The year 1968 for another reason had a separate character in the free world and in Eastern Europe. It was about the church theme. In the West, many bishops and theologians have been engaged in an exhaustive confrontation between progressives and conservatives over the interpretation of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Behind the Wall, on the other hand, it was necessary to think first of all about how to save the space of freedom for the Church and believers.
Especially in Poland, there was a problem of how to overcome the obstacles piled up by the communist authorities in the sphere of shaping Christian culture, new youth movements, freedom of worship, providing charitable care for those in need. These were areas of daily commitment – and suffering – for all bishops. But, above all for the archbishop of a city like Krakow, where a large crowd of young people lived. The archbishop had to defend the oasis movement. He had to defend the students of the academic pastoral ministry, whom as a young priest he himself gathered, led them spiritually, organized field trips, “trips’ apostolate”, and then, already as a bishop, accompanied them on their paths. He had to defend them against harassment from the Security Services. He wrote dozens of letters protesting to Mr. Lech Bafia, the voivode of Nowy Sącz, citing respect for human rights and never limiting himself to arguments of a religious nature. Similarly, he insisted on respecting the right of lay people to freedom of conscience, to profess their own faith, to have places of worship.
With the permission of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “At the side of the Saint”
St. Stanislaw BM Publishing House, Krakow 2013
