Address of the Holy Father Paul VI to the Indian people in honour of Gandhi

Tuesday, 31 January 1978
Peace be with you!
Peace be with you all!

We are grateful to All India Radio for the opportunity to make our voice heard throughout your land-throughout the entire nation of India. We feel that we are once again with the beloved people of India, just as when we walked among you in Bombay. We experience once again the hospitality of your country, as our voice comes into your homes and institutions, and -above all-into your hearts.

Yes, our message is a message of Peace. It is Peace that we proclaim to the world, and we do so with fresh vigour on the occasion of your celebration of the World Day of Peace. And our appeal to all of you, to all men and women of good will is this : No to violence, Yes to Peace

We believe that our words have special meaning today for the citizens of India, on this thirtieth anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi. We associate ourself with all of you in rendering solemn honour to this herald of non-violence, to this man of peace.

And on this occasion we repeat: No to violence: to all violence-to everything that wounds, weakens and violates life; to everything that dishonours human dignity. At the same time we reiterate: Yes to Peace: to the peace that brings happiness to all, for it is based on fearlessness and truth; it is the work of justice and fraternal love.

To reject violence and to accept all the conditions and demands of Peace is an activity of the highest dignity; it is an expression of the truest patriotism. May God give his peace to India. May the love and peace of God abide in your hearts-for ever!

Letter to His Excellency Varahigiri Venkah Giri, Presiddent of India

On the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, We send greetings and good wishes, through the kind offices of Your Excellency, to all of India.

Gandhi had a high appreciation of the value of human dignity, and a keen sense of social justice. With warm zeal and a clear vision of the future welfare of his people, he worked tirelessly to achieve his goals, ever instilling in his followers the admirable principle of non-violence.

He strove to make his countrymen conscious of injustices in their social system, and to spread among them a spirit of equality and brotherhood. His efforts and example, even when not entirely successful, have left their mark upon the men of his own and our generation.

One cannot forget Gandhi’s profound admiration and esteem for the person of Jesus Christ, Whose Sermon on the Mount greatly influenced his own thought and action. Ever conscious of God’s presence, especially in times of difficulty, he realized the value of austerity, silence, fasting, and prayer, the ready acceptance of manual labour, and the giving up of worldly goods. H e recognized the place of suffering and sacrifice in human life. His attitude to conjugal chastity enhanced the dignity and integrity of the family.

India is rightly proud of such a leader, and his influence will doubtless continue. May it lead your beloved people, and the peoples of other Nations also, to prize and practise the high ideals of peace and love among men. We trust that these centenary celebrations will recall to men these superior principles and that higher destiny to which we are all directed.

With heartfelt affection for your great Country, We offer prayers for Your Excellency, your Government and people, that on the arduous road of pilgrimage towards our eternal home all may travel with courage and our journey be assisted by abundant heavenly blessings.

From the Vatican, August 22, 1969.

Commission for Interreligious Dialogue

Christ and other religions

Michael Fitzgerald

Hinduism

Hindus, who have heard about Jesus Christ from Christian missionaries, have reacted in various ways. Some have come to admire Jesus, but without any feeling of commitment to him. Others have come to know and love Jesus and have committed themselves to him, but within the context of Hinduism. Still others have responded to the person of Christ by seeking baptism and incorporation into the Church.

Mahatma Gandhi is an example of one who greatly admired the teaching of Jesus but who, as he himself said, was not interested in the historical person of the teacher. He was particularly struck by the Sermon on the Mount. For him Jesus, through his message, became an ethical symbol.

Many Hindus have no difficulty in accepting Jesus as divine. What they find difficult is the Christian understanding that the Incarnation of God in Jesus is unique. Jesus is often seen as the supreme example of self-realization, the goal of the Hindi dharma. He is taken to be a symbol of human progress. For some he becomes more of an ideal than a historical person. According to Hindu traditions, history always provides an imperfect knowledge of reality. In such a context, to identify the mystery of Jesus Christ with historical fact is seen as reducing God to imperfection.

Apostolic Journey to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Selitho, Swazilnd and Mozmbique

Meeting of John Paul II to the youth “Pitso Grounds” of Maseru

Maseru (Lesotho)

Thursday, 15 September 1988

4. Above all, if peace is to reign in your hearts, you must renounce every form of violence and hatred. Violence only begets further violence. Hatred closes us off from others, making communication and reconciliation impossible. The increase of violence in the world can never be halted by responding with more of the same. But it can be disarmed by the response of love, not a sentimental love that is nothing more than emotion, but a love that is rooted in God, a love like that of Christ, a love that remains non-violent.

