Jacek Czaputowicz took to Twitter as Catholics in Poland and elsewhere marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II, who was the third longest-serving pontiff in history and was declared a saint in 2014.
Czaputowicz said in a video posted on Twitter that the Polish-born pope was “a tireless pilgrim who reached out with the Good News to people living in the most remote parts of the globe.”
John Paul II “was a great apostle of peace, calling on everyone to engage in dialogue and build a civilisation of love,” Czaputowicz added.
Thanks to the late pope, a "bloodless revolution swept Poland" when the country overthrew communism in 1989, and “Central and Eastern Europe set out on its march towards freedom,” Czaputowicz said.
He also said that "the Holy Father taught us empathy for our neighbours and readiness to help people who are most in need.”
The "universal heritage" of the Polish pope "does not age with time,” Czaputowicz also said. “It is a source of great wisdom for future generations.”
“We, the compatriots of Saint John Paul II, are rightly proud of the fact that his historic pontificate forever changed Poland, the Church, and the world," he concluded.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, in a message posted on Monday, hailed John Paul II as a “pope of freedom and solidarity” and one of the most important figures of the 20th century.
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Source: IAR