Cardinal Wojtyła's account of the meeting with Paul VI - discussion of the possibility of Paul VI's visit to Poland

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EN
Identification:
Reference code: AAW SPP/II/22/55
Title: Cardinal Wojtyła's account of the meeting with Paul VI - discussion of the possibility of Paul VI's visit to Poland
Date: 1969
Size and medium: 11,0 MB; MP3
Creator's name: Archidiecezja Warszawska
Repository: Archiwum Archidiecezjalne Warszawskie
Content:
Audio recording of an excerpt from the account of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła delivered at the Polish Bishops' Conference. The event took place in Cracow on 4-5 May 1969.
Cardinal Wojtyła reports on his stay in Rome and his meeting with Paul VI and Archbishop Casaroli; the talks concerned prospects of the Holy Father's visit to Poland, which was hampered by political circumstances; Paul VI shows good knowledge of Polish affairs.
The original recording was saved on an analogue cassette tape.
FILMED AT:
Jasna Góra
RECORDING DURATION:
00:08:02
AUTHOR:
b.d.
Summary:
Cardinal Karol Wojtyła reports on conversations with Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Agostino Casaroli, the Vatican diplomat responsible for relations between the Holy See and communist countries. In the talks, Cardinal Wojtyla conveyed the desire of Polish bishops and believers for Paul VI to come to Poland. The conversation concerned the conditions that the Communist authorities in Poland were imposing in that respect: Paul VI would go to Wrocław during his visit to Poland. This gesture would show that the Pope recognises the Polish affiliation of lands granted to Poland at the expense of Germany after World War II by the decision of the three powers at the Conferences at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. In 1969 the post-war borders had not yet been recognised by Germany. The Pope expressed the opinion that, under such conditions, his arrival in Poland would be part of a political game, which he did not want to accept. The 'Czech case', i.e. the intervention of the communist bloc countries in Czechoslovakia in 1968 to suppress liberal reforms in that country, was also mentioned as a circumstance unfavourable to the pilgrimage to Poland. Archbishop Casaroli also mentioned an attempt to organise Paul VI's trip to Poland in 1966 to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Poland's baptism, which had been blocked by the communist authorities. In his talks with Wojtyła, Paul VI showed great knowledge of Polish affairs.