Some people may say to you that the choice of non-violence is, in the end, a passive acceptance of situations of injustice. They may claim that it is cowardly not to use violence against what is wrong, or to refuse to defend with violence the oppressed. But nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing passive about non-violence when it is chosen out of love. It has nothing to do with indifference. It has everything to do with actively seeking to “resist evil and conquer it with good”, as Saint Paul urges. To choose non-violence means to make a courageous choice in love, a choice which includes the active defence of human rights and a firm commitment to justice and ordered development.

In making this choice, the first course of action is prayer. For unless the Lord guides our steps we soon lose the way. If our efforts are not rooted in God and his will, then everything we do is useless. As the Psalmist says: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labour; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil”. Prayer keeps us rooted in the Lord; prayer keeps our faith bright and burning; prayer leads to action that is in harmony with the designs of God.

5. If peace is to reign in your hearts, you must be willing to forgive, to forgive completely and sincerely. No community can survive without forgiveness. No family can live in harmony, no friendship can endure, without repeated forgiveness. Forgiveness is a free and undeserved gift that God offers to us so that we in turn can offer it to others. To forgive is to open the door to a new beginning. It makes possible a communion in love based on truth and compassion. Forgiveness lets go of hurtful memories from the past and hopes in a future built on what is right and good. It makes possible reconciliation and peace.

I urge you, then, in your personal lives as well as in your family and in society, to follow the advice of Saint Paul. He exhorts us in these words: “Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same”. Yes, let your faith, which depends on the mercy of God and on his gift of forgiveness, foster in your own hearts a constant readiness to forgive.

6. If peace is to reign in your hearts, one thing more is needed: you must put your faith into practice by working for justice and the good of others, especially for the good of the family.

Benedict XVI, Angelus. St. Peter’s Square, Sunday 18 February 2007

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday's Gospel contains some of the most typical and forceful words of Jesus' preaching: "Love your enemies" (Lk 6: 27). It is taken from Luke's Gospel but is also found in Matthew's (5: 44), in the context of the programmatic discourse that opens with the famous "Beatitudes". Jesus delivered it in Galilee at the beginning of his public life: it is, as it were, a "manifesto" presented to all, in which he asks for his disciples' adherence, proposing his model of life to them in radical terms.

But what do his words mean? Why does Jesus ask us to love precisely our enemies, that is, a love which exceeds human capacities?

Actually, Christ's proposal is realistic because it takes into account that in the world there is too much violence, too much injustice, and therefore that this situation cannot be overcome except by countering it with more love, with more goodness. This "more" comes from God: it is his mercy which was made flesh in Jesus and which alone can "tip the balance" of the world from evil to good, starting with that small and decisive "world" which is the human heart.

This Gospel passage is rightly considered the magna carta of Christian non-violence. It does not consist in succumbing to evil, as a false interpretation of "turning the other cheek" (cf. Lk 6: 29) claims, but in responding to evil with good (cf. Rom 12: 17-21) and thereby breaking the chain of injustice.

One then understands that for Christians, non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person's way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God's love and power that he is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone.

Love of one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the "Christian revolution", a revolution not based on strategies of economic, political or media power: the revolution of love, a love that does not rely ultimately on human resources but is a gift of God which is obtained by trusting solely and unreservedly in his merciful goodness. Here is the newness of the Gospel which silently changes the world! Here is the heroism of the "lowly" who believe in God's love and spread it, even at the cost of their lives.

APOSTOLIC PILGRIMAGE TO INDIA

ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II

ON OCCASION OF THE VISIT TO THE FUNERARY MONUMENT

OF RAJ GHAT DEDICATED TO MAHATMA GANDHI

Delhi (India)

Saturday, 1st February 1986

Dear Friends,

1. My visit to India is a pilgrimage of good will and peace, and the fulfilment of a desire to experience personally the very soul of your country.

It is entirely fitting that this pilgrimage should begin here, at Raj Ghat, dedicated to the memory of the illustrious Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation and "apostle of non-violence".

The figure of Mahatma Gandhi and the meaning of his life’s work have penetrated the consciousness of humanity. In his famous words, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has expressed the conviction of the whole world: "The light that shone in this country was no ordinary light" .

Two days ago marked the thirty-eighth anniversary of his death. He who lived by non-violence appeared to be defeated by violence.

For a brief moment the light seemed to have gone out. Yet his teachings and the example of his life live on in the minds and hearts of millions of men and women. And so it was said: "The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere and I do not quite know what to tell you and how to say it... The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years..." . Yes, the light is still shining, and the heritage of Mahatma Gandhi speaks to us still. And today as a pilgrim of peace I have come here to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, hero of humanity.

