The social teaching of Primate Wyszyński

Józef Majka

The social teaching of Primate

Wyszyński

Collectanea Theologica 53/Fasciculus specialis, 79-94

JÓZEF MAJKA, WROCŁAW

THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF PRIMATE WYSZYŃSKI

Such an e x te n siv e th em e w ould re q u ire a w h o le v o lu m e or e v e n som e of them . It is in so far risk y to u n d e rta k e its p re s e n ­ tatio n , as th e re is th e d a n g e r of lim iting it o n ly to a nu m b er of com m onplaces th a t b rin g n o th in g new , a p a rt th in g s a lre a d y k no w n to e v e ry b o d y . T he ta sk m ay seem e a sie r, b u t it is on th e c o n tra ry ; b y th e fact th a t th e su b je c t has b y no m ean s b een un to u ch ed . It had b een ta k e n into c o n sid e ra tio n from v ario u s po ints of v iew by su c h e x p e rts of so cial problem s and of th a t su b je c t as: E. J a r r a 1, C. S trzeszew sk i2, J. O zdow ski3, Z. F o rtu n ia k 4 an d o thers. T he a u th o r of th e se c o n sid e ratio n s m u st a n sw er th e q u estio n , w h e th e r his task is to add o n ly so m eth in g to th e ab o v e m en tio n ed stu dies, or sh o u ld he aim at a sy n th e sis of th e w h o le of th e P olish P rim a te 's tea c h in g — from th e v e ry b eg in n in g of his first p u b lic a tio n s of a y o u n g p riest, to th e last sta te m e n ts, for w hich our p re s e n t si­ tu a tio n , ex istin g sin ce A u g u st 1980, c re a te s a special, social background.

The sp ecial occasio n an d th e co n te x t of th e ju b ilee of this stu d y sp e ak s for th e seco n d so lu tio n , a lth o u g h th e q u estio n , w h e th e r it is po ssib le to m ak e a b rief sy n th e sis of su ch a ric h lite ra ry o utp ut, cau ses tru e an x iety . T he a u th o r h ad n o t o n ly to go th ro u g h a g re a t m an y pu b lish ed tex ts, re g is te re d u su a lly in p rin te d b ib liog rap h ic

1 E, J a r r a , K a rd yn a ł W y s z y ń s k i , P rym as-socjolo g (Cardinal W yszyń sk i, Prim ate-sociologist), London (w.d.).

2 C. S t r z e s z e w s k i , W k ł a d Stefana K ardynała W y s z y ń s k i e g o , Prym asa

Polski, w k a to lic k ą nau kę społeczną (Contribution of Stefan Cardinal W yszyń sk i

Primate of Poland to the catholic so cia l doctrine), Z eszyty N aukow e KUL 14 (1971) v. 3, p. 75—-97; i d e m , N aród i p a ń stw o w nauczaniu s p o ł e c z n y m K s ię ­

dza Prymasa Steiana K ardynała W y s z y ń s k i e g o (N ation and State in the social

teaching of Primate Stefan Cardinal W yszyń sk i), C hrześcijanin w S w iecie 8 (1976) no 44/6, p. 31— 44.

3 J. O z d o w s k i , P o d s ta w y moralne ż y c i a gosp o d a r czeg o w ś w ie t le ,,K a­

zań św ię t o k r z y s k ic h " Steiana K ardynała W y s z y ń s k i e g o (The moral principles of

econom ic life as seen by Stefan Cardinal W y szy ń sk i in his „Kazania św ię to ­ krzyskie"), C hrześcijanin w S w iecie 8 (1976) no 44/6, p. 45—51.

4 Z. F o r t u n i a k , Chrześcijańska k o n c e p c ja p r a c y w nauczaniu Księ dza

K ardynała Stefana W y s z y ń s k i e g o (Christian con cep tion of labour in the teaching

of Cardinal Stefan W yszyń sk i), in: B. B e j z e (ed.), W kie runku człowieka, W arszaw a 1971, p. 85—103.

lists5, b ut also th ro u g h p iles of a u th o rize d ty p esc rip ts, c a re fu lly re ty p e d d u rin g th e p e rio d s w h e n th e e d itio n of th e P rim a te 's tex ts w as im possible. H e co n sid e red it also n e c e ssa ry to ta k e in to acco u n t a ll do cu m en ts an d te x ts th a t w e re th e re su lt of th e P rim ate's p o si­ tiv e in sp iratio n s an d action s. A ll th o se elem ents ta k e n to g e th e r a n d re a d in th e c o n te x t of th e P rim a te 's p e rso n a lity an d action s c a n g iv e a c e rta in p ic tu re of his teach in g .

T h e accom p lishm en t of th is co m plicated ta s k is fac ilita te d by th e fact th a t th e a u th o r h a d th e p o ssib ility to listen to th e le c tu re s of th e form er Bishop of L ublin at th e F a c u lty of L aw an d of Socio- Econom ic Sciences of th e C ath o lic U n iw e rsity of Lublin th ro u g h o u t a w h o le y e a r. T hen, d a y by day , he could stu d y an d w a tc h th e s ta ­ tem en ts an d activ itie s of th e P rim ate of P o land from a fu rth e r or s h o rte r p e rsp e c tiv e , th u s le a rn in g from him th e a rt of social thinking.

