La «pédagogie de la mémoire» de Jean- Paul II sur la base de son premier voyage apostolique en Pologne (1979)
The "pedagogy of memory" of John Paul II on the basis of his first apostolic journey to Poland (1979)

Summary/Abstract: Pope Francis, during his first pilgrimage to Poland, in a speech to representatives of the Polish authorities on 27 July 2016 said: «Memory is the hallmark of the Polish people. I was always impressed by Pope John Paul’s vivid sense of history. Whenever he spoke about a people, he started from its history, in order to bring out its wealth of humanity and spirituality. A consciousness of one’s own identity, free of any pretensions to superiority, is indispensable for establishing a national community on the foundation of its human, social, political, economic and religious heritage» The author, inspired by the words of Francis, refers to the speeches of John Paul II during his first apostolic journey to Poland (2-10 June 1979), widely recognized as important for the history of Polish, and even Europe. The author discusses the socio-political and religious situation in Poland 1979, and he presents the preparations for the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the death of St. Stanislaus including the role of Karol Wojtyla in them. There is the analysis of selected speeches of John Paul II for his «keen sense of history» and specific pedagogy – «pedagogy of memory». The article ends with a reflection on the impact of the papal visit to Poland on the future of the country and Europe. Historic implications are ubiquitous in the speeches of John Paul II’s – vivid in the memory of the Polish Pope and his compatriots – and were to inspire, help Poles in preserving their identity and strengthen in being faithful to God in spite of the temptation of discouragement in the face of painful socio-political conditions. John Paul II recalled that «a man [...] cannot be fully understood without Christ» and that no one has the right to except Christ from His Church and public life.

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