2. From this place, which is forever bound to the memory of this extraordinary man, I wish to express to the people of India and of the world my profound conviction that the peace and justice of which contemporary society has such great need will be achieved only along the path which was at the core of his teaching: the supremacy of the spirit and Satyagraha, the "truthforce", which conquers without violence by the dynamism intrinsic to just action. .

The power of truth leads us to recognize with Mahatma Gandhi the dignity, equality and fraternal solidarity of all human beings, and it prompts us to reject every form of discrimination. It shows us once again the need for mutual understanding acceptance and collaboration between religious groups in the pluralist society of modern India and throughout the world.

3. The traditional problems of poverty, hunger and disease have not yet been eradicated from our world. Indeed, in some ways they are more virulent than ever. In addition, new sources of tension and anxiety have emerged as well The existence of immense arsenals of weapons of mass destruction causes a grave and justified uneasiness in our minds. The inequality of development favours some and plunges others into inextricable dependence. In these conditions peace is fragile and injustice abounds.

From this place, which belongs in a sense to the history of the entire human family, I wish, however, to reaffirm the conviction that with the help of God the construction of a better world, in peace and justice, lies within the reach of human beings.

But the leaders of peoples, and all men and women of good will, must believe and act of the belief that the solution lies within the human heart: "from a new heart, peace is born"... Mahatma Gandhi reveals to us his own heart as he repeats today to those who listen: "The law of love governs the world... Truth triumphs over untruth. Love conquers hate..." .

4. In this place, as we meditate on the figure of this man so marked by his noble devotion to God and his respect for every living being, I wish also to recall those words of Jesus recorded in the Christian Scriptures – with which the Mahatma was very familiar and in which he found the confirmation of the deep thoughts of his heart:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" .

May these words, and other expressions in the sacred books of the great religious traditions present on the fruitful soil of India be a source of inspiration to all peoples, and to their leaders, Ã?n the search for justice among people and peace between all the nations of the world.

Mahatma Gandhi taught that if all men and women, whatever the differences between them, cling to the truth, with respect for the unique dignity of every human being, a new world order – a civilization of love – can be achieved. And today we hear him still pleading with the world: "Conquer hate by love, untruth by truth, violence by suffering" .

May God guide us and bless us as we strive to walk together, hand in hand, and build together a world of peace!

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1986/february/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19860201_raj-ghat_en.html

JUAN PABLO II

AUDIENCIA GENERAL

Miércoles 26 de febrero de 1986

1. También esta vez quiero dar gracias a la Divina Providencia por haber guiado los caminos de mi servicio pastoral en India. El viaje, o mejor, la peregrinaci�n, que tuvo lugar del 1 al 10 de este mes de febrero, fue una respuesta a las concordes invitaciones del Gobierno y del Episcopado. Agradezco cordialmente esta invitaci�n, as� como todo lo que se ha hecho para la preparaci�n de este servicio del Papa a India y para facilitar su desarrollo.

Deseo manifestar esta gratitud a las numerosas personas y a las amplias esferas de la sociedad que (prescindiendo de su pertenencia a una determinada confesi�n) me han demostrado mucha atenci�n y benevolencia durante los recorridos a lo largo de los caminos. Si se tiene en cuenta que los cat�licos en India son un pequeño porcentaje de aquella gigantesca sociedad (unos 12 millones y medio, 1'7 por ciento), esta circunstancia es muy significativa.

2. La peregrinaci�n papal ha sido un ir al encuentro del pasado hist�rico, grande y muy diferenciado, de India, que se remonta al tercer milenio antes de Cristo. Este pasado no es s�lo una historia en el sentido étnico, o una manifestaci�n de las diversas formas de sistemas socio-pol�ticos. Ante todo, es un gran patrimonio de valor espiritual, en el sentido religioso, moral y cultural. Para un cristiano el encuentro con este patrimonio cultural es importante sobre todo porque guarda relaci�n con el reconocimiento del primado del esp�ritu en la vida humana y de las exigencias de naturaleza moral.

Esta realidad cultural y moral ha quedado muy confirmada de nuevo en la historia moderna de India, particularmente por medio de la figura y la obra del Mahatma Gandhi, que está considerado como padre de la naci�n. El fue el jefe del movimiento por la independencia de India y estimul� a superar la sujeci�n colonial con el método de la lucha moral, sin recurrir a la violencia. El método de Gandhi fue la fidelidad a la verdad y —en el nombre de la verdad— el compromiso de proponer las justas exigencias respecto, tanto de la propia gente, como de las autoridades coloniales. Hay que añadir que Mahatma Gandhi se impon�a estas exigencias ante todo a s� mismo. Y aun cuando este método de conducta le procurara también enemigos —baste recordar que muri� asesinado por un extremista indio en los umbrales de la independencia—, sin embargo, el camino que mostr� merece un alto reconocimiento por motivos éticos. No resulta dif�cil notar que precisamente este camino en la lucha por la justicia demuestra un gran acercamiento a los fundamentales principios evangélicos. El Padre de la independencia de India indica el camino a todos los que —por los más nobles ideales— tratan de separar la lucha por la justicia de toda forma de odio.

3. El servicio papal vinculado al viaje a India ha tenido, en grado menor, el carácter de un diálogo institucional con las religiones profesadas por la mayor�a de los indios (hindúes, 83 por ciento, y musulmanes, 11 por ciento); este diálogo ha tenido lugar ante todo en el terreno de los principios y de los valores que son comunes, es decir, que unen al cristianismo y a la Iglesia con las religiones de India de manera espontánea, por decirlo as�.

No obstante, no han faltado los encuentros que tuvieron carácter de diálogo en el sentido más estricto de la palabra. Los recuerdo con simpat�a profunda.

El homenaje al monumento fúnebre del Mahatma Gandhi en el "Rag Ghat", la visita del Dalai Lama, el encuentro en el estadio "Indira Gandhi" con los representantes de la cultura y de las tradiciones religiosas indias: hindúes, musulmanes, sikh, budistas, jainistas, parsos y cristianos de las diversas confesiones.

En Calcuta el encuentro con los exponentes de las comunidades cristianas; y luego con los representantes de las diversas religiones y del mundo cultural y académico. Igualmente en Madrás.

En Coch�n visité al Catholic�s de la Iglesia malancar jacobita siro-ortodoxa, y en Kottayam me encontré con el Catholic�s de la Iglesia malancar siro-ortodoxa.

En Cochin tuve además un coloquio con los responsables de la "Church of South India" y con los exponentes no cristianos de Kerala. Finalmente, en Bombay tuve un encuentro con el Primado de la Iglesia anglicana, Doctor Robert Runcie.

As�, pues, la peregrinaci�n a India ha sido también una providencial ocasi�n para continuar el diálogo con todos los que creen en Dios y procuran orientar su vida en la perspectiva de la trascendencia. La búsqueda del Absoluto y el anhelo por la paz son muy evidentes en la espiritualidad de las diversas religiones que hay en India y están bien expresadas en el pensamiento y en las poes�as de muchas personalidades célebres.

Se ha tratado solamente de encuentros breves y fugaces, pero este diálogo se lleva adelante de manera constante y sistemática por los respectivos organismos del Episcopado indio.

4. Aunque el número de los cat�licos en India no sea grande (con relaci�n al número global de la poblaci�n), sin embargo, el Episcopado indio es uno de los más numerosos de la Iglesia. Cuenta con 122 obispos. Hay 18 provincias eclesiásticas, con 89 di�cesis sufragáneas. Esto se explica a causa del enorme territorio, con gran densidad de poblaci�n, donde están esparcidos cada uno de los grupos eclesiásticos, diversos también en número.

Como es sabido, los cat�licos en India están agrupados —desde el punto de vista eclesiástico— en tres comunidades: la Iglesia latina. la Iglesia oriental de rito siro-malabar, y la de rito siro-malancar.

5. Todos los cat�licos, mejor, todos los cristianos en India vinculan el comienzo de su Iglesia al per�odo apost�lico, y en particular a la misi�n de Santo Tomás. A él se remiten también las Iglesias ortodoxas en India. El lugar del martirio del Ap�stol está señalado en las cercan�as de Madrás. El nuevo impulso de la evangelizaci�n tuvo lugar después de todo un milenio, con la llegada a India de San Francisco Javier y de los nuevos misioneros en el siglo XVI. El punto central de esta evangelizaci�n se halla en Goa (donde se encuentran los restos de San Francisco Javier)

De este modo se explica la duplicidad del catolicismo en India: el rito oriental ligado a la evangelizaci�n más antigua, y el rito latino como fruto de la evangelizaci�n sucesiva (sobre todo desde el siglo XVI).