T he te s t of a sy n th e sis w h ich th e a u th o r trie s to p re s e n t to th e re a d e r in a s h o rt digest, is of c o u rse n o t final. H e w ou ld be sa tis ­ fied if it could be c o n sid e red as an in tro d u c to ry one. A full a n a ly ­ sis and a p ro p e r e v a lu a tio n w ould re q u ire a d ifferent p e rsp e c tiv e an d a v e ry d e ta ile d an d e la b o ra te re s e a rc h w ith th e use of a full ra n g e of m o d ern m ethods, b eg in n in g w ith th e fu n ctio n al an aly sis of th e lan g u ag e, th e n th ro u g h th e q u a lita tiv e and q u a n tita tiv e a n a ­ lysis of th e co n tents, to th e v e ry d isc e rn in g s tru c tu ra l analy sis. Such re s e a rc h w o rk can b rin g out q u ite n ew elem en ts of his lite ­ r a r y ou tpu t, w hich, e v e n after a th ro u g h o b se rv a tio n of his d e ­ velo p m en t, can, e v e n to d ay , rem a in un no ticed .

E ven th e w ay of sy stem atizin g th e problem s p ro v id e s m an y difficulties. T he fo rm u latio n of th e th em e as it is w o uld dem and a s e a rc h for a d o c trin al sy n th esis, th a t is for th e sy ste m atiz a tio n of his view s, but, th e P olish P rim ate w as n o t a m ere cab in et sch o­ lar, but from th e v e ry b eg in in g of his p riesth o o d , h e h ad b een first of all a p a s to ra l an d so cial w o rk er. A p u re ly th e o re tic a l sy ste m a ­ tiz a tio n w ou ld cau se th e loss, both, of th e so cial c o n tex t, in w hich his v iew s h ad b een form ed an d his d o c trin e d ev elo ped , and of th e d y nam ics of his teach in g . H is m ain fe a tu re s are: th e c la rity of his p rin c ip le s and his faith fu ln ess in e v e ry d e ta il — on th e on e h a n d .·— a n d his e x tra o rd in a ry to p ic a lity an d am azing co n c re te n e ss, th a t h o w e v e r allow s to d isco v er in e a ch case th e ex istin g rela tio n b e tw e en th e c o n c re te ru les an d th e fu n d am en tal p rin c ip le s of th e system , o n th e other.

5 W . P a d a с z, Bibliografia prac Ks. K ardynała Steiana W y s z y ń s k i e g o za

lata 1958— 1970 (Bibliography of Cardinal Stefan W y szy ń sk i for the tim e 1958—

1970), N asza Przeszłość 35 (1971) p. 7— 46; also T. A n d r u s i к i e w i с z, Bi­

bliografia prac Ks. Kard. S. W y s z y ń s k i e g o w y d r u k o w a n y c h w latach 1970— 1976

(Bibliography of w rittings of Card. S. W y szy ń sk i published b etw een 1970 and 1976), „C hrześcijanin w Sw iecie" 9 (1977) no 49/1, p. 89— 111.

It m ak es th e a u th o r u se a c e rta in p rag m atism in th e w a y of p re s e n ta tio n th e re su lts of his co n sid eratio n s. H e w ill tr y to show th e e v o lu tio n of th e prob lem s, y e t w ith o u t g iv ing up a c e rta in s y ­ stem atizatio n , w h ich m ight b e th e ta s k of ap p ro ach.

1. From th e W o rk am ong W o rk e rs to T h eo lo g y of W o rk T he first y e a rs of his p rie sth o o d b ro u g h t th e P rim a te into a di­ re c t c o n ta c t w ith th e class of w o rk e rs u n d e r th e c ircu m stan ces of c rista liz a tio n of th e w o rk e r's co nscio u sn ess an d of th e g ro w in g con ­ flicts an d of socio-econom ic ten sio n s, w h ich cam e to lig h t in a sp e ­ cial w a y at W ło cław ek . T h e y w e re a t th e sam e tim e an a tte m p t of c o n fro n tatio n of ru le s a n d of th e C h ristia n social th o u g h t, being re p re s e n te d am ong o th ers b y th e d ev elo p in g , bu t w ith o u t g re a te r tra d itio n s in o u r co u n try , C h ristia n T ra d e U nions, w ith th e ideas and so cio-p o litical actio n s of so cialistic or com m unistic in sp i­ ra tio n .

In th a t p e rio d P rim ate W y szy h sk i's c o lla b o ra tio n w ith th e ChTU has first of all an id eo lo g ical c h a ra c te r; th e po in t is to p re ­ p a re conscio us a n d w ell a q u a in te d w ith th e C h ristian so cial th o u g h t u n io n w o rk e rs. It is b ein g d o ne b y th e C h ristia n W o rk e rs ' U ni­ v e rsity , at w h ich P rim ate W y szy ń sk i le c tu re s on th e C ath o lic so ­ cial an d econom ic eth ics as w ell as on th e h isto ry and on th e m eth o d s of actio n of th e u n io n m ovem en t.

A t th e sam e tim e it g ives th e P ro fe sso r him self a b e tte r access to th e w o rk e rs ' e n v iro n m e n t an d a b e tte r k n o w le d g e of th e e x te n ­ siv e pro b lem s of social, econom ic an d p sy ch o lo g ical con ditio ns of th e w o rk e rs' class w o rk an d life. H e is n o t less, b u t p e rh a p s e v e n m o re in te re s te d in th e pro b lem s of w o rk , of its m ea n in g fo r th e p e rso n a l d e v e lo p m en t an d for th e so cial p o sitio n of m an, its influ en ce of th e p h y sic a l an d m en ta l h e a lth of th e w o rk e r, etc. It is also c o n n e cte d w ith th e th e n — in th e tim e of g ro w ing e c o n o ­ m ic crisis — v e ry u p -to -d a te p ro b lem of u n em plo ym ent; W y sz y ń ­ ski d e v o te s to it a sp ecial s tu d y 6 an d also a n u m b er of v a rio u s p ress in fo rm atio n an d in te rv en tio n s.

