It was in November 2019. We were with Pope Francis on a long pilgrimage, on one of his farthest journeys so far – in Thailand and Japan. Statistically, literally a handful of Catholics live in both countries. However, while in Bangkok we were greeted with an ovation not only by crowds of residents of the Thai capital itself, but also by other faithful, who came from distant corners of the country. Posters and white and yellow papal ribbons were visible on the streets. Tokyo welcomed us with rain, cold and quite pronounced indifference. Always isolated, insular, distanced, and not seeking contact. The Japanese did not seem interested in the Successor of St. Peter’s visit. We, the journalists of the Papal entourage, had some concerns about how everything would turn out and how Francis would be received.
However, I must admit that from the first moment I went to the press office in Tokyo, I not only felt pleasantly surprised, but I was deeply moved. Both in the Japanese press and in the words of people with whom I had contact, one thought was repeated: the Pope’s visit recalls in their memoirs the historic pilgrimage of John Paul II to Japan from thirty-eight years ago! Polish Pope won their hearts. For the people of the Land of the Rising Sun, a sufficient reason to love him was that, being a great world leader and authority, he wanted to devote time to learn Japanese pronunciation and learn to read in this language before his arrival.
Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi “It happened in the Vatican”
Znak Publishing House. Kraków 2020
pages: 51 – 52
