Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki

I expect that the pilgrimage of Benedict XVI will result in a spiritual renewal, which of necessity has to take place in the Church on an ongoing basis. This renewal is necessary for us to face all that is at variance with the Gospel in today’s world. I strongly hope that everything that John Paul II managed to achieve during his pontificate, especially during his pilgrimages to Poland, will be enhanced and strengthened now.

Benedict XVI’s visit to the former German concentration camp in Auschwitz will be a major event of the pilgrimage. This will give us a chance to reflect on the human condition without God, to ponder over what happens to man when he rejects God, when he usurps God’s place, and what ramifications of such actions are for the lives of others.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki – Metropolitan of Poznań and Vice Chairman of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate

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