A n e x p re ssio n of his m ain in te re s t in th e p ro b le m of w o rk is th e th em e of his q u alify in g for a ssista n t-p ro fesso rsh ip th esis:

T ie M oral M ilieu of F acto ry W o rk . T h e fo rm u latio n of th e th em e

itself sp e ak s for a c e rta in em pirical, so cio logical a ttitu d e of the

6 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Przemian y moraln o-r eligijne po d w p ł y w e m bezrobocia (The m oral and religiou s changies in the situation of unem ploym ent), W ło cła ­ w ek 1937; i d e m , A k c j a k a to l i k ó w pols kich dla oiiar k r y z y s u g o spodar czego (The action of p olish catholics for the victim s of econom ic depression), A teneum K apłańskie 28 (1931) p. 378—385; i d e m , K ościół i m iło sie rdzie w o b e c k lę ski

bezrobocia (Church and charities tow ards the calam ity of unem ploym ent), A te­

neum K apłańskie 28 (1931) p. 137 fi.

a u th o r to th e problem . It w o u ld be th e n one of th e first stud ies on socio logy of m o rality ; th e th em e itself po in ts to th e fact, th a t th e a u th o r is of th e op in io n th a t one sh o u ld an d ca n n o t sp e ak abo ut w o rk and its h u m an istic an d m o ra l v a lu e w ith o u th a th o ro u g h kn o w le d g e of th e c o n c re te co nd itio n s of w ork. Besides, it seem s th a t th e su b je c t h as n e v e r left th e P o lish P rim ate. H e is c o n sta n tly refe rin g to it in his n u m ero u s sp eech es and con feren ces, w hich sh ow his d eep an d w ide v iew at th e p ro b lem of w ork; from th e c o n c re te fact of its d a ily b u rd en , th ro u g h th e jo y of c re a tio n and co o p e ra tio n w ith God an d th e sh ap in g of o n e's ow n p e rso n a lity in th e p ro cess of w ork , e v e n to th e p re se n ta tio n of its econom ic, social and s u p e rn a tu ra l v alu es. It is a m a tu re m an y -sid ed p h ilo ­ so p hy an d th eo lo g y of h u m an w ork.

His p re -w a r e x p re rie n c e s, re s e a rc h e s an d c o n sid e ratio n s co n ­ c e rn in g w o rk h a v e re a c h e d th e ir full m a tu rity d u rin g th e G erm an occupation , w h e n h e w ro te, d o u b tle ssly th e m ost b eau tifu l and d e e p est in th e w o rld 's lite ra tu re , bo o k on h u m an w o rk 7. N o w o n ­ d er, th a t it w as tra n s la te d in to m an y lan g u ag es. O n th e o th er hand, it b ecam e also obvious, th a t th e tra n sla tio n s h a d follow ed th e d e ­ v elo p m en t of e a rth ly re a lity th eo lo g ies in th e W est, b ec au se th e book o u tp aces so far th e th eo lo g y of w o rk th a t it could be h a rd ly a ccep ted m u ch earlier.

It is n o t e a sy to sum m arize th e book. It does n ot seem n e ­ cessary ; one sh ou ld n ot o n ly re a d it b u t th in k it over. O ne can a tte m p t to g iv e a sh o rt c h a ra c te ristic s of it, or t r y to find o ut th e m ost e sse n tia l an d m ost d e e p en ed co n ten ts. G reat love to m an w ho is loved b y God com es out of it. In su ch a co n cep tio n w o rk is not on ly a c o o p e ra tio n w ith G od and m en, n o t o n ly m an 's n eed and his so cial d u ty , n ot a m ere p ro d u ctio n of econom ic goods an d sp i­ ritu a l v a lu e s eith e r, n o t o n ly self-form ation of m an, ach ie v e m e n t of p e rso n a l m a tu rity , g ro w th and p re s e rv a tio n of v irtu e s w hich m a tu rity re q u ire s an d p resu p p o ses; w o rk is h ere, first of all ,,love to th e C re a to r of all th in g s", b y m ean s of w h ich m an becom es G od’s friend; o b tain s a b e tte r k n o w led g e of God, and its to il is not o n ly ,,a p a rtic ip a tio n in th e w o rk of creatio n , b u t also in th e w o rk of o u r red em p tio n " — ju st b ec au se it is love, as „w ork w itho ut lo ve can n o t red e e m th e sins of m an". A nd th a n k s to it th a t it is love, „it is p ra y e r an d a so u rc e of d eep jo y , as w ell".

N o so cialist h a d e v e r su n g su ch a hy m n in h o n o u r of w ork, no one w as ab le to h a v e su c h a d eep u n d e rsta n d in g of it, b ut n o n e of th em k n e w eq u a lly w ell its to il and p a rtic u la rly its d a n g e rs co n ­ n e c te d w ith it, b e c a u se n o -o n e k n e w e q u a lly c le a rly as h e did,

7 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Duch p r a c y lu dz kiej. M y ś li o w arto ś ci pracy (The spirit of human labour. M editations about the valu e of labour), Poznań 1957 (first edition W ło cła w ek 1946).

th a t w o rk is n o t a n aim in itself, b u t th a t its aim is m an lo v ed by- God, re d e e m e d b y H im an d d ire c te d to w a rd s H im in his ex isten ce. T his is w h y th e P rim ate of P o lan d so firm ly d efen ds th e m an of w o rk and his rig h ts an d w h y h e alw a y s stre sse s th e fact th a t w o rk sh o u ld be a m eans of lib e ra tio n an d p erfectio n , a n d n o t a m eans of s la v e ry an d p ressu re.

