Najważniejsze wątki papieskiego nauczania w trakcie pobytu Jana Pawła II w Gnieźnie podczas I pielgrzymki do Ojczyzny (3-4 czerwca 1979 roku)
Keynotes of John Paul II’s teachings during his visit in Gniezno on his first pilgrimage to Poland (June 3-4, 1979)

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to discuss John Paul II’s visit in Gniezno on his first pilgrimage to his country. The research problem is to analyze all the papal speeches made in Gniezno on June 3 and 4, 1979 and to show the significance of their content for the subsequent changes that occurred in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. The Pope delivered important speeches in this city in the form of homilies and catecheses addressed to different groups of people. He touched upon vital topics relating to the gift of baptism and responsibility for its fruits, the historical role of Saint Adalbert, the contemporary evangelizing mission of the Church and primateship. The author argues that the Pope took advantage of the Pentecost celebrations to present a new vision of a united Europe that breathes with “two lungs” - eastern and western. The Pope’s conception was based on the idea of Pentecostes Slavae (Pentecost of the Slavs). It was only possible to implement after the changes of 1989. Nonetheless, the visit to Gniezno on June 3-4, 1979, served as a herald of transformations not just in Poland, but across Central and Eastern Europe. The following methods were used: philological and comparative, which took into account both the context of the papal statements and how they impacted the audience.

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