financial prizes were awarded to students from Nigeria, Italy, and Peru.
The Longest-Operating Scientific Center Related to John Paul II
A special branch of the Foundation’s activity is the Center for the Documentation and Research of the Pontificate of John Paul II in Rome, whose director, Fr. Prof. Andrzej Dobrzyński, received the Totus Tuus award last year. This center is the earliest established, longest-operating, and one of the largest scientific centers in the world related to the Polish Pope:
- The Center’s Archive contains the writings of Archbishop Wojtyła from the Krakow period (1958-1978) and documents from the pontificate (1978-2005),
- The Center’s Library has about 30,000 volumes in all European languages and some oriental languages. It also has valuable Polish memorabilia (including a Hebrew Bible from 1543, the New Testament by Jakub Wujek from 1594, original letters of Augustus II the Strong and John III Sobieski, a lost page from the draft of “Pan Tadeusz” by Adam Mickiewicz, and the only surviving manuscript of the poem “On Sad News from the Vatican” by Cyprian Kamil Norwid),
- The Center’s Museum has about 20,000 exhibits from various fields of art. These are gifts given to the Pope. Among them are priceless national memorabilia, old prints, and manuscripts (including items given to John Paul II that accompanied prisoners of concentration camps and gulags and soldiers fighting for Poland’s freedom).
How the Foundation is Supported
The implementation of so many initiatives is possible thanks to the support of people of goodwill. As a non-profit organization, the Foundation has been maintained from the beginning by donations from the Polish diaspora, Poles living in the country, and individual donors from around the world. Special support comes from the Societies and Circles of Friends of the John Paul II Vatican Foundation, which number several dozen and operate in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Topics of This Year’s Administrative Council Meeting
Among the key issues discussed by the Administrative Council during this year’s meeting will be:
- The development, popularization, and strengthening of the role of the Center for the Documentation and Research of the Pontificate of John Paul II and its introduction to the international community by relocating its headquarters to the very center of Rome,
- Popularizing and developing the teachings of St. John Paul II and engaging new, young researchers from around the world in this work,
- Detailed issues related to the subsequent editions of the John Paul II Award (Premio San Giovanni Paolo II),
- The development of the John Paul II Days initiative at the Pontifical Universities in Rome,
- Care for the Pilgrim House (John Paul II Polish House in Rome), modernization of the infrastructure, and continuation of the ongoing renovation works,
- New forms of cooperation with the two most important scientific partners in Poland: the Catholic University of Lublin and the John Paul II Pontifical University in Krakow,
- Addressing contemporary media challenges by launching the newly established Media and Events Office and preparing, in cooperation with KUL, a film about the Foundation titled “Put Out into the Deep” directed by Damian Bieniek (as part of the Administrative Council meeting, there will be a screening of the film, which last year won an award at the International Catholic Film and Multimedia Festival “NIEPOKALANA 2024” before its official release),
- Addressing current material challenges in light of the increasing problem of financially sustaining such extensive activities of the Foundation, which operates solely thanks to donors.
Members of the Administrative Council of the Vatican John Paul II Foundation
The current composition of the Administrative Council of the Vatican John Paul II Foundation was appointed in 2022, and its term will last until 2027. It is chaired by Fr. Paweł Ptasznik, a long-time close collaborator of St. John Paul II. Before Fr. Ptasznik, the position of chairman was held by Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. The current members of the Council are:
- Bishop Sławomir Oder – Bishop of Gliwice, postulator of the beatification processes of John Paul II and his parents,
- Michał Wilkosz – Rector of the Polish Catholic Mission in Germany,
- Tomasz Szopa – Rector of the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Krakow,
- Henryk Rogowski – Former President of the Federation of Polish Associations in France and former Chairman of the Foundation’s Circle in Paris,
- Marek Markiewicz – Lawyer,
- Bogdan Chmielewski – Director of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union,
- Wojciech Halarewicz – Vice President of Mazda Motor Europe.
By the statute of the Foundation, a non-term member of the Administrative Council is always Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the secretary of Pope John Paul II and a special witness to his pontificate, and the so-called higher authority over the John Paul II Vatican Foundation is exercised by the Archbishop of Krakow. The Foundation has canonical legal personality and civil legal personality in the Vatican State. On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of its activities (celebrated a year late due to the pandemic), its representatives met with Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Fr. Tomasz Podlewski
Media & Events Office
