OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO POLAND (MAY 31-JUNE 10, 1997)1000 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF ST ADALBERT
Gniezno - 3 June 1997
1. Veni, Creator Spiritus!
Today we are at the tomb of Saint Adalbert in Gniezno. We are thus at the
centre of the Millennium of Adalbert. A month ago I began this journey in
honour of Saint Adalbert in Prague and in Libice, in the Diocese of Hradek Králové,
whence he came. And today we are in Gniezno, at the place — it can be said
— where he ended his earthly pilgrimage. I give thanks to the Triune God
that at the end of this Millennium I have been granted the opportunity to pray
once again before the relics of Saint Adalbert, which are one of our greatest
national treasures.
We are here to follow the spiritual journey of Saint Adalbert, which in
a sense begins in the Upper Room. Today's Liturgy leads us precisely to the
Upper Room, to which the Apostles returned from the Mount of Olives after
Christ's Ascension into heaven. For forty days after the Resurrection he
appeared to them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of Heaven. He told them
not to leave Jerusalem but to await the promise of the Father: "which, he
said, you heard from me. John baptized with water, but before many days... you
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my
witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth"
(Acts 1:4,8).
The Apostles thus receive the missionary mandate. By virtue of the words of
the Risen Lord they must go into all the world to teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt
28:14-20). But for now they return to the Upper Room and remain in prayer,
awaiting the fulfilment of the promise. On the tenth day, the feast of
Pentecost, Christ sent them the Holy Spirit, who transformed their hearts. They
were made strong and ready to assume the missionary mandate. And so they began
the work of evangelization.
The Church continues this work. The successors of the Apostles continue
to go forth into all the world to make disciples of all nations. Towards
the end of the first millennium, there first set foot on Polish soil the sons of
various nations which had already become Christian, especially the nations
bordering Poland. Among them a central place belongs to Saint Adalbert, who came
to Poland from neighbouring and closely-related Bohemia. He was at the origin,
in a certain sense, of the Church's second beginning in the lands of the Piast.
The baptism of the nation in 966, at the time of Mieszko I, was confirmed by the
blood of the Martyr. And not only this: with him Poland became part of the
family of European countries. Before the relics of Saint Adalbert, the
Emperor Otto III and Boleslaw the Brave met in the presence of a legate of the
Pope. This meeting was of great historical significance — the Congress of
Gniezno. Obviously it had political significance, but ecclesial significance as
well. At the tomb of Saint Adalbert, the first Polish metropolitan see was
announced by Pope Silvester II: Gniezno, to which the episcopal sees of Krakow,
Wrocław and Kolobrzeg were joined.
2. The seed which dies bears much fruit (cf. Jn 12:24). These words of the
Gospel of John, spoken one day by Christ to the Apostles, are singularly
applicable to Adalbert. By his death, he bore the supreme witness. "He
who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep
it for eternal life" (Jn 12:25). Saint Adalbert also bore witness to
the apostolic service. For Christ says: "If anyone serves me, he must
follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone serves me,
the Father will honour him" (Jn 12:26). Adalbert followed Christ. He made
a long journey which took him from his native Libice to Prague, and from Prague
to Rome. Then, after facing resistance from his fellow countrymen in Prague, he
left as a missionary for the Pannonian Plain and from there, through the
Moravian Gate to Gniezno and the Baltic. His mission in a sense was the
crowning point of the evangelization of the lands of the Piast. And this was
precisely because Adalbert bore witness to Christ by undergoing a martyr's
death. Boleslaw the Brave ransomed the body of the Martyr and had it brought
here, to Gniezno.
In him the words of Christ were fulfilled. Above love of earthly life
Adalbert had placed love of the Son of God. He followed Christ as a faithful
and generous servant, bearing witness to him at the cost of his own life. And
the Father honoured him indeed. The People of God surrounded him on earth with
the veneration reserved to a saint, in the conviction that a Martyr of Christ in
heaven is surrounded with glory by the Father.
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| Silver coffin of St. Wojciech (Cathedral in Gniezno) |
We thank you, Saint Adalbert, for having brought us together today here in
such great numbers. Among us are distinguished guests. I think first of the
Presidents of the countries linked to the person of Vojtech-Adalbert. For their
presence here I thank President Kwasniewski of Poland, President Havel of the
Czech Republic, President Brazauskas of Lithuania, President Herzog of Germany,
President Kovac of the Slovak Republic, President Kuczma of Ukraine, and
President Göncz of Hungary.
I express my gratitude also to the Cardinals who have come from the Eternal
City, beginning with the Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, and the
Cardinals of the countries linked to the figure of Saint Adalbert, led by
Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the successor of Saint Adalbert in the episcopal see of
Prague. I am pleased that among us are Cardinals from distant parts of the
world, from America to Australia. I cordially greet and thank for their
presence the Polish Cardinals, with the Cardinal Primate at their head, and the
Archbishops and Bishops. I thank also the Orthodox Bishops and the Heads of the
Communities of the Reformation, as well as the leaders of other Ecclesial
Communities. I address a cordial word of greeting to Archbishop Muszynski,
Metropolitan of Gniezno, and to you, dear brothers and sisters, who have come
from all over Poland for this meeting.
