THE CROSS LASTS ALTHOUGH THE WORLD IS CHANGING

LIDIA DUDKIEWICZ, The Editor-in chief of ‘Niedziela’

Recently, every day, via media, we receive cruel scenes of bloodshed of Christ’s followers. People lose their lives for one reason – because they are Christians. They are escaping massively from the offensive of the Islamists. It concerns even 70 countries of the world and in 50 of them persecutions are bloodshed. Recently we hear a lot about Iraq where executions are on a big scale. Christians are crucified, buried alive and beheaded.

It is not known what fate the Old Continent is going to face. Many mercenaries from Europe join militants of the Islamic Country and participate in bloody pogroms of Christians. And what will happen when they return from Europe? – priests from the Papal Association Help to the Church in Need are wondering, giving up-to-date information with fear, concerning the offensive of the Islamic Country.

Christ’s followers are killed by enemies of Christianity in the Near East, Africa or in South America, and we also receive information about the fight with the cross in various countries of Europe and without the participation of Islamic jihadists. These are exploits of representatives of the so-called modern societies.

Even in Catholic Poland acts of the cross profanation have been registered. It is given to information by journalists of ‘Niedziela’ in relation to the Feast of Exaltation on 14 September. They remind how in 2011 there was even a situation when the European Tribunal of Human Rights had to decide about the issue of hanging the cross in Italian schools. We remember that on the occasion of this issue there appeared worrying tendencies concerning Polish authorities. For, they are not in the group of governments of membership countries of the European Council defending the cross. Another paradox, which appeared then is that in Strasburg the cross was not defended by a Catholic from Europe, but an American constitutionalist of Jewish origin. He also noted that in the project of the Constitutional Treaty Christianity was not mentioned as a factor forming Europe. Fathers of Europe would not surely recognize the Old Continent which they set on Christian roots. What has happened with the Europeans?

In relation to the attempts of removing the cross from the public opinion undertaken in the recent years, it is worth listening to the words which John Paul II addressed to us on 6 June 1997 at Wielka Krokwia in Zakopanem: ‘We thank to the Divine Providence for the fact that the cross has returned to schools and hospitals. Let it be there! Let it remind us about our Christian dignity and national identity, about the fact who we are and where we are going to and where our roots are’. I also remind about a sentence which the Polish Pope quoted on 9 June 1979 in Kraków-Nowa Huta: ‘The cross lasts, although the world is changing’.

AA

„Niedziela” 37/2014

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl