Yesterday evening we saw the film “Karol: A Man Who Became Pope” from 2005 in the Parish House. It was a film night organised by the local Student Parish. I didn’t have high expectations of the film, I only sat there because I helped organising the whole thing, not because I think that a film about Karol Wojtyila would be interesting. But I have to say that I had to revise that idea completely after watching. I never thought I would leave the Parish House inspired like I did!
I was so sucked into it that I totally forgot where I was, I felt I was part of the story. The quality of the story telling is that good. The story starts in 1939 wen the Germans occupy Poland, we see how this historical event influenced the then 19 year old Karol. He witnessed all the suffering, horror, and oppression from close by, he saw how people were transported to concentration camps, he even lost some close Jewish friends during the Holocaust. It’s not hard to imagine this must have had a deep impact on the late pope’s personality. And one would hope life would get better after the Germans left in 1944. It didn’t.
After the German oppression, there was the Communist oppression, in which life didn’t get much better. Sure there was no physical oppression, no physical suffering, but people still weren’t free, the secret police was everywhere. Karol also witnessed the harsh reality of living under Communist reign from very close: it was almost impossible to be a seminarian for the Catholic Church during the Nazi occupation, it was totally impossible during the Communist oppression. He managed to be ordained a priest, becoming a bishop, archbishop, cardinal for the Roman Catholic Church under a regime that hates the Church and doesn’t shy away to spy upon it’s clergy. Phones were tapped, Confessionals were bugged to listen if Catholic priests would instigate opposition to the government. They were looking for anything clergy did or said to be able to arrest them. This were the circumstances the late pope lived in from 1939 until 1978, so for almost FORTY years. I think it’s heroic if you see how he has dealt with that.
I knew a lot of historians give credit to John Paul II and not the presidents Reagan and Gorbatsjov for the fall of Communism in the Eastern part of Europe and I always thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. But after seeing this film and checking some facts, getting to know a bit of the personality of the late pope, I can see where they are coming from. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a hand in it as well, a big one. Pope John Paul II had all reasons in the world to hate everything totalitarian. He looked the Evil Force straight in the eye and refused to give in to fear. If you realise how he cooperated with God to combat the Evil one, only then you realise how great this man has been: he always preached peaceful demonstrations, condemned using any means of violence and never stopped talking about Jesus’ love for mankind. And with that, not with guns and cannons, Communism fell. It’s a lot like the early days of Christianity: Jesus was preaching the Kingdom of God and demanded his disciples to be peaceful and refrained from any means of violence against the Roman oppression. Look at Rome now: it’s called the Eternal City, home of the Holy See, heart of the Church. No wonder that the process for canonisation already started now, that they didn’t wait for the five years. I really believe our late Pope is in heaven praying for us, especially for those who have to endure totalitarian regimes. I totally wouldn’t mind if they would declare him a Saint tomorrow.
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