Young people discovered and took an interest in spiritual affairs. They came in a great number to listen to the Pope, attracted by his demanding words, without a reduced tariff, and this invitation – which they had not heard from anyone else, often neither in the family or in the parish – led them to go against the tide, even to become saints.
Yet the bishops did not always understand this youthful awakening. Two episcopates, American and French, sought to dissuade the Pope to organize the World Youth days in their countries. Because – they said – these are secularized countries, because it is summer, because there will be no people during Masses, because, because…
However, by the will of the Holy Father, World Youth Day was held in Denver in 1994 and in Paris in 1997 and proved to be a great success. Moreover, some say that the religious revival in France began precisely with this meeting between John Paul II and the young. Yes. Often, they were not able to understand, and often also today, the reality of the Church is not understood, it is portrayed superficially, too much in a journalism style.
With the permission of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “At the side of the Saint”
St. Stanislaw BM Publishing House, Krakow 2013
