On Saturday, October 22, 2022 on the liturgical remembrance of St. John Paul II, the Belgian Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation organized a meeting at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland on the topic “Afternoon to gather around St. John Paul II”.
After being welcomed by the Ambassador, the numerous participants listened to a short presentation of the biography of John Paul II prepared by students of the Polish Catholic School at the Embassy.
Then, during a roundtable discussion moderated by Yves Thibaut, a journalist for the RCF, four speakers spoke about the missions of the laity in the Church, the first of whom Claude Callens, a Romanist and teacher of French, told us what he owes to John Paul II and shared a small preview of his book, which is due to be published in January: “The Mission of the Laity”. In his speech, he drew particular attention to the multiple missions of the laity, both in the parish, in the profession and in the family. Priests, in the perspective of renewed fraternity, must support this twofold mission, in particular by providing the solid education necessary for this mission.
Next speakers: Bosco and Annonciade d’Otreppe, both dealing with the message, one as a journalist for La Libre Belgique, the other as a history teacher. They also spoke of their vision of the action of the laity in the Church and beyond. Their commitment testifies to how the young generations are determined to take up their duties in the parish and on mission. Both were co-organizers of the Missionary Congress, which took place in Brussels in March last year. Then, Marie-Elizabeth van Rijckevorsel, a guide to the most important museums and exhibitions in Brussels, who belongs to the JP II generation, delivered her speech. She spoke about her work as a guide, during which she tries to open the mind and hearts of visitors to the encounter with works of art, which are often in their message what St. John Paul II called “a call to the Mystery”.
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who came from the Holy Land that day, at first spoke about John Paul II in a more personal way. Having met the future saint several times when he was still a Cardinal in Krakow, he was very impressed by the particularly stimulating intellectual circle with which Karol Wojtyla liked to surround himself. With emotions he recalled Wojtyla’s first steps in the role of Pope, especially the inaugural sentence of his pontificate, spoken in the unforgettable and strong voice of this former actor: “Do not be afraid, open the door wide to Christ!” He stated that the way in which the Pope prayed (the “rock” of prayer) and the way in which he chose to travel the world made this pontificate the pinnacle of the Petrine charism. His travels are confirmed his universality, his attention to ecclesiastical diversity, but also his Polish roots, which he never denied. This Pope also revived the word “mercy”, which has fallen into oblivion. Sunday, established as “Divine Mercy”, emphasizes that God is above all rich in mercy. Cardinal Barbarin also recalled how much these elections shook the world: a Pope deprived of political power will play a key role in the fall of communism.
The day ended in the Dominican Church with a beautiful Mass celebrated by Cardinal Barbarin, Bishop Franco Coppola, Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium, Bishop Hrvoje Škrlec, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature to the EU, and several other priests. The Mass was enriched by the Domino Cantes choir, operating at the Dominican church.
A series of books entitled “John Paul II seen by…” was published by Mame Editions in cooperation with the John Paul II Foundation and are available for purchase at UOPC and in diocesan bookstores.
