Pope speaks of mission to uphold Christianity in East

Press, 5 June 1979, Page 8

Pope speaks of mission to uphold Christianity in East

.NZPA-Reuter ' „ Czestochowa, Poland Pope John Paul 11, at the end of a hectic first 48 hours in Communist Poland, took time off yesterday to join a large crowd of delighted young Poles, singing and telling stories at a folk session in the historic town of iGniezno.

i The 59-year-old Polish Pontiff, who will today fly by helicopter to the ancient monastery of Czestochowa, one of the country's most revered religious shrines, deviated from his official programme and stayed on at the folk meeting for almost two hours.

I He cancelled his final of the day, a visit to Gniezo seminary, ! after travelling in triumph i though the medieval city, birthplace of Polish Christianity.

In a speech outside Gniezo iCathedral the Pontiff, suggesting he was elected to jlead the world’s Roman iCatholics to uphold ChrisIrianity in East Europe, also I made a pointed reference to i freedom of speech and the Iplight of the faithful in Czechoslovakia. | “It would be sad to believe that each Pole and Slav in any part of the world is unable to hear the words of the Pope, this Slav,” he said. “We are living in a time of declared freedom and exchange of information.” he

[added in what appeared to I be a criticism of the Polish Government’s refusal to grant the church a greater access to the media. “In another departure from his text, the Pontiff referred to a banner held in the crowd in front of the cathedral which read “Remember, Father, about your Czech children.” “It is good that I see this before my eyes,” he said, adding that he could not forget “these children.” Roman Catholics and other Christians face considerable difficulties in Czechoslovakia —far greater than those confronting the church in Poland. The Pope identified himself with the Christian communities in all Eastern Europe and said that perhaps he had been elected so that the Polish, Slav, and other related languages could be heard. Speaking again later in the day, the Pope reminded an audience of young people of a statement by the nineteenth century Polish poet, Adam Mickiewicz, “a civ-

ilisation truly worthy of man must be a Christian civilisation.” 'Today (N.Z. time) he will visit Czestochowa’s shrine of the Black Madonna, which has become a symbol of resistance to official atheism in predominantly Roman Catholic Poland.

Pope John Paul, the first Pontiff to visit a communist country, will stay in this southern Polish town for three days. His demanding schedule has so far been accompanied by scorching in hot weather. The streets of Czestochowa are lined with yellow and 'white papal flags, national flags, and also many blue flags in honour of the Virgin Mary. Soon after arriving, the Pope will celebrate Mass at the Jasno Gora (Mountain of Light) monastery, which looks out over a landscape of factories and a huge steel complex in the valley below. The police have blocked off all streets leading to the centre of the town —after the huge colourful crowds

that thronged to greet him in Gniezno.

There is much speculation on whether the Pope will continue to touch on the sensitive political line he has broached in several speeches during the first two days of his nine-day visit.

Soviet television viewers have got their first glimpse of the Pope’s visit to Poland, but the 30 seconds of film was coupled with a warning that some church figures were trying to use his trip for “anti-state purposes.” The warning was the first comment by the Kremlin of the Pope’s return to his native land, and the critical tone suggested worries in Moscow about its possible effect?. The Pope’s journey has up to now been reported in the briefest terms of the official Tass news agency, which gave his arrival and meeting with Polish leaders just two sentences.