On 4 November, in the auditorium of the St. Stanislaus Church in Rome, a presentation was held on the collection of Karol Wojtyła’s texts entitled Rinnovamento della Chiesa e del mondo. Riflessioni sul Vaticano II: 1962-1965. The Lateran University Press published the book. Gilfredo Marengo and Andrzej Dobrzyński prepared the book as a fruit of the cooperation between the Centre for Studies and Research “Second Vatican Council” (the Pontifical Lateran University) and the Centre for Documentation and Research of the Pontificate of John Paul II, which is a part of the John Paul II Foundation.
Professor Philippe Chenaux from the Lateran University gave a presentation stressing that a proper understanding of Vatican II requires grasping the cognition of the experience of its direct participants. Therefore, these recently published statements, sermons and pastoral letters of Wojtyła, have essential meaning.
Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and of the John Paul II Foundation, said that he studied the Council through the testimonies of Archbishop Wojtyła, who had argued that it was an event concerning all the faithful. From the published texts of the Archbishop of Krakow, three main themes emerge, the mystery of the Church, its mission in the contemporary world and the truth about man. The speaker pointed out that the Council had taught the truths of the faith, revealing their importance to human life. He also briefly described the main ways the Council was implemented during the pontificate of John Paul II. These involved the renewal of ecclesiastical law, the creation of a catechism for the whole Church, the development of synodal activity and the preparation for the Jubilee of the Year 2000. The cardinal noted that John Paul II had been the pope who “had come out of the Council” and that John Paul II had no other pastoral program than the implementation of Vatican II into the life of the Church.
Professor Rita Tolomeo from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” indicated that the texts included here were very important for understanding the Council’s attitude toward communism. For some bishops of the West, communism was seen exclusively as a problem of modern atheism while the ideology and politics, supporting a totalitarian system were not being properly addressed. The speaker noted that Wojtyła had often used the term “dialogue” to stress the need for a broader engagement with the challenges presented by communism while stressing that communism had a wrong approach to man and his freedom. Wojtyła’s “Krakow Project” may have served as an alternative schema for the document of the Church in the modern world. It recognized the matter of religious freedom as the most important issue. In the end, the Council made use of a different schema; but the issue of religious freedom in the contemporary Church’s mission was one of the leading themes of the pontificate of John Paul II.
Professor Gilfredo Marengo stated that the published collection of writings confirmed that Wojtyła was primarily a shepherd. In his approach to pastoring, the Council received his full attention, but it did not create any problematic issues. “The Council for him was not a source of problems” – said the speaker, explaining that there was a convergence between Wojtyła’s personal relationship with Christ and his pastoral ministry. This book shows that the late pope had before the eyes of his heart the fundamental issue of bringing the redemption of Christ to the whole world. He lived and breathed it. This allowed him to retain independence from secondary issues related to the Council, and to focus on the saving message, which can and should be drawn from the doctrine of the Vatican II.
The released book is a valuable addition to Wojtyła’s monograph Sources of Renewal: The Implementation of Vatican II already available in English, and other languages, Italian, French etc. The current collection also reveals the involvement of the Bishop and the faithful in the study and implementation of the Council in Poland, which may constitute a valuable source of information for all people.