In th e e n tire te a c h in g of th e P rim a te of P oland a g re a t stre ss is p u t on th e p ro b lem of w o rk , b u t alw ay s, e v e n th en , w h e n th e re is th e q u e stio n of th e v e ry c o n c re te pro blem s, th e y a re p re se n te d in th e d iv in e and h u m an p e rsp e c tiv e , w h ich g ives to w o rk a sp ecial dignity. It is n e v e r c o n sid e red in a b s tra c t w ay , n o r from th e point of p u re ly econom ic o r e v e n so cial effects only, b u t first of all, it is discu ssed in th e p e rsp e c tiv e of m an, e v e n of th e c o n c re te m an w o rk in g in d efin ite co n d ition s, b ein g p e rfe c te d b y w o rk or d e g ra d e d b y its circu m stan ces. W o rk is and sh o u ld b e a m ean s of m an 's san ctificatio n , an d o n ly th en , a m ean s of so cial an d econom ic d e ­ v e lo p m e n t8.

2. The system of the Catholic Social Doctrine and Its Popularization

T he w id e p e rsp e c tiv e , in w h ich th e P rim ate of P olan d sees and p re se n ts th e p ro b lem of w o rk , h a s its basis in th e g e n e ra l id ea of th e C ath o lic so cial d o c trin e an d in th e C h ristia n c o n cep tio n of m an, on th e o n e h and , an d in its socio-econom ic, p o litic a l an d d o c trin al co n tex t, on th e o th er. T h a t g e n e ra l o u tlin e of th e C ath o lic social d o c trin e, — n o t as an iso lated so cial science, b u t as a n in te g ra l p a rt of th e C ath o lic d o c trin e, — w as th e aim of F a th e r W y szy sk i's re s e a rc h w o rk e v e n b e fo re th e w a r9, w h e n h e b e g a n to g iv e le c tu re s on so cial scien ces in th e P rie sts' S em in ary at W ło cław ek , g ra d u a lly w id en in g th e ir scope. A t th e sam e tim e h e te n d s to w a rd s th e ir in te g ra tio n w ith o th e r th eo lo g ical-an d -p h ilo so p h ical lec tu re s w ith in th e sc h ed u le of th e o lo g ic a l stu d ies; on th e o th e r h a n d h e aim s at th eir co n n e ctio n w ith th e o lo g y an d w ith p a s to ra l p ractice. T h e ­ re fo re h e th ie d to in tro d u c e his se m in a rian s in to th e w o rk e rs ' m ilieu ta k in g som e of th em to his le c tu re s a t th e C h ristia n W o rk e rs ' U ni­ v e rsity .

A t th a t tim e a lre a d y h e p re p a re s th e p ro g ra m m e of le c tu re s on so cal scien ces for th e p rie s ts ' sem in aries an d h e trie s to

po-8 S. W y s z y ń s k i , U św ięcen ie p ra c y z a w o d o w e j (The con secration of profesional w ork), Paris 1963; i d e m , N a w ie d ze n ie d ie c e z ji ro b o tn ik ó w (Our Lady's im age v isits the d io cese of w orkers), W iadom ości D iecezji Łódzkiej 1975, no 5—6, p. 101— 107; i d e m , P rym at c z ło w ie k a w ła d z ie sp o łe c zn y m (The pri­ mary of man in so cia l order), London 1976.

9 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Z a sięg i ch a ra k ter za in tereso w a ń k a to lic k ie j nauki

p u larize it b y m ean s of th e U nion of T h eo lo g ical In stitu tes, w h ose s e c re ta ry h e is. T h e id ea of p o p u larizin g th e C atho lic so cial do ctrin e, first am ong th e c le rg y an d th e n am ong th e m asses of peo p le, gives him no re s t from th e v e ry b eginning. H e w o rk s it out, as can be seen , in do u b le w a y s: b y th e fo rm atio n of th e c le rg y and b y sp e a k ­ in g in public, — n o t o n ly a t th a t tim e b u t th ro u g h his w h o le life, — d ire c tly to th e m en of w ork.

L ectu res on th e C ath o lic so cial d o c trin e at th e D e p artm en t of Law an d Socio-Econom ic Sciences of th e C ath o lic U n iv e rsity of Lublin m ak e a s e p a ra te ch ap ter. T h e sc rip t of th e s e le c tu re s 10 c o n ta in s th e h isto ry of th e C ath o lic so cial d o c trin e, b u t e v e n th e c o n cep tio n of th e su b je c t itself p o in ts to an e n tire ly in te g ra l u n d e r­ s ta n d in g of th a t discipline. T h e re is n o tra c e of th e r a th e r com m on in th e in te rw a r p e rio d tre a tm e n t of th e p ro b lem as th e so-called ,,social q u e stio n " s ta rtin g its h isto ry in th e b eg in n in g of th e n i­ n e te e n th c e n tu ry . O n th e c o n tra ry , th e A u th o r tra c e s its b eg inn in gs in th e O ld T e sta m en t an d w a tc h es its d e v e lo p m en t in th e h isto ry of th e C h u rc h as a w hole. T h a t m ean s an d it is obvious, th a t th e C ath o lic so cial d o c trin e is n o t tre a te d as an in te rv e n tio n d o c trin e th a t d ev e lo p e d as a re s u lt of ten sio n s a n d social conflicts in th e p eriod of capitalism , b u t as th e in te g ra l p a rt of th e d o c trin e of C h u rch , w h o se b asis is m ad e of th eo lo g ical, p h ilo so p h ical and m o ral elem en ts, an d w h ich d ev elo p s an d e v o lv es a g a in st th e b a c k g ro u n d of th e ch a n in g socio-econom ic, po litical an d ideo lo g ical re a lity . T h e se ch ang es re q u ire a d efin itio n an d e v a lu a tio n in th e ligh t of u n c h a n g in g p rin c ip le s of th e C h u rc h 's d o c trin e c o n c ern in g m an and h is re la tio n to God an d to th e w orld.

