During dinner I saw, with how much respect and kindness the Holy Father turns to others, for example, to Fr. Dziwisz. I saw that they understand each other in half a word. It was a unique relationship.
– Friendly?
– I would not use such a term. Rather paternal. It can be compared to the relationship that a father has with a son. Father Stanisław was at the disposal of John Paul II at any time. He consciously chose this type of life. In the days and weeks that followed, I found out that he was working without a respite. He organized everything. First of all, he thought about what the Pope needed. Somewhere in the end, he was dealing with his own affairs. Polish priests living in Rome, who knew well Fr. Dziwisz, did not even try to invite him for a name day celebrations or birthdays. They knew that he will not come. They were saying: “He lives for John Paul II. He works twenty-four hours a day, he can’t go anywhere.” That’s how it was. With such a picture of the duties of the Pope’s secretary, before I moved to the Apostolic Palace, I bought some personal underwear and shirts, because I thought that later I would not have the opportunity to go outside the Vatican. But, on the first day after moving to the Apostolic Palace, Fr. Dziwisz said to me: “Today there is less work. If you want, rest or go shopping.”
Secretary of two Popes – conversation with Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki.
Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishing House