El problema ecuménico existe en India no s�lo con relaci�n a la ortodoxia oriental (Iglesia malancar jacobita e Iglesia malancar siro-ortodoxa), sino también con relaci�n a las comunidades que han surgido después de la reforma, las cuales aparecieron en los tiempos modernos (particularmente a ra�z de la presencia de los ingleses).

6. El programa de la visita de diez d�as se desarroll� a través de los principales núcleos locales de la Iglesia cat�lica en India.

Comenzando por Delhi (la capital del Estado, al Norte del pa�s, con un pequeño porcentaje de cat�licos, pero en esta oportunidad hubo también la participaci�n de las di�cesis cercanas), el camino de la peregrinaci�n se dirigi� a Oriente, hacia Calcuta, donde el porcentaje de los cat�licos es muy modesto. Sin embargo, al Oeste de Calcula, en Ranchi, hay una comunidad relativamente numerosa de la Iglesia; y al Norte de Calcuta se encuentra un amplio territorio cuyo centro está formado por la ciudad de Shillong. En ambos territorios se nota un regular y dinámico desarrollo de la Iglesia entre la poblaci�n ind�gena.

Desde aqu� el itinerario de la visita se dirigi� al Sur. Primero en el Sudeste lleg� a Madrás. Aqu�, en la Santa Misa, particip� una muchedumbre de quizá un mill�n de personas. Y en el Suroeste lleg� al Estado de Kerala, donde los cat�licos son un porcentaje relativamente mayor de los habitantes de esta regi�n con gran densidad de poblaci�n. En dicha regi�n se distingue más claramente aún la duplicidad de los ritos, prevaleciendo el oriental: siro-malabar y siro-malancar. La visita se hizo a través de los principales centros: Trichur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Trivandrum.

La visita en la regiÃ?n de Kerala estuvo precedida por el encuentro con los fieles en Goa y en Mangalore, al Sur de Goa.

Como última etapa qued� la ciudad de Bombay. Los encuentros principales tuvieron lugar en tres sitios: Vasai (la comunidad cristiana más antigua en la regi�n), luego la misma Bombay (con algunos encuentros centrales) y Puna, el centro los seminarios, noviciados y estudios para la regi�n Occidental de India.

7. Es difÃ?cil contar los detalles. En cada una de las etapas el punto central ha sido la EucaristÃ?a o (excepcionalmente) la liturgia de la Palabra de Dios con homilÃ?a.

Cada uno de los encuentros fue cuidadosamente preparado y contÃ? con participaciÃ?n muy numerosa. Algunos elementos de la cultura nativa india encontraron su puesto en la liturgia renovada.

Hay que constatar que la actividad apost�lica y social de la Iglesia en India es mucho más importante de lo que podr�a indicar la situaci�n numérica de la Iglesia misma. De ello dan testimonio una amplia red de escuelas cat�licas de diverso grado, de hospitales y de otros centros de servicio social, de los que hoy goza en su mayor�a la poblaci�n no cat�lica.

8. En India existe todav�a, por desgracia, el fen�meno muy amplio de la pobreza, e incluso de la miseria. Ciertamente éste es uno de los problemas más graves para el Gobierno y para todo el sistema democrático de India. Las iniciativas por parte de la Iglesia y de la comunidad cat�lica están limitadas a las posibilidades de esta porci�n, más bien modesta, de la Iglesia que está en India. Un acontecimiento de importancia particular, por encima de lo corriente, es la obra de madre Teresa en Calcuta y en otras varias localidades del pa�s. Madre Teresa llega no s�lo a los pobres, sino realmente a los más pobres entre los pobres, dando un testimonio que, con su elocuencia, repercute ampliamente en el mundo contemporáneo. Pero también otras instituciones eclesiales y religiosas son muy beneméritas por todo lo que hacen en favor de los pobres.

9. Quiero expresar mi gran alegrÃ?a por el servicio papal que he podido realizar con relaciÃ?n a la Iglesia en India. Una expresiÃ?n particular de este gozo ha sido la beatificaciÃ?n del Siervo de Dios Kuriakose Elias Chavara, fundador de la congregaciÃ?n de los Carmelitas de MarÃ?a Inmaculada, y la de Sor Alphonsa Muttathupantutu.

Además, la visita ha contribuido a reforzar los v�nculos colegiales con el Episcopado y los v�nculos de unidad de toda la Iglesia de India con la Sede de San Pedro. A esto han servido todos los encuentros, y en particular los mantenidos con el clero diocesano, con los religiosos y con los laicos comprometidos en el apostolado, y finalmente el maravilloso encuentro con la juventud en Bombay. Esta unidad, en medio de la multiplicidad y diversidad, es el camino por el que Cristo mismo, Buen Pastor, conduce a la Iglesia, sacramento universal de salvaci�n, arraigada desde los tiempos apost�licos en tierra india. Y Él no cesa de ser para todos Pr�ncipe del siglo futuro.