Such d ire c tio n h a v e ta k e n , — in sp ired b y th e P o lish P rim ate, — ela b o ra tio n s of th e sy lla b u s of le c tu re s on so cial scien ces in th e P o lish th e o lo g ic a l d ep a rtm e n ts. T h e y h a d b e e n w o rk e d o ut w ith in th e Social S ectio n of th e T h eo lo g ical In stitu te s in P o land u n d e r th e d ire c tio n of th e P rim ate, a c o rd in g to his in stru ctio n s: e a c h tim e th e y h a v e b e e n a n a ly se d an d ap p ro v e d b y h im . T h e y co n ta in ed th e th e o lo g ic a l an d p h ilo so p h ical p ro b lem s c o n cern in g th e c o n ­ ce p tio n of m an an d th e so ciety , as w ell as som e elem en ts of so ­ cio lo g y an d econom ics, b u t its b o d y a re th e prob lem s on social, econom ic and p o litic a l ethics. A ll th e s e a re bein g m ad e in th e c o n te x t of c u rre n t social ch an g es an d in th e c o n fro n tatio n w ith m o d ern so cio -po litical ideologies, chiefly w ith lib eralism a n d so ­ cialism in th e ir v a rio u s sh a d es an d tre n d s,

T h a t co n c ep tio n h a d b e e n affirm ed b y th e fu rth e r d e v elo p m en t of so cial te a c h in g of th e C h u rch , an d p a rtic u la rly b y th e e n cy clical le tte rs of P o p e J o h n X X III an d b y th e C o n stitu tio n on th e C h u rc h in th e M o d ern W o rld of V a tic a n II. Its e v e n fu lle r d e v elo p m en t

is in th e P rim a te 's te a c h in g of th e la s t tw e n ty -fiv e y e a rs; th e re the social pro blem s a re so s tric tly u n ite d w ith th e o lo g y an d so m erg ed in to o ne h o m og eneo u s sy ste m of th e C h u rc h 's tea c h in g th at it c o n stitu te s a n in te g ra l w h o le w ith it. H e re ag a in w e can and sh o u ld sp e a k ab o u t a c e rta in o u t-d ista n c in g som e m o d ern th e o ­ logies w ith a d je c tiv e s, e sp e c ia lly th e so-called p o litic a l th eo lo g y , w hich c a n n o t find its p lac e in th e u n c h a n g in g p rin c ip le s of th e p h ilo so p h ical-an d -th eo lo g ical sy ste m of C h ristia n d o c trin e, so it e sca p e s to foreign, a n d o ften e v e n to c o n tra d ic to ry to th e C h ri­ stia n tea c h in g , id eo log ical im plications of M arxism .

This p a ss-o v e r from th e c o n c re te of life to th e o lo g ic a l and m o ral p rin c ip le s of th e C h u rch, w h ic h W e ste rn th eo lo g ia n s find so difficult — an d in th e o p p o site d ire c tio n — from p rin c ip le s to th e c o n c re te , h a d b e e n o v erco m e in an e a sy and infallib le w ay. E v ery b o d y , w ho h as a c e rta in k n o w le d g e of th e sy ste m of th e C ath o lic so cial d o c trin e, and, w ho listen s to o r rea d s th e sta te m e n ts of th e P rim a te c o n c e rn in g e v e n th e m o st co n crete, d e ta ile d or p ra c tic a l m atte rs, w ill find, w ith o u t difficulties, th e lin es th a t link th e s e scien ces, ap p re c ia tio n s, d ire c tiv e s, reco m m en d atio n s an d d e ­ cisions w ith th e u n c h a n g in g so cio -m oral p rin cip les, b u t a b o v e all w ith th e th eo lo g ical-an d -p h ilo so p h ical prem isses, re fe rin g to th e C h ristia n c o n cep tio n of m an, to his p e rso n a l d ig n ity and his su p e r­ n a tu ra l v o c a tio n in C h rist an d in th e C hurch.

It m u st b e added, th a t first as th e Bishop of L ublin an d th e G reat C h a n c e llo r of th e C ath o lic U n iv e rsity , an d th e n as th e P ri­ m ate of P oland, h e c o n s ta n tly m ad e g re a t e n d e a v o u rs to w a rd s th e d e v e lo p m en t a n d p o p u lariza tio n of su ch a sy ste m of C ath olic so cial scien ce in Poland. F irst of all it re fe rs to F a c u lty of L aw and of S ocial Sciences, an d th e n to P ra c tic a l Sectio n of th e C h ristia n P h i­ lo so p h y of CUL, w h e re — at th e on e h a n d — a c e rta in sch o o l of socio -eth ical th o u g h t — called th e L ublin School, w as form ed; on th e o th er hand, a g re a t n u m b er of sp ecialists, la y an d sp iritu a l, w e re ed u c ate d , w ho su p p lied th e staff team s of p rie sts' sem in aries and also th e team s of social p ub licists. T h e P rim ate to o k also c a re of it th a t th is sy ste m of so cial th in k in g w e re p o p u larized b y m eans of p rie sts' sem in aries, b o th d io ce sa n an d relig io u s, am ong p rie sts and am ong th e P eo p le of God in o u r co u n try . H e him self, cau sed its p o p u lariza tio n b y m ean s of his in ce ssa n t te a c h in g an d b y his p a sto ra l program m es.

3. Education of the N ation and Its Defence

N o t o n ly th e specific p o sitio n of th e P rim a te of P o lan d and his relig io u s re sp o n sib ility for th e P olish n atio n , n o t o n ly th e p e r­ so n a l p a trio tism of C a rd in a l W y szy ń sk i, h is lo ve to th e n a tio n and to its c u ltu re, b u t also, o r first of all, th e o lo g ic a l p rem isses d e te r­

m ine th e P rim ate to c o n c e n tra te his a tte n tio n on th e prob lem s of th e natio n. O n ly in th e lig h t of th o se p rem isses one can u n d e rsta n d th e a w a ren e ss of his re sp o n sib ility for th e P olish n atio n , w hich is e v id e n t in all his sta te m e n ts. A n a d d itio n a l facto r, a re do ubtless, th e sp ecial difficulties, d a n g e rs and m en aces, th a t h e sees in all th e ir acu ten ess.

