POPE KAROL WOJTYLA (1978)
 |
| Jan Pawel II pope |
Gierek's government was in good relations with Vatican and Polish Church.
It was due to finishing the economic and social crisis and also the activity
of opposition. Church in Poland was one of the most developed churches
in Europe. In charge of it, there was a primate Wyszynski. However the
government tried to keep the atheistic model of society. In Ministry of
Internal Affairs there was a huge Department IV. Its members traced priests
and bishops. They thought that the most dangerous were cardinal Karol Wojtyla
and bishop Tokarczuk. On the other hand the party tried not to provoke
any conflicts with Church. The bigger economic and political problems were,
the better relations with Church the authority wanted to have. Then cardinal
Wyszynski was the biggest moral and social authority among people.
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Pope Jan Pawel II
during
saying mass. |
On October 16th 1978 Poland got unexpected but wonderful information
that cardinal Karol Wojtyla had been chosen as the pope. All people had
hopes that this election would break the wall, with which, since 1945,
the socialistic system separated Poland from western countries. The society
listened to new pope's speeches with great enthusiasm and hopes for better
future.
The management of the party was compelled to express their satisfaction
with the new Polish pope. The authority even agreed to the pope's visit
to Poland and transmissions of his stay and some of the masses on radio
and TV.
 |
Pope Jan Pawel II
at
Warsaw airport. |
On June 2nd 1979 the pope's plane landed in Warsaw. For the Polish it
started a Week of Liberty. All routes were decorated with flowers, people
knelt down. They were helpful and favourably disposed towards each other.
The pope desired to call out a feeling of optimism and spiritual strength
in people's minds. The government wanted to diminish pope's triumph, and
particularly not to show crowds of people on TV and not to publish any
pictures.
 |
| Pope shot on May 13th
in 1981 at 5.19p.m. in Vatican City. |
On June 10th pope flew to Roma. People's life came back to conditions
in which it had been before his pilgrimage to Poland.