Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz: Welcome Address, Wadowice

“HERE, IN THIS TOWN, EVERYTHING STARTED.”

Holy Father,

these are words of Your Predecessor, John Paul II.

Here, on 18 May 1920, a story began, a story that has lasted up to now.

This story has a name and a face.

It is a story of Karol Wojtyła.

Today your visit to the hometown of the Servant of God John Paul II

has become part of this story.

Thank you for the wonderful gift of your presence in Wadowice and in Poland.

We welcome you as cordially as we always welcomed the great inhabitant of Wadowice.

We welcome in you the Pastor of the Catholic Church.

Your presence strengthens our faith.

It strengthens our sense of belonging to the community of the people of God.

It strengthens us on our way to the house of the Father.

We repeat your words, Holy Father, and say:

“We can be sure that our beloved Pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us” (8 May 2005).

We also ask you for your blessing,

so that everything that has started in the life of each of us could be fulfilled in the splendor of God's love.

//ter