T h e th eo lo g y of n a tio n of C a rd in a l S te p h an W y szy ń sk i is c e rta ­ in ly a th eo lo g y of lib e ra tio n of m an, b u t a lib e ratio n from sin, from m o ral decline, a lib e ra tio n from th e d e g ra d a tio n of m an, ow ing to th e red e m p tiv e w o rk of Je su s C hrist; it is a lib e ra tio n b y grace. A specific u n io n b e tw e e n relig io n an d c u ltu re, th e cath o lic tra d i­ tio n s of th e P olish n atio n , b u t also its a sp ira tio n s for n atio n al, social and m o ra l lib e ratio n , h a v e a sp ecial m ea n in g for th is kin d of lib e­ ratio n . It c a n be acco m p lish ed th a n k s to th e sp ecial in te rce ssio n an d p ro te c tio n of O u r Lady, w ho alo n e is ab le to g u id e th e n a tio n to C h rist an d to lea d it, e v e n in th e w o rst conditions, to th e faith fu ­ ln ess to His com m andm ents. In th a t w a y th e re is th e stra n g e co n v e rg e n c e b e tw e en th e n a tio n a l rea so n s of S ta te and its faith fu l­ n ess to C h rist an d his M o th er. T h e n a tio n a l lib e ra tio n pro m o tes relig io u sn e ss a n d th e d e v e lo p m en t of m o ra l v irtu e s in th e natio n , w h ile — th e m o ra lly h e a lth y and d e v o te d to C h rist nation , e n d u re s and w ill p e rsist in its lo v e of freedom ; it ten d s p e rs e v e rin g ly to th e lib e ratio n from po litical, social, econom ic an d m o ra l p re ssu re ; it fights for th e ir faith , th e ir c u ltu ra l v a lu e s an d for p e rso n a l rig h ts of e v e ry m an; for th e rig h ts w hich a re so d e e p ly ro o te d in P olish n a tio n a l tra d itio n s.

This a c co rd an ce, b u t also a p ro p e r h ie ra rc h y of relig io u s and n a tio n a l ten d e n c ie s, a re at th e basis of th e e n tire e d u c atio n a l and p a s to ra l a c tiv itie s of th e P olish P rim ate, and p a rtic u la rly , at th e basis of th e p a s to ra l p ro g ra m m e of th e G re a t N o v e n a w h ich aim ed a t a relig io u s and m o ra l re n a issa n c e an d at th e re s ta u ra tio n of th e m ost p recio u s tra d itio n s of th e Polish N atio n . In th e ligh t of th ese p rem isses, — w h ich w ould re q u ire a s e p a ra te stu d y , b e c au se th e ex h ib itio n of its th eo lo g ic a l c o n te n ts could th ro w m uch lig ht on th e problem s of lib e ra tio n in th e C h ristia n d o c trin e, — th e p ro n o ­ u n cem en ts of th e P o lish P rim a te in d efen ce of th e P olish n a tio n and th e ir basic rig h ts an d v a lu e s — becom e com p reh ensib le.

A nd so, first of all, th e P rim ate d efends th e biological su b sta n c e of th e n atio n; h e fights for its su rv iv a l ,,in th a t g e o g ra p h ica l area, w h e re it sh o u ld ex ist a n d d ev elo p itself". It is a b a ttle in v a rio u s fields; a difficult b a ttle , b e c a u se of m a n y ob jectio n s it h as to face. It is p rim a rily a b a ttle w ith th e p re s s u re an d p ro p a g a n d a of d ep o ­ p u la tio n , w ith th e c h an g e of leg isla tio n w h ich w as in te n d e d to m ak e it e a sie r, an d w ith th e d e m o ra liz atio n of th e y o u th , as w e ll as w ith th e d e c ay of fam ily life. It is a b a ttle a g a in ts th e b io log ical e x te rm i­ n a tio n of th e n a tio n b y m ean s of alco h o l an d in h u m an conditio ns

of w ork; but it is also w a rn in g th e p e o p le a g a in st th e im pulses of w ra th an d desp air, w h ich m ight c a u se in estim ab le h a rm to the w hole n a tio n in v ario u s fields of life an d lea d to g re a te r p ressu re.

It is a d efen ce of c u ltu ra l v a lu e s of th e n atio n , as w ell as of th e ir rig h t to th e ir ow n h isto ry an d tra d itio n . It is n ot o nly th e m a tte r of p re s e rv a tio n an d re s ta u ra tio n of th e m o n um ents of cu l­ tu re , w h ich h ad b een g re a tly d am ag ed d u rin g th e tim e of p a rtitio ­ ning of Poland, d u rin g th e last w o rld -w ar as w ell as in th e post- -w ar p erio d, w h en m an y c u ltu ra l m o nu m en ts w e re ru in e d b e c au se of neglect, an d m an y p rec io u s tre a s u re s of c u ltu re h a d b e e n found in fo reig n m ark ets. From tim e to tim e th e P rim ate of P o land calls for th e p ro te c tio n of c u ltu ra l goods an d fights for th e n a tio n 's rig h t to th e ir ow n h isto ry . ,,A n a tio n w ith o u t h isto ry — h e says — is a tra g ic natio n. A n a tio n th a t cuts itself off th e ir o w n h isto ry , or is asham ed of it, and ed u c ate s y o u n g p eo p le w ith o u t co n n ectin g th em w ith th e ir history ... p asses v o lu n ta rily a se n te n c e of d e a th on itself and cuts th e ro o ts of its own e x is te n c e " 11.

