The 3rd day of the Pope’s pilgrimage: Be witnesses of mercy

A passionate call upon Poles to show mercy to neighbours was the most significant event of the third day of the Pope’s pilgrimage to his Homeland.

John Paul II encouraged the faithful to imitate the four new Blesseds who laid down their lives in the service to the most needy. The 2.2 million crowd gathered for Holy Mass at Błonia Krakowskie beamed with enthusiasm. The largest religious gathering in the history of Poland said good-bye to the Pope with the words of the famous “Barka” song. Visiting places so close to his heart, the Pope prayed in the Wawel Cathedral, made a stop at the church he used to work as curator and prayed at the tomb of his parents. In the evening he ate dinner with the friends of olden days and, faithful to his promise from the day before, greeted young people from the window of the Palace of the Archbishops of Cracow.
Show mercy! As early as Saturday evening groups of pilgrims started to gather on the site of the Sunday celebration at Błonia Krakowskie. Nearly 2.5 million people greeted the Pope with great enthusiasm. Cries such as “Welcome home! We love you!” lasted for a good many minutes. After the proclamation of the beatification formula by the Holy Father, portraits of the new Beati were unveiled. These were Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński, Fr. Jan Balicki, Fr. Jan Beyzym, and Sr. Sancja Szymkowiak. Relics of the newly beatified persons were carried to the altar in a solemn procession. “God, in showing us mercy, calls upon us to become witnesses to mercy in today’s world”, said the Pope in the homily. He showed the four new Blesseds as telling examples of implementing mercy on a daily basis. In passionate words the Holy Father made an appeal to Poles for performing works of mercy every day. He referred to those who are especially in need of a helpful hand: the poor, the jobless, and those afflicted with addictions. He also spoke about the trials and tribulations of the contemporary world pointing to the fact that God becomes the “great unknown” of contemporary culture. With great concern he spoke about inadmissible interference of man into human life, among others about genetic experiments and euthanasia.
*“Barka”*
After the Pope’s final blessing, enthusiasm of the two-million congregation came into play again. The Pope entered into an intimate dialogue with the youth. He recalled, among others the Light and Life movement and its founder, Fr. Blachnicki. After the cries “Stay with us!” the Pope said jokingly, “That’s nice, they want me to desert Rome”. In this manner, in a light-hearted way, the Pontiff responded to the rumours spread before his pilgrimage that he would step down and remain in Poland. When it appeared that the meeting was almost over, the faithful sang the song known in Polish as “Barka”, with the lyrics “When the Lord stood on the shore”. The Pope gestured for a microphone once again. He admitted then, “this ‘Oasis’ song accompanied me when I was leaving Homeland 23 years ago. I had it my ears when I heard the sentence of the conclave”. The Pope stressed then that the song has been throughout the years “a breath of the Homeland, of sorts”. The Pope left the place of the solemn celebration to the singing of the “Barka” song, applause and cheers. The Popemobile left the Błonia Krakowskie and headed for the city’s main square where cheering crowds were waiting, too.
*Places close to the Pope’s heart*
After lunch with the Polish Episcopate and a moment of rest, John Paul II visited a number of places especially closely tied with the Pontiff. First, he prayed in the Wawel Cathedral for nearly 40 minutes. Seated in front of the tomb of St. Stanislaus, the Pope prayed from the breviary in complete silence. Then, on a special platform, he circled the church, stopping at the Black Crucifix before which St. Jadwiga was praying. On leaving the cathedral the Pope posed for photographs with student priests of Cracow seminaries. A stop at St. Florian’s church was another item on the Pope’s agenda. Here the Pope was curator as a young priest. The evidently moved Pontiff enumerated a few names of priests who worked with him at that time. He also asked the faithful to pray for him now and after his death. Then the Pope left for the tomb of the Pope’s parents at the Rakowicki Cemetery. Seated in the Popemobile, the Holy Father lit a grave candle which was later placed on the tombstone. For a few moments the Pope prayed in silence. He came back to his residence greeted enthusiastically by the crowds that lined the streets of the city. At the yard of the Cracow Curia he greeted the organisers of the pilgrimage to Homeland. Then he went to dinner, for which he had invited his old friends. He did not let down the youth gathered in front of the Curia and greeted them in a few words from the window of the residence. “Unfortunately this is a farewell meeting”, said the Pope and invited the faithful for tomorrow’s Mass in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

*Mercy: a Key Message of the Pontificate*
Assessment of the Pope’s pilgrimage made by the spokesman of the Holy See and by the Metropolitan of Cracow was also a significant feature of today. According to Joaquin Navarro Valls, John Paul II has taken advantage of his trip to Poland to proclaim one of the most vital messages of his pontificate, not only for Poland and Europe, but also for the entire world. This universal message may be the beginning of a new cultural anthropology and may provide inspiration for the entire world, not only for Catholics, believed Navarro Valls. He added that this message will no doubt become a pastoral programme for the Church. The Holy See spokesman was seconded by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski. In the latter’s judgement, the pilgrimage proves false the implications of the media that as an elderly person, the Pope will basically make a memory trip, meet old friends and see the places he has not seen in a long time. Since John Paul II decided to come to Poland because he knew exactly what he was going to say. First of all, “There is God”; second of all, “God is merciful”. Both these sentences should be spoken without a pause for breath, because mercy is one of the most important attributes of God. The world will face perdition if it does not accept it.