Saludos

Con particular afecto saludo a los peregrinos de lengua castellana, venidos de España y de América Latina. De modo especial me complace saludar a los distintos grupos de estudiantes llegados de Madrid, Barcelona y Lérida, as� como a los participantes en un curso de informática y a los peregrinos de Guatemala. Que vuestra visita a la tumba del Ap�stol Pedro os ayude a vivir y a dar testimonio siempre de la universalidad de la Iglesia de Cristo.

Os imparto de corazÃ?n mi BendiciÃ?n ApostÃ?lica.

© Copyright 1986 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/1986/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_19860226_sp.html

Polish Solidarity

ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE POLISH

SOLIDARNOSC (SOLIDARITY) UNION

Tuesday, 11 November 2003

I offer a cordial welcome to everyone present. I greet in particular President Lech Wa�esa, President of the Union. I greet Archbishop Tadeusz Gocłowski, episcopal representative responsible for pastoral ministry in the world of work. I am glad once again to offer hospitality at the Vatican to representatives of "Solidarnosc".

It is not the first time that we have met on 11 November, a special day for Poland. I remember that such an Audience also took place in 1996. I said then: "In the depths of my heart I bear your problems, aspirations, worries and joys, and the fatigue that goes with your work, and I commend them to God in my daily prayer" (11 November 1996, n. 1; L'Osservatore Romano English edition [ORE], 4 December 1996, p. 7).

Recalling the date of 11 November cannot fail to remind me of the national freedom the Republic of Poland regained that day after years of strife which cost our Nation so much deprivation and so many sacrifices. This external freedom was short lived, but we have always been able to appeal to it in the fight to preserve our inner, spiritual freedom. I know how dear this day was to all those who, in the Communist period, sought to oppose the systematic suppression of the freedom of human beings, the humiliation of their dignity and the denial of their fundamental rights. Later, that opposition gave birth to the movement that you, its artisans, are continuing. This movement was also linked to 11 November, to the freedom that found external political expression in 1918. It developed from the inner freedom of the individual citizens of the divided Republic of Poland and from the spiritual freedom of the whole Nation.

Although after the end of the Second World War and the Yalta Agreements this spiritual freedom was repressed, it survived and became the leaven of the peaceful transformations in our country, and later throughout Europe, which also occurred thanks to the "Solidarnosc" Union. I thank God for the year 1979. In that year the sense of unity for good and the common desire for prosperity of the oppressed Nation overcame hatred and the desire for revenge and became the seed of a democratic State. Yes, there were attempts to destroy this work. We all remember 13 December 1981. We managed to survive those trials. I thank God, for on 19 April 1989, I was able to say the following words:Mary, "I commend to your motherly care "Solidarnosc' which today, following the new legalization of 17 April, can resume its activity. I recommend to you the process connected with this event, which aims at moulding the life of the Nation according to the laws of the sovereign society. I pray to you, Our Lady of Jasna GÃ?ra, that in line with this process all may continue to show the indispensable courage, wisdom and deliberation to serve the common good" (ORE, 3 May 1989, p. 12).

I am recalling these events because they are particularly significant in our country's history. And it seems that they are being forgotten. The younger generations have not experienced them first-hand.

Consequently, one might well wonder whether they properly appreciate the freedom they possess if they are unaware of the price that was paid for it. "Solidarnosc" cannot neglect to pay attention to this history, both so near and yet so distant. We cannot abstain from remembering the post-war history of how our freedom was recovered. We must constantly refer to this heritage so that freedom will not degenerate into anarchy, but take the form of joint responsibility for Poland's future and that of every one of its citizens.

On 15 January 1981, I said to the representatives of "Solidarnosc": "I think, Ladies and Gentlemen, that you are fully aware of the duties that are in store for you.... These are duties of enormous importance. They are connected with the need for a full guarantee of the dignity and efficacy of human work, by means of respect for all the personal, family and social rights of every man, who is a subject of work. In this sense these duties have a fundamental significance for the life of the whole of society, of the entire Nation, for its common good. In fact, the common good of society is reduced, when all is said and done, to the question: who makes up society; who is every man; how does he live and work? Therefore, your autonomous activity has, and must always have, a clear reference to the whole of social morality. First of all, to the morality connected with the field of work, to relations between the worker and the employer" (Address to Delegation of Independent Polish Trade Unions, 15 January, 1981, n. 5; ORE, 9 February 1981, p. 21).