3. Deeply impressed upon my memory is the meeting in Gniezno in June 1979,
when, for the first time, the Pope, a native of Krakow, was able to celebrate
the Eucharist on the Hill of Lech, in the presence of the unforgettable Primate
of the Millennium, the whole Polish Episcopate and many pilgrims not only from
Poland but also from the neighbouring countries. Today, eighteen years later,
we should return to that homily in Gniezno, which in a certain sense became the
programme of my pontificate. But first of all it was a humble reading of God's
plans, linked with the final twenty-five years of our millennium. I said then:
Is it not Christ's will, is it not what the Holy Spirit disposes, that this
Polish Pope, this Slav Pope, should at this precise moment manifest the
spiritual unity of Christian Europe? We know that the Christian unity of Europe
is made up of two great traditions, of the West and of the East... Yes, it
is Christ's will, it is what the Holy Spirit disposes, that what I am saying
should be said in this very place and at this moment in Gniezno" (Homily
at the Cathedral of Gniezno, 3 June 1979).
From this place there flowed forth at that time the power and strength of
the Holy Spirit. Here reflection on the new evangelization began to take shape
in concrete terms. In the meantime great transformations took place, new
possibilities arose, other people appeared on the scene. The wall which divided
Europe collapsed. Fifty years after the Second World War began, its effects
ceased to ravage the face of our continent. A half century of separation ended,
for which millions of people living in Central and Eastern Europe had paid a
terrible price. And so here, at the tomb of Saint Adalbert, today I give
thanks to Almighty God for the great gift of freedom granted to the nations of
Europe, and I do so in the words of the Psalmist:
"Then they said among the nations,
'The Lord has done great things for them'.
The Lord has done great things for us;
and we are glad" (Ps 126:2-3).
'The Lord has done great things for them'.
The Lord has done great things for us;
and we are glad" (Ps 126:2-3).
4. Dear brothers and sisters, after so many years I repeat the same message:
a new openness is needed. For we have seen, at times in a very painful way,
that the recovery of the right to self-determination and the growth of political
and economic freedom is not sufficient to rebuild European unity. How can we
not mention here the tragedy of the nations of the former Yugoslavia, the drama
experienced by the Albanian people and the enormous burdens felt by all the
societies which have regained their freedom and with great effort are liberating
themselves from the yoke of the Communist totalitarian system?
Can we not say that after the collapse of one wall, the visible one,
another, invisible wall was discovered, one that continues to divide our
continent — the wall that exists in people's hearts? It is a wall made out
of fear and aggressiveness, of lack of understanding for people of different
origins, different colour, different religious convictions; it is the wall of
political and economic selfishness, of the weakening of sensitivity to the value
of human life and the dignity of every human being. Even the undeniable
achievements of recent years in the economic, political and social fields do not
hide the fact that this wall exists. It casts its shadow over all of Europe.
The goal of the authentic unity of the European continent is still distant.
There will be no European unity until it is based on unity of the spirit.
This most profound basis of unity was brought to Europe and consolidated down
the centuries by Christianity with its Gospel, with its understanding of man and
with its contribution to the development of the history of peoples and nations.
This does not signify a desire to appropriate history. For the history of
Europe is a great river into which many tributaries flow, and the variety of
traditions and cultures which shape it is its great treasure. The foundations
of the identity of Europe are built on Christianity. And its present lack of
spiritual unity arises principally from the crisis of this Christian
self-awareness.
5. Brothers and sisters, it was Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday and
today and for ever" (cf. Heb 13:8) who revealed to man his dignity! He is
the guarantee of this dignity! It was the patrons of Europe — Saint
Benedict and Saints Cyril and Methodius — who grafted on to European
culture the truth about God and about man. It was the ranks of missionary
saints, recalled to us today by Saint Adalbert, Bishop and martyr, who brought
to the peoples of Europe the teaching about love of neighbour, even love of
enemies — a teaching confirmed by the gift of their lives for the sake of
others. This Good News, the Gospel, has sustained our brothers and sisters in
Europe over the course of the centuries, down to the present day. This message
was repeated by the walls of churches, abbeys, hospitals and universities. It
was proclaimed by books, sculpture and painting, by poetry and musical
compositions. Upon the Gospel were laid the foundations of Europe's spiritual
unity.
