On 22 May 2024, a ceremony was held in the Sala Regia at the Vatican for the conferring of the Saint John Paul II Award, presided over on behalf of Pope Francis by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See. Among the participants were diplomats, high-ranking Vatican clergy, members of the Vatican John Paul II Foundation’s Administrative Board, members of the award’s Jury, journalists, and invited guests. Among them, a sizeable group was made up of Africans. This fact may not come as a surprise, as the first winner of the award was the John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre from Kampala, in Uganda. At the ceremony, the Centre was represented by Fr Leonard Olobo C.S.C.
The guests were welcomed by Father Pawel Ptasznik, President of the Vatican John Paul II Foundation. In turn, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski presented the genesis of the establishment of the award and its significance. He emphasised that, although the foundation was established in 1981 thanks to the cooperation of the Holy Father with his compatriots in exile, the awareness of its universal significance had been growing for over forty years. At the beginning of the foundation’s history, there were also people of other nationalities. Their number in the ranks of the foundation’s friends continued to grow.
After ten years of activity, a scholarship programme for young people from Central and Eastern European countries was established. The international character is linked to the foundation’s mission to spread the heritage of John Paul II throughout the world and to support various initiatives that serve this purpose. The decision to establish the ‘Premio San Giovanni Paolo II’ was born out of this awareness.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and at the same time head of the Jury of the Saint John Paul II Award, then took the floor. He presented the rationale for the selection of this year’s laureate.
He pointed out that the John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre in Kampala, Uganda, was honoured for spreading the social teachings of the Church and for creatively and practically developing the inspirations contained in the teachings of John Paul II, including the apostolic exhortation “Ecclesia in Africa” (1995).
The centre, founded in 2006 and run by seven religious congregations, is an example of ‘organic pastoral solidarity’ – stated Cardinal Koch – in which each community, supported by the professionalism of lay workers and the dedication of volunteers, contributes to the defence of human dignity.
On Uganda’s north-eastern border, a war has been going on for years. Waves of refugees are pouring in from Southern Sudan. This situation raises the danger of an expansion of the conflict or the exploitation of people, especially the young and children. Child trafficking and new forms of slavery, to which the poor and vulnerable fall victim, are spreading. The Centre’s staff are active in the Bidibidi refugee camp and, above all, in the capital Kampala. They undertake initiatives in the areas of prevention, dissemination of information and implement practical projects to provide concrete assistance. Guided by the motto ‘faith doing justice’, the Centre’s work shows that peace must be built on a foundation of respect for human life, moral truth and social justice.
Following this speech, Father Leonarod Olobo was presented with a stele of the award depicting the two hands of God and Adam, alluding to Michelangelo’s fresco from the Sistine Chapel, and a commemorative diploma. Father Olobo, on behalf of the authorities and staff of the Centre, stressed that they accept this award with deep humility and that it is a commitment to continue promoting the legacy of Saint John Paul II in the field of social justice.
At the beginning of his address, Cardinal Pietro Parolin recalled that John Paul II’s desire for the Church in Africa was that the proclamation of the Gospel should be accompanied by the building of a solid foundation for peace. This should be done through the witness of solidarity and commitment to justice. The Pope saw this as an opportunity to ‘open horizons of hope’ in a continent afflicted by poverty, famine and war conflicts.
The speaker pointed out that John Paul II made an important contribution to the development of the Church’s social teaching. He gave the teaching on social issues seen from the perspective of faith a stronger personalistic and moral profile. Without a proper vision of man and ethical principles, it is impossible to create the common good, peace or to build the ‘civilisation of love’ taught by St Paul VI and St John Paul II.
The Cardinal also recalled that a significant part of John Paul II’s pilgrimages to Africa took place between 1989 and 1995, i.e. between the announcement of the Special Synod of Bishops for Africa and the publication of the exhortation “Ecclesia in Africa”. Thus, through numerous meetings, the bonds of ecclesial communion were strengthened so that the Church’s mission would be fruitful. This fact is instructive for the ongoing synod of the Church on synodality, which also wishes to intensify the mission of evangelisation through the participation of the faithful in the communion of the Church.
The Secretary of State of the Holy See also recalled that one of the last acts of John Paul II’s pontificate was to announce the convening of a second Special Synod of Bishops for Africa. After his death, the task was taken up by Benedict XVI. The results of this gathering were presented in the apostolic exhortation “Africae munus” (2011). During his pontificate, Pope Francis has been drawing attention – as Cardinal Praolin has also said – to the periphery of the world and to the need for Catholics to be involved in solving social problems. The activities of the John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre in Kampala serve to promote Catholic social teaching, thus responding to the vital needs of the Church and the country. At the end of his speech, the Cardinal congratulated the laureate and wished the authorities and members of the foundation and the Jury of the award that its next editions would be distinguished by that perspicacity and prophetism with which St John Paul II saw the Church and her mission in the modern world.
In conclusion, it should be emphasised that the first edition of the Saint John Paul II Award was an opportunity to recall the concern of this Pope for the development of the Church in Africa. It drew attention to the daily activities of a small group of people guided by the conviction that one cannot live by the memory of the past history of the pontificate, but must draw creatively on its heritage. It is worth drawing on the wisdom of the Church, which from its scrabble of teaching and experience ‘brings out things new and old’ (Mt 13:52), in order to spread the Gospel of salvation and to contribute to building justice and peace in the world.
Rev. Andrzej Dobrzyński
Fot. Grzegorz Galązka