It seems that today this exhortation to guarantee the dignity and efficacy of human work has lost none of its importance. I know how these two aspects of work are threatened today. Alongside the development of the market economy, new problems are emerging that painfully affect the workers. I have spoken several times recently about the problem of unemployment that is acquiring dangerous proportions in many parts of Poland. Apparently, it seems that the trade unions do not exercise influence on it. However, we should ask ourselves whether they can influence the engagement of new employees - since they appear to be hired more and more frequently on a temporary basis - or the method of dismissal, as they are fired with total disregard for the fate of the individuals and their families. Yes, "Solidarnosc" is clearly more active in the large firms, especially those that are State-owned. Yet we might well ask if the trade union pays enough attention to the fate of employees in small private firms, supermarkets, schools, hospitals or other institutions subject to the market economy, whose manpower cannot compare with those working in the mines or steel plants. Your union must openly side with the workers whose employers deny them their right to speak or to oppose phenomena that violate their fundamental rights.

I know that in our country it can happen that workers do not receive their wages. A short time ago, referring to the letter which the Polish Bishops published on this topic, I said that blocking payment owed for work is a sin that cries to heaven for revenge. "To take away a neighbour's living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood" (Sir 34:22). This abuse is the cause of the tragic plight of many working people and their families. The Trade Union "Solidarnosc" cannot remain indifferent to this heartrending phenomenon.

Another problem is the treatment of workers solely as "manpower". It happens that employers in Poland deny their employees the right to rest, to medical assistance and even to maternity leave.

Isn't this a curtailment of the freedom that "Solidarnosc" fought for? Much still remains to be done here. This duty is not only incumbent on the State authorities and the juridical institutions, but also on "Solidarnosc", in which the working world has placed such great hopes. They cannot be disappointed.

In 1981, during the state of emergency, I said to the representatives of the Trade Union "Solidarnosc": "The activity of the trade unions does not have a political character; it must not be an instrument of the action of anyone, of any political party, in order to be able to concentrate, in an exclusive and fully autonomous way, on the great social good of human work and of working people" (ibid. 15 January 1981, n. 6). It seems that it was the politicization of the trade union - probably a historical necessity - that led to its weakening. As I wrote in the Encyclical Laborem Exercens, the State's authority is an indirect employer whose interests do not usually correspond to the employee's needs. It seems that "Solidarnosc", at a certain stage in history, on entering directly into the world of politics and assuming responsibility for governing the country, had no option but to give up defending the interests of workers in many economic and public sectors. May I say that today, if "Solidarnosc" truly desires to serve the Nation, it should return to its roots, to the ideals that illuminated it as a trade union. Power passes from hand to hand, and workers, farmers, teachers, health-care workers and all other workers, independently of the authority in power in the country, are expecting help with defending their rights. "Solidarnosc" cannot overlook this.

Your task is difficult and demanding. Every day, therefore, I keep all your efforts in my prayer. By defending workers' rights you are working for a just cause, so you can count on the Church's help. I believe that this action will be effective and will lead to an improvement in the future of working people in our country. With God's help, may you continue to carry out the work we began together so long ago. Take my greeting to the entire "Solidarnosc" syndicate.

Take my greeting to the world of work.

Take my greeting to your families.

God bless all of you!

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2003/november/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20031111_solidarnosc_en.html

MLK

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY

TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA

MEETING WITH THE BLACK CATHOLIC

COMMUNITY OF NEW ORLEANS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

"Lousiana Superdome" Stadium

Saturday, 12 September 1987

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

5. Even in this wealthy nation, committed by its Founding Fathers to the dignity and equality of all persons, the black community suffers a disproportionate share of economic deprivation. Far too many of your young people receive less than an equal opportunity for a quality education and for gainful employment. The Church must continue to join her efforts with the efforts of others who are working to correct all imbalances and disorders of a social nature. Indeed, the Church can never remain silent in the face of injustice, wherever it is clearly present.

In the most difficult hours of your struggle for civil rights amidst discrimination and oppression, God himself guided your steps along the way of peace. Before the witness of history the response of non-violence stands, in the memory of this nation, as a monument of honour to the black community of the United States. Today as we recall those who with Christian vision opted for non-violence as the only truly effective approach for ensuring and safeguarding human dignity, we cannot but think of the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, and of the providential role he played in contributing to the rightful human betterment of black Americans and therefore to the improvement of American society itself.

