- Title: Pope moves Polish anti-communist cardinal closer to sainthood
- Date: 3rd October 2019
- Summary: VATICAN CITY (OCTOBER 3, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE IN VATICAN POLISH CARDINAL KAZIMIERZ NYCZ STANDING WAITING FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH CARDINAL, KAZIMIERZ NYCZ, SAYING: "Just a few moments ago, this was declared to the whole world by the Vatican, there is great joy, and we have the beatification that we will be preparing for, we'll say that this has been recognised by the Holy Father and we would like to sincerely thank him for that, and also those who worked for quite a few years on this beatification, and in this way we enter the nearest phase in which we'll prepare for the day when he will be officially declared Saint Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski." NYCZ TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH CARDINAL, KAZIMIERZ NYCZ, SAYING: "For the entire duration of the interwar years, this pain was present and was uniquely useful to him when he was called upon to lead the church in Poland after the war, during the time of communism, he was able to muster great courage and prudence. And I'd like to emphasise this, this courage which at certain moments in his life decidedly said "non possumus" (Latin for 'we cannot', meaning we must obey the Catholic faith) and meant ending up in jail. When it came to this prudence, when it came to the good of the people, even non-religious people, one had to talk and maintain dialogue, he maintained this dialogue in a cautious manner for 33 years as the archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw." NYCZ TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH CARDINAL, KAZIMIERZ NYCZ, SAYING: "I think that we, nowadays, can learn a lot, especially when we are tempted to label others, engage in divisiveness, label people as either good or bad, we are really good at doing this. We should pay attention to what he said when he was surrounded by people who were not kind to him, who were his persecutors, who jailed him, and he did not wish them ill or say negative things about them." PEOPLE WALKING IN SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH CARDINAL, KAZIMIERZ NYCZ, SAYING: "And today, right after publication, in the Vatican Secretariat of State, I submitted a letter and a request to the Pope for the confirmation of a day and place for beatification. It's not a secret that I requested for it to be in Pilsudski Square in Warsaw, where 38 years ago there was a great funeral for him, and where 40 years ago, during the first pilgrimage to Poland by Pope John Paul II, Wyszynski welcomed the pope. So the symbolic meaning of this place is undeniable and we would like for it to be there. And I think the date as well, it was the 31st of May when the funeral was held, he died on the 28th, so we hope that the beatification will be at around these dates and I asked this of the Holy Father."
- Embargoed: 17th October 2019 12:35
- Keywords: Pope Francis Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski communism in Poland Polish Catholic Church
- Location: VATICAN CITY / ROME, ITALY
- City: VATICAN CITY / ROME, ITALY
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZJMURD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Pope Francis has recognised a miracle attributed to the late Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, a revered icon of his country's resistance to communism, a step that moves him closer to sainthood.
A Vatican statement on Thursday (October 3) said the pope had approved a decree recognising a miracle attributed to Wyszynski, who died in 1981 and was very close to Pope John Paul II, also a Pole.
It did not give any details of the miracle.
Wyszynski spent three years in prison or under house arrest in the early 1950s during repression of religion by communist governments.
Approval of the miracle means Wyszynski will be beatified. The Vatican did not give the date of the beatification ceremony. Such ceremonies are usually held in the Vatican.
However Polish Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz told journalists he had sent a letter to the Pope requesting that the ceremony take place in Warsaw.
(Production: Gabriele Pileri, Anya Dabrowska, Dominik Starosz, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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