Attorney Maciej Bednarkiewicz has passed away into eternity. On 11 November, after 76 years of life and many weeks of severe illness, the death finished his earthly pilgrimage. On 17 November, his funeral took place. The funeral mass was held in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Warszawa. The liturgy was presided by Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz gave the homily. The deceased was buried at the Powązki Cemetery.
The death of attorney Maciej Bednarkiewicz, for people connected with the John Paul II Foundation, is an irreparable loss. Since the early 90’s he was a member of the Administrative Council and a legal representative of the Foundation in Poland, supervising – together with his wife, Ewa Bednarkiewicz – the Foundation’s scholarship program for young people from Central and Eastern Europe, studying at the Catholic University of Lublin John Paul II. He also had a keen interest in the activities of the Center for Documentation and Research of the Pontificate in Rome. I allow myself to stress and remind it because the matter of preservation and dissemination of the heritage of the Holy Father was dear to his heart.
During each his stay in the Polish House on Via Cassia, I talked with him about this. He still alluded to John Paul II, who had wanted documents of the Center, especially library documentation, to be a help in in-depth theological, philosophical and historical studies. Maciej Bednarkiewicz was convinced that the Center of the Pontificate should stay in the Eternal City, continuing the cooperation with the academic community of Rome, but also maintaining ties with institutions in the homeland. He believed that in the future it would be useful to the Center – being an integral part of the Foundation – to have own legal personality, giving greater opportunities to develop scientific and academic activities.
Before I met personally Maciej Bednarkiewicz in January 2008, I had heard about him, because he was a well-known defender of people persecuted by the communist regime and an activist of the Solidarity opposition. For me, talking with him on social, political and legal issues, was always enriching and often opened new horizons. However there was something else in his person what captivated me and what I would also like to express in this memory.
Maciej Bednarkiewicz was a man of deep prayer. After the Mass he stayed a long while immersed in prayer. I guessed that from this intimacy with God he drew the strength, wisdom and patience for the whole day. A high level of personal culture was another his feature that I especially remember. It was manifested in various ways, including tact and courtesy and an attitude of concern for his wife or respect for women. It was evident that the chivalrous lifestyle was in his blood. I was uplifted by his example. I am grateful to him for this, as well as for the ongoing interest in the activity of the Center of the Pontificate and its future.
Dear Mr. Attorney, it was not meant to be, just not so! When it comes to the Center of the Pontificate, we had at least two things to do… We prayed for a miracle, but it did not occur. It remains for us to believe that the place, where you are staying now, is wonderful and you feel good there! There are no diseases and suffering, there are no human harms and fighting, because God’s justice, strangely united with mercy, brings peace, which human justice cannot give. Recommend the Foundation to God and to the intercession of St. John Paul II and support us in our pilgrimage.
Fr. Andrzej Dobrzyński