My dear brothers and sisters of the black community: it is the hour to give thanks to God for his liberating action in your history and in your lives. This liberating action is a sign and expression of Christ’s Paschal Mystery, which in every age is effective in helping God’s people to pass from bondage into their glorious vocation of full Christian freedom. And as you offer your prayer of thanksgiving, you must not fail to concern yourselves with the plight of your brothers and sisters in other places throughout the world. Black Americans must offer their own special solidarity of Christian love to all people who bear the heavy burden of oppression, whatever its physical or moral nature.

6. The Catholic Church has made a profound contribution to the lives of many members of the black community in this land through the gift of education received in Catholic schools. Because of the splendid commitment of dioceses and parishes, many of you here today have joined us at the Table of unity and faith as a result of the evangelization carried out in these institutions. Catholic schools have a special place in the work of spreading the Gospel of Christ. They are a great gift from God. Keep your Catholic schools strong and active. Their uncompromising Catholic identity and Catholic witness at every level must continue to enrich the black communities of this nation.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1987/september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870912_cattolici-new-orleans_en.html

DISCURSO DEL SANTO PADRE

AL CUERPO DIPLOMÃ?TICO

ACREDITADO ANTE LA SANTA SEDE

Viernes 12 de enero de 1979

Excelencias, señoras, señores:

Vuestro Decano se ha hecho intérprete de vuestros sentimientos y felicitaci�n de principio de año, de un modo que me ha impresionado hondamente. Os lo agradezco y agradezco a todos este testimonio alentador. Por mi parte, estad seguros de mis deseos cordiales para cada uno de vosotros, para todos los miembros de vuestras Embajadas, vuestras familias y los pa�ses que representáis. Formulo estos deseos ante Dios, y le pido que ilumine vuestro camino como el de los Magos del Evangelio, y os dé d�a a d�a la valent�a y satisfacciones que necesitáis para hacer frente a vuestros deberes. Le ruego que os bendiga, o sea, que os colme de bienes.

En esta circunstancia solemne, que reúne junto al Papa a todas las Misiones diplomáticas acreditadas ante la Santa Sede, es normal que a la felicitaci�n yo añada algunas consideraciones sobre vuestra noble funci�n y sobre el marco en que ésta se inserta: la Iglesia y el mundo.

1. Comenzaré mirando con vosotros al pasado más inmediato y reiterando la gratitud de la Sede Apost�lica por las muchas Delegaciones que honraron los funerales del Papa Pablo VI y del Papa Juan Pablo I, de santa memoria, y las ceremonias de inauguraci�n del pontificado de mi predecesor y m�o.

Tratemos de captar su significado. Esta participaci�n en los acontecimientos más importantes de la vida de la Iglesia, de los representantes de quienes tienen en la mano las responsabilidades pol�ticas, ¿no es acaso una manera de subrayar la presencia de la Iglesia en el mundo contemporáneo y, sobre todo, de re conocer la importancia de su misi�n -y especialmente de la misi�n de la Sede Apost�lica-, que siendo estrictamente religiosa, se inserta también en el marco de los principios de la moral, que le están unidos de modo indisoluble? Esto nos lleva a ese orden a que aspira tan ardientemente el mundo contemporáneo, un orden basado en la justicia y la paz; siguiendo las orientaciones del Concilio Vaticano II y de acuerdo con la tradici�n constante de la doctrina cristiana, la Iglesia se esfuerza por contribuir a él con los medios que están a su alcance.

El primado de lo espiritual

2. Naturalmente, estos medios son "medios pobres" que el mismo Cristo nos enseñ� a utilizar, y que son propios de la misi�n evangélica de la Iglesia. Sin embargo, en esta época de enorme progreso de los "medios ricos" de que disponen las estructuras pol�ticas, econ�micas y civiles actuales, estos medios propios de la Iglesia conservan todo su significado, siguen teniendo su finalidad propia e incluso adquieren nuevo esplendor. Los "medios pobres" están �ntimamente ligados al primado de lo espiritual. Son signos ciertos de la presencia del Esp�ritu en la historia de la humanidad. Muchos contemporáneos parece que muestran comprensi�n particular de esta escala de valores; baste evocar, citando s�lo a los no cat�licos, el mahatma Gandhi, el sr. Dag Hammarskjöld, el pastor Mart�n Luther King. Cristo sigue siendo la expresi�n más alta de esta pobreza de medios en la que se revela el primado del Esp�ritu: la plenitud de espiritualidad de que es capaz el hombre con la gracia de Dios y a la que está llamado.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1979/january/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19790112_corpo-diplom_sp.html