Interview of Wlodzimierz Redzioch  with Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes

Everybody knows that one of the closest and most trustworthy co-workers of John Paul II was a German, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, but not everybody knows that the Polish Pope was also supported in his mission by other co-workers from Germany. Among those was Paul Josef Cordes, today 83 years old, born in Kirchhundem, Archdiocese Paderborn, retired Chairman of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, with whom I brought back the memory of John Paul II’s pontificat.

Wlodzimierz Redzioch

-  In 1978, the “year of the three Popes”, you were Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn. How did you react to the election of the Archbishop of Krakow in the second conclave to be the new Pope?

Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes

- I knew the Cardinal of Krakow already before his election to Pope. The reason being: My Paderborn Ordinarius, a great friend of the Catholics in Poland, sent me to an important event to the neighboring country. In 1977 the much fought about church in Nowa Huta/Krakow was consecrated by Cardinal Wojtyla. Archbishop Degenhardt delegated me as an expression of his interest and I was a guest in the Archbishop’s house. – At the end of September 1978, the first official visit of a delegation of the Polish Bishops Conference took place in the Federal Republic of Germany. Due to surprising circumstances I was elected to accompany them in the name of the German Bishops Conference. The festive auto tour visited various dioceses. Cardinal Wyszynski, the important Primate of Poland was seated in the first car on this tour with the respective local bishop.  Cardinal Woytyla was seated in the second car which I was assigned to. The Cardinal impressed me already at that time by his joy of making contact and by his attentiveness.

The trip had high church-political importance. Although the Cardinal of Warsaw was in the center of all media reports; the Cardinal of Krakow, however, also made a big impression on me. Therefore, when after the event in Paderborn one of the Cathedral members said to me that the Primate had greatly impressed him, I said: “Wyszynski is good, but Wojtyla is better.” That is authentic.

Pope Francis announces names of fourteen new cardinals.

Speaking to pilgrims and visitors gathered in St Peter's Square on Sunday for the recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer, the Pope announced he would create new cardinals at a Consistory on June 29^th, 2018.

The list also includes Polish archbishop Konrad Krajewski, who serves as the papal almoner here in Rome.