It can be said without fear and or exaggeration that John Paul II – Karol Wojtyła is one of the people who has exerted the greatest – direct or indirect – influence in the lives of Spain and Spaniards for the last forty years. The particular charism of John Paul II attracted many people, beginning with his first appearance in the Loggia of the Blessings in St. Peter’s Basilica. “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ” – these memorable words will be forever engraved in the memory of many Spaniards for the rest of their lives. Certainly not all of them welcomed the election of John Paul II. There were some critical voices that the pope wanted to turn the Church into an era before the Second Vatican Council. There were people who did not like his doctrinal and moral unambiguity, or that he had fought for years against Marxism – the inviolable “holiness” of so many Western intellectuals in the 1960s – peacefully using the arms of mind and diplomacy. For many, the pope seemed to be the counterpart of Catholicism, which attracts people by engaging them in social affairs and fidelity to the doctrine. His popularity was determined not only by his significant presence as a popular author in Spanish bookstores for many years, but also by the countless works published about him.
Until his appointment as the successor of St. Peter, in October 1978, the person and work of Karol Wojtyła, professor of the Catholic University of Lublin, priest, bishop and cardinal of Krakow, was known only in certain circles of the Spanish clergy. His only publication on the Iberian Peninsula before that date was Love and Responsibility. Translation of this book appeared in 1969 and was prepared by the publishing house Razón y Fe on the basis of French edition developed under the direction of Henri de Lubac. After his papal election, the charism and originality of his thought attracted the attention of many people, including thinkers. Among them was a Spanish philosopher Julián Marías who devoted several articles to the pope.
Shortly after John Paul II sat on the Chair of St. Peter, several of his books were published: Sign of Contradiction, containing spiritual retreats given to Paul VI and the Roman Curia, and other small collections of his speeches as archbishop and cardinal of Krakow. At a later date Spanish editions of his major works appeared: Faith According to Saint John of the Cross, The Acting Person, Max Scheler’s Ethics, all of them published by Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos.
From a media perspective, a long pilgrimage in 1982, during which the pope visited a number of Spanish cities, became a mass phenomenon, mobilizing a large proportion of Catholics. Few remained indifferent. In the pastoral vision, the papal visit to Spain was a catalyst that gave impetus to the new evangelization.
Regardless of the pope’s ability to make contact with individuals and groups of people, the attention of Spanish intellectuals was most closely concentrated on the originality and freshness of John Paul II’s thinking, reflected in his first encyclical, Redemptor hominis, and in the cycle of catechesis for the family synod which later became known as Theology of the Body. This led to the reading of texts from his academic period in the existing translations in French, Italian or English, and then to translations into Spanish. At the same time, scholarly papers on Karol Wojtyła, as a philosopher, and on John Paul II were written. One of the first was entitled Persona, acción y libertad en Karol Wojtyla. It was created under the direction of the philosopher Leonardo Polo and was defended in 1994 by Marie J. Franquet of the University of Navarra. A significant contribution to the academic study of the pope’s thought was the establishment of The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Madrid and Valencia. The Spanish Association of Personalism, with its founder and president, Juan Manuel Burgos, played a significant role in spreading his thoughts. Members of the group often publish studies on John Paul II in the magazine “Quien”, and the association also organized a congress devoted to Karol Wojtyła at the Complutense University.
To pursue academic and detailed study on the papal legacy, it is necessary to publish the Spanish edition of Karol Wojtyła’s writings, translated directly from Polish, especially his most emblematic works. On the basis of this idea, the publishing house Plaza y Jánes published Love and Responsibility, directly translated from the original language. In turn, translations of The Acting Person and The Lublin Lectures were published by the publishing house Palabra.
Pope John Paul II – Karol Wojtyła remains an inspirational personage in Spain. Dissertations, scholarly papers, monographs and studies on him are still written.
Although this short article is primarily concerned with the academic interest in the work of John Paul II – Karol Wojtyła, one cannot overlook the spiritual aspect which continues to attract attention in Spain. The cult of his person – first private, and public since his beatification – is developing in many parts of the country. The religious worship of John Paul II finds its reflection in temples, streets and various buildings named after him, and in monuments and chapels devoted to him. At the root of these activities, there is the personal devotion of many Spaniards from all over the country.
Rafael Mora Martín
Professor of the Institute of Religious Studies “San Pablo” in Alicante; he lectures on philosophical ethics and translates the works of Karol Wojtyła from Polish into Spanish.