T he su b je c t of th e P rim a te 's d efen ce are, first of all, th e p e rs o ­ n a l rig h ts of e v e ry Pole; b e c au se h e is of th e opin ion th a t th e n a tio n is fre e by th e freed o m of th e ir citizens. H e d em an ds freedom of conscience, of convictions, co n g reg atio n s, p u b licatio n s and also econom ic freedom , econom ic s u b je tiv ity of e v e ry m an, as th e re is no rig h t to in itia tiv e or re a l econom ic in d ep e n d e n c e w ith o u t it. The P rim ate does it from th e v e ry b eg in in g of his activ ity , m uch e a rlie r before an y b o d y h as h e a rd of p re sid e n t C a rte r an d th e so- -called m o v em en t of h u m an rig h ts. T h e id ea of m an 's p e rso n a l fre e ­ dom and of his rig h ts co n stitu te s one of th e fu n d am e n ta l prin cip les of his p ro n o u n ce d an d pro claim ed so cial system .

It goes to g e th e r w ith th e d efen ce of so cial and econom ic rig h ts of people. Som e p e o p le w o n d e re d w h y th e P rim a te so o ften refers to econom ic pro blem s, a lth o u g h h e stre sse s th a t h e w o u ld no t like to d eal w ith them . H o w ev er, his p u rp o se w as to p ro te c t p eop le ag ain st ex p lo ita tio n , b o th as p ro d u c e r or consum er, as w ell. Ex­ p lo itatio n an d econom ic m ise ry a re n o good ad v ise rs in m o ral af­ fairs; and th e P rim a te 's ch ief care, — of a p rie st — w as, ab o ve all th e a n x ie ty th a t th e n a tio n does n o t fall in to m o ral p ressu re, th a t is, in su ch co n d itio n s w h e re th e k e e p in g of m o ral p rin cip les re q u ire s so g re a t sacrifices an d ren o u n c e m e n ts, th a t th e y b o a rd e r w ith heroism .

A n a n a ly sis of th e m o ral situ a tio n in w h ich th e P olish n a tio n is in fact, an d th e actin g a g a in st th e fac to rs of d em o ralisatio n , e ith e r th o se w h ich act sp o n ta n e o u sly or o th ers, w h ich seem to be a p la n ­ ned actio n, a re th e m ain a n x ie tie s of th e P rim ate of Poland, w ho

11 S. W y s z y ń s k i , W sercu s t o li c y (In th e heart of p olish capital), Rome 1972, p. 163 ff.

re tu rn s to th e m from tim e to tim e in his sp eech es. It is no t on ly th e pro b lem of alco holism an d of th e d em o ralizatio n of y o u th by m ean s of v a rio u s so cial a c tiv itie s an d b y m ass m edia, b u t first of all, it is th e p ro b lem of ideo lo g ical an d p ra c tic a l m en d acity , of c o m p u lso ry in d o ctrin a tio n ; it m ean s c re a tin g su c h so cial schem es in w h ich life in tru th , h o n e sty , in re sp e c t of o n e's ow n d ig n ity and of o th er p e o p le becom es v e ry difficult. A ll th e s e situ a tio n s lead to d e e p e r m o ra l c o rru p tio n of th e w h o le n a tio n an d th e y a re a d a n g e r to th e ir relig io u sn e ss, as w ell as to th e ir h e a lth y p h y sical, econ om i­ cal an d c u ltu ra l d ev elo p m en t.

In su c h a situ a tio n th e g re a te s t h arm is b ein g do n e to fam ilies, alth o u g h th e ir m o ra l h e a lth is th e co n d itio n of h e a lth an d ex iste n ce of th e w h o le n atio n . T h e refo re te fam ily is th e s u b je c t of sp ecial p a s to ra l c a re of th e P rim ate of P o lan d d u rin g th e last te n s of y ears. It occupies a v e ry im p o rta n t p lac e in th e — in sp ired b y him — p a ­ s to ra l pro g ram m es of th e p o st-w a r period.

4. T h eology of the Fam ily

W h e n som e 25 y e a rs ago F a th e r B. P rz y b y lsk i w as a sk ed b y th e P rim ate to co llect m a te ria l on th e th e o lo g y of th e fam ily in the T om ist In stitu te, th e re w as still v e ry little of it in th e Polish, as w e ll as in th e w o rld 's lite ra tu re , a lth o u g h th e g e n e ra l so cial and m o ra l lite ra tu re o n th e fam ily w as r a th e r rich. T h e S econd V atican C ouncil c re a te d th e basis of th e th e o lo g y of th e fam ily an d g av e it a c e rta in d irectio n . T h e te a c h in g of th e P rim a te of P olan d o u tp a ­ ces again, in a c e rta in sen se, th e sta te m e n t of th e first c h a p te r, p a rt tw o of th e P a sto ra l C o n stitu tio n on th e C h u rc h in th e M o dern W orld. It is b ased on a b ro a d e r th eo lo g ical an d biblical fou nd atio n. T h e p o in t of d e p a rtu re for his reflectio n s on th a t to p ic is, first of all, th e H o ly Fam ily, an d th e n th e p lac e of Je su s C h rist an d of his M o th e r in th e C h u rc h an d in th e fam ily.

