As for the fruits of my trip to Scandinavia, I would like to remind you that two years later it was celebrated in St. Peter Basilica an ecumenical celebration on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Bridget of Sweden. The first Vespers, together with John Paul II, were presided over by the Lutheran primates of Sweden and Finland.
The next day, at lunch, one of the archbishops asked the Pope if their presence at the altar, by his side, could not be tantamount to recognizing the validity of their episcopal ordination. The Holy Father replied to this joke with another joke: “But it could not be that two archbishops, standing by my side, recognized my primacy?”
This statement reflects the atmosphere of brotherhood and closeness that was owed to the papal journey. I found the same climate two years later in Estonia, another country with majority of Lutherans. In the Tallinn Cathedral, John Paul II was received like a “head of the Church”. In his speech, the President of the Republic called him “my Father”, “Holy Father”. There was a unique atmosphere in the crowded square in front of the church. It was real, real ecumenism.
With the consent of Fr. Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “Testimony”.
TBA Publishing House Marketing Communication. Warsaw 2007
