The Great Celebration of the Jubilee was the commemoration on May 7th in the Colosseum of the Witnesses of the Faith of the twentieth century. Some names were known, even famous, but most were countless anonymous martyrs who disappeared without a trace. “Like unknown soldiers of the great cause of God” – the Pope said.
Priests and laity, especially catechists. Catholics, but also Orthodox and Protestants. A martyrology that transcended divisions in religion, political boundaries, ideological barriers where, apart from faith, justice, peace and defense of man were at stake, in confirmation of the truth that the Church and believers were increasingly on the side of the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed.
The Holy Father placed particular emphasis on the need to expand the number of representatives of the ecumenical Witnesses of the Faith as much as possible. “The martyrs unite us,” he often said. “Their voice is much stronger than the divisions of the past.”
I would like to emphasize here a unique aspect of that celebration. In the closing prayer of the seventh category, dedicated to Christians who gave their lives for the love of Christ and their brothers and sisters in America, the figure of the Archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero, was mentioned, killed during the celebration of Holy Mass. It was the Holy Father who wanted his name to be mentioned. A day before, criticism was raised, false conclusions were drawn. The Pope cut off these discussions. When the organizers went to him, he explicitly asked that the name of “this great witness of the Gospel” be included.
These were words similar to those by which John Paul II in 1983 strongly rejected the suggestion of several Latin American bishops not to go to the tomb of Archbishop Romero, because he was considered too politically involved. He said: “No, the Pope must go there – after all, it is a bishop who was killed at the very heart of his pastoral ministry, during the celebration of Holy Mass….
With the consent of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “Testimony”.
TBA marketing communication Publishing House. Warsaw 2007