From the tomb of Saint Adalbert, then, I ask: are we allowed to reject
the law of Christian life, which states that abundant fruit is borne only by
those who offer their lives for the love of God and of their brothers and
sisters, like a seed cast upon the ground? Here, from this place I repeat
the cry which I made at the beginning of my pontificate: Open the doors
to Christ! In the name of respect for human rights, in the name of
liberty, equality and fraternity, in the name of solidarity among mankind and in
the name of love, I cry out: Do not be afraid! Open the doors to
Christ! Without Christ it is impossible to understand man. For this
reason, the wall which today is raised in people's hearts, the wall which
divides Europe, will not be torn down without a return to the Gospel. For
without Christ it is impossible to build lasting unity. It cannot be done by
separating oneself from the roots from which the countries of Europe have grown,
and from the great wealth of the spiritual culture of past centuries. How can a
"common house" for all of Europe be built, if it is not built with the
bricks of men's consciences, baked in the fire of the Gospel, united by the bond
of a fraternal social love, the fruit of the love of God? This was the reality
for which Saint Adalbert strove, and for this future he gave his life. He
reminds us today that a new society cannot be built without a renewed humanity,
which is society's firmest foundation.
6. On the threshold of the third millennium the witness of Saint Adalbert is
ever present in the Church and constantly bearing fruit. We need to take up
with fresh vigour his work of evangelization. Let us help those who have
forgotten Christ and his teaching to discover him anew. This will happen when
ranks of faithful witnesses to the Gospel begin once more to traverse our
continent; when works of architecture, literature and art show in a convincing
way to the people of our time the One who is "the same yesterday and today
and for ever"; when in the Church's celebration of the Liturgy people see
how beautiful it is to give glory to God; when they discern in our lives a
witness of Christian mercy, heroic love and holiness.
Dear brothers and sisters, what an extraordinary hour of history we have
been granted to live in! What important tasks Christ has entrusted to us!
He is calling each of us to prepare the new springtime of the Church. He wishes
the Church — ever the same from the time of the Apostles and of Saint
Adalbert — to enter the new millennium full of freshness, overflowing with
new life and evangelical zeal. In 1949 the Primate of the Millennium exclaimed:
"Here, at the tomb of Saint Adalbert, we will light torches which will
proclaim to our land the 'light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to
your people' (Lk 2:32)" (Pastoral Letter upon entering the See).
Today we raise this cry anew, imploring the light and fire of the Holy Spirit to
kindle our torches and make us heralds of the Gospel to the farthest limits of
the earth.
7. Saint Adalbert is always with us. He has remained in Gniezno of the
Piast and in the Universal Church, surrounded by the glory of martyrdom. And
from the perspective of the Millennium he seems to speak to us today with the
words of Saint Paul: "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the
Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of
you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for
the faith of the Gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponent"
(Phil 1:27-28). Yes, in one spirit, striving side by side for the faith.
Today we re-read once more, after a thousand years, this testament of Paul
and Adalbert. We ask that their words may be fulfilled in our own generation
too. For in Christ we have been granted the grace not only to believe in him
but also to suffer for his sake, since we too have sustained the conflict of
which Adalbert has left us his witness (cf. Phil 1:29-30).
We entrust ourselves to Saint Adalbert, asking him to intercede for us, as
the Church and Europe prepare for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.
And we invoke the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and fortitude:
Veni, Creator Spiritus! Amen.
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| The execution of St. Adalbert by the pagan Prussians, Gniezno Doors panel |
LINKS
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_03061997_en.html
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St. Adalbert
Martyr and Bishop
Born c. 956 Libice nad Cidlinou, Bohemia
Died April 23, 997 Truso (Elbląg) or Kaliningrad Oblast
Feast April 23
Martyr and Bishop
Born c. 956 Libice nad Cidlinou, Bohemia
Died April 23, 997 Truso (Elbląg) or Kaliningrad Oblast
Feast April 23
Born 939 of a noble Bohemian family; died 997. He assumed the name of the Archbishop Adalbert (his name had been Wojtech), under whom he studied at Magdeburg. He became Bishop of Prague, whence he was obliged to flee on account of the enmity he had aroused by his efforts to reform the clergy of his diocese. He betook himself to Rome, and when released by Pope John XV from his episcopal obligations, withdrew to a monastery and occupied himself in the most humble duties of the house. Recalled by his people, who received him with great demonstrations of joy, he was nevertheless expelled a second time and returned to Rome. The people of Hungary were just then turning towards Christianity. Adalbert went among them as a missionary, and probably baptized King Geysa and his family, and King Stephen. He afterwards evangelized the Poles, and was made Archbishop of Gnesen. But he again relinquished his see, and set out to preach to the idolatrous inhabitants of what is now the Kingdom of Prussia. Success attended his efforts at first, but his imperious manner in commanding them to abandon paganism irritated them, and at the instigation of one of the pagan priests he was killed. This was in the year 997. His feast is celebrated 23 April, and he is called the Apostle of Prussia. Boleslas I, Prince of Poland, is said to have ransomed his body for an equivalent weight of gold. He is thought to be the author of the war-song, "Boga-Rodzica", which the Poles used to sing when going to battle.
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