Cardinal Dziwisz reveals secret of widespread devotion to John Paul II

Vatican City, Mar 15, 2007 / 06:30 am

In the wake of the recent announcement of the April 2nd presentation of the diocesan phase of John Paul II’s cause for beatification, the late Pope’s former secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, revealed that in his judgment, the secret of the widespread devotion to him is the love he showed for man and for the infinite, as well as his love for the people.

“How can we explain these lines that form every day before the tomb of John Paul II.  These people are not coming to visit a dead person, they are going to meet the Pope, to reflect more deeply on the message he left us, to take something of him,” the Cardinal said on Vatican Radio.

“If I could use one word: the secret of all of this is love, love that does not cease with death.  This love has remained here.  The love of the Pope for man: in man he always saw God; and love for the infinite.  At the same time the love of the people for the Pope has also remained, especially the love of young people, whom he always loved.  It’s a mystery, that’s how our faith is,” Cardinal Dziwisz said.

Asked if the spiritual dimension of John Paul II could be “the strongest character of his personality,” Cardinal Dziwisz responded, “Certainly.  His great strength, and especially when his physical strength began to fail him, was his spiritual strength, a strength that came from his union with God. During his entire life he sought out God and had the great privilege of discovering in his life the value of prayer.  I think that young people are looking for God, and they have found in him what mankind today is searching for, because he was full of God.”

“Today still we hear the cry that was made during his funeral: ‘Santo Subito’ (make him a saint soon),” the Cardinal noted.  “The people do not want to forget him and they want to have him even closer, honored on the altar.  This is truly a phenomenon that is clearly seen and does not cease.”

The current Archbishop of Krakow also recalled the heroic way in which John Paul II faced the suffering of his final years.  “I was with him.  He dedicated himself, he offered himself totally to others.  But Providence had foreseen this Cross, which the Pope carried in an edifying way,” he said in conclusion.