By Karol Bachura
Polish Ambassador
This year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyła – St. John Paul II, and August 26 is the 110th anniversary of the birth of Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu – known to the world as Mother Teresa of Calcutta. August 26 is also the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Queen of Poland, worshiped for centuries at the sanctuary of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa – the center of pilgrimages for Catholics in Poland.
On the occasion of these symbolically intertwined dates this year, as well as despite the global struggle with the SARS-COV2 pandemic, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana unveiled today – thanks to the kindness of the authorities of the Catholic University of Tirana “Nostra Signiora Del Buon Consiglio” a bust of St. John Paul II, sculpted by the outstanding Albanian sculptor, Master Mumtaz Dhrami, to whom on this occasion I had the honor to present the “Gloria Artis” medal granted to him by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. Master Dhrami has so far made ten works devoted to outstanding Poles: St. John Paul II, the late President Lech Kaczyński, prof. Stanisław Zuber and former Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki.
The inscription on the monument’s pedestal reads: “Non abbiate paura / Do not fear”. These are the words written in the first homily of the Holy Father, beginning the pontificate of John Paul II, on October 22, 1978. They became the leitmotiv of the teaching and all activities of the Pope and – I am convinced – will bring hope to the future patients of the hospital and give wings of aspirations to students of the university.
The activities of John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, also known as the “Mother of the Poor” due to their commitment to the poor, homeless, sick and dying, and these words placed on the base of the bust of Saint John Paul II remind us, not only in the era of a pandemic, that we are talking not about an abstract human being but real, concrete, historical man.
At the center of St. John Paul II activities there has always been a fight for human dignity in all its aspects. It is from them, as from a trunk of a tree with the continent’s Christian roots, that new branches grew: dialogue, solidarity, freedom and truth, justice and love. In the present day of the coronavirus, widespread fear and loss of values, the fight for human dignity and preserving humanity in every situation are omnipresent. That is why I chose these words: Non abbitate paura, because you must not give in to fear, you must not accept what is, remembering these words, which are a call to constant conversion, to read the truth about the world, especially the truth about yourself and the truth about Love for thy Neighbor.
John Paul II, in an interview in 1994, published in a book entitled “To Cross the Threshold of Hope” stated: “We must read the call ‘Do not be afraid!’ in a very broad sense. In a way it was a call to all people, a call to overcome fear in the global situation of the modern world, both in the East and in the West, in the North and in the South. Do not be afraid of what you have created yourself, do not be afraid of the world of all these human creations, which are increasingly becoming a threat to man! Finally, do not be afraid of yourselves! ”
Thanking all those who stand on the frontline of fighting the virus: doctors, nurses, all medical staff, policemen and soldiers, employees of municipal services, I strongly appeal for the observance of epidemiological recommendations, social distancing and the obligation to wear masks – if not for oneself, then in the name of respect for others.
I also thank the authorities of the Catholic University, especially His Magnificence, Rector Professor Bruno Giardina and the chairman of the college council and the Nostra Signiora Del Buon Consiglio Foundation, Father Daniele Bertoldi, for making the university gates available for the bust of St. John Paul II – the plans for the ceremony were grand but the pandemic revised them into more modest but equally dignified. Pope John Paul II, still as Bishop Karol Wojtyła, always felt best among a group of young people. I am convinced that the Catholic University is a place he would like.
While preparing for the celebration, I found a beautiful quote. John Paul II said that, after the Polish nation, he loved the Albanian nation the most out of two reasons: because the Albanians suffered so unjustly for such a long time, and because they gave the world Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
On the 110th birthday of St. Mother Teresa, let me quote the words of her prayer:
Dearest Jesus, allow me today and every day to see You in the sick and to serve You when I care for them.
Make me recognize You in inconspicuous disguise, in those irritable, demanding and imprudent, praying: Jesus, how sweet it is to serve You.
Lord, give me faith, then my work will not bore me. In it I will find joy and willingly, patiently endure the moods and wishes of all suffering.
Let me recognize the dignity of my vocation and the responsibility that comes from it. Do not allow me to diminish them by indifference, rudeness or impatience.
Patient Jesus, be understanding for my mistakes. Just look at my resolution that I want to love You and serve You by serving the sick.
Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and my work now and always. Amen./argumentum.al
