Jasir Arafat was a frequent visitor to John Paul II. In four years (1998 – 2001) he was five times at a private audience with the Pope…
– The Holy Father once accepted him even during his vacations. This was required by the political situation, but it is true that the Holy Father had some special sympathy for him. I don’t know what it was, but he liked him very much, and at the same time, he wanted to give spiritual support to the poor Palestinian people.
– The West thundered that the Pope was meeting a terrorist.
– The Holy Father did not care. He was for all the poor and suffering. And, he believed that he cannot abandon any poor and suffering man, to leave him/her in need.
– The Israelis also suffered…
– That is why the Holy Father met with their leaders too. Not so often, but he met.
– He was saying: “Justice is not enough, love is needed.”
– Yes. And, he loved them. And, he talked, with everyone, including those who wanted to take his life. He talked to Agca. And, he liked Arafat very much. It can be said that he had a weakness for him. It’s due to his personality. He was so spontaneous, always smiling, and so grateful to the Holy Father that how many times he asked for an audience, so many times the Holy Father was seeing him.
– Were these meetings difficult?
– The context was difficult. The meetings have always been nice. And, I know that they gave the Holy Father a lot of joy. Because he met with a man who was despised by many, to whom he added strength and encouragement, and thus gave it to all the people on Palestinian soil.
With the permission of Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki –“He liked Tuesdays the most”
M Publishing House, Krakow 2008