T his se t of a n a lo g y is in th e te a c h in g of th e P o lish P rim ate in cre d ib ly g re a t an d th e sam e tim e v e ry rich. O u t of it he tak e s m an y p rec io u s th o u g h ts d ea lin g w ith th e h o lin ess of th e fam ily and its ro le in th e C h u rc h an d in th e so ciety , an d also m an y n ew lights co n c ern in g th e v o catio n , tre n d s an d m ean s of p e rfe c tio n and th e ir m u tu a l re la tio n s b e tw e en th e m em b ers of th e fam ily. P a rtic u la rily in te re stin g a re th e co n sid e ratio n s on th e ro le of th e fa th e r in th e fam ily w h o se ex am p le is Je su s C h rist, H is love, c a re an d d e d ic a ­ tio n for us, w ho a re H is ch ild ren . In his c o n sid e ratio n s th e re is m u ch p lac e d e v o te d to th e p ictu re, ro le, d u ties, v o c a tio n and d e d i­ catio n of a m o th e r, w h o se a rc h -ty p e is th e B lessed M o th er, M o th er of God, th e F eed in g M o th e r w ho e x ten d s h e r p h y sic a l and s p iritu a l c a re o v e n h e r children.

This a n a lo g y com prises also th e — la te r b y th e C ouncil ex p o ­ sed — s u p e rn a tu ra l c h a ra c te r of c o n ju g a l a n d p a re n ta l love. Follo­ w ing th e E ncyclical le tte r M y s tic i C o ip o iis w h ich a lre a d y p u t a stre ss on it, it show s th e sp e cia l fu n ctio n of th e fam ily in th e C h u rch , its ro le in b u ild in g th e p h y sic a l an d s p iritu a l dim ensions of th e M y stical B ody of C h rist12. T h e fo rm atio n of m an, from th e m om ent of th e c o n cep tio n of th e n ew life to th e full d ev elo p m en t of m an: — p h y sical, s p iritu a l an d s u p e rn a tu ra l — is co n d itio n ed by th e e x iste n c e of a specific m ilieu of lo ve in its fu lle st d im ensions, a m ilieu, th a t is, an d can o n ly be c re a te d in th e relig io u s com m uni­ ty of a C h ristia n fam ily, b u ilt on th e fo u nd atio ns of C h rist's love. O n ly in su c h a fam ily, in w h ich th e m u tu a l lo ve of th e m a rrie d co u p le and of th e ir c h ild ren rea c h e s th e d iv in e-an d -h u m an d im en­ sion, a full rip e n e ss of th e C h ristia n p e rso n a lity can be achieved.

T he P rim ate of P o lan d sees, of co u rse, all th e d ifficulties and d a n g e rs w h ich fam ily life in th e m o d ern so cial situ a tio n h as to face, a n d th e re fo re so p e rs is te n tly h e fights for th e rig h ts of th e fam ily and for th e co n d ition s of a h e a lth y d ev elo p m en t. H e p o in ts no t only to all th e d an g ers, th a t a re th e re s u lt of th e p re a c h e d ideology, of social, a d m in ista tiv e s tru c tu re s , of th e socio-econom ic sy ste m and of c o n c re te econom ic situ a tio n s, in w h ich m a n y fam ilies h ad lived o r liv e in o u r co u n try , p a rtic u la rily as th e flat situ a tio n is c o n c er­ ned; b ut h e in spires, o rg an ises a n d lead s a sy ste m atic actio n of fam ily p a s to ra te in v a rio u s form s an d on d ifferen t levels.

T he c o n c e n tra tio n of th e p a s to ra te 's a tte n tio n on th e problem s of th e fam ily in th e ir v a rio u s asp ects seem ed to som e p eo le to o difficult or e v e n tireso m e. P eople did n ot alw ay s u n d e rs ta n d th e im p o rta n c e of th e p ro b lem an d its c ru c ial c h a ra c te r. T h e y did not a lw a y s a p p re c ia te th e fact th a t a c co rd in g ly to th e d e g re e th e P olish fam ily w ill a n sw e r G od's p lan s an d w h e th e r it w ill k eep its re lig io ­ us, C h ristian c h a ra c te r, w ill d ep en d th e fu tu re, n o t on ly of th e C h u rc h an d of th e n atio n , b u t also th e s a lv a tio n of e a ch p a rtic u la r m an. It w as also n o t alw a y s u n d e rsto o d , to w h a t d e g re e , could th e fam ily, — in su ch difficult, o r e v e n in q u ite e x c ep tio n a l conditions of p a s to ra l w o rk , — becom e an d rem a in th e b a stio n of faith, of C hristian m o ra lity b u t also of n a tio n a l tra d itio n and culture.

T h e re is still a n o th e r, p u re ly so cial asp ect of th a t pro blem , no ­ tic e d and often d istin ctly stre sse d b y th e Prim ate: in difficult con­ d itio n s of m o d ern life, p a rtc u la rily in in d u stria l w ork , w h e re m an is often th e o b jec t of v a rio u s m an ip u la tio n s, w h en h e is tre a te d as m an p o w e r an d has to liv e in th e clim ate of d ifferen t d an g ers, — a h e a lth y fam ily, b a sed on m u tu a l tru s t, w h ich has its g ro u n d in tru e C h ristia n lo v e, — is for th e m an a p lac e of refu ge, a h a rb o u r

12 P i u s XII, pope, E ncyklika "M ystic i C o ip o i is Christi" (E ncyclical "My­ stici Corporis Christi"), no 23.

a n d cond itio n of m en ta l health . Fam ily life can p ro te c t him a g ain st degeneration,· it can re s to re m an 's self-confidence; it allow s to find itse lf ag ain w ith in th e fram e of a h e a lth y h u m an ity a n d of resp e c t fo r th e h ig h est v alues.

So, th e b a ttle for a san e fam ily life, for its righ ts, and ab o v e a ll for th e p ro p er, C h ristian sta n d a rd of th a t life, has its ro o ts in th e p a s to ra l m otifs, b u t also in th e c a re for th e natio n, its p h y ­ sic a l and m en ta l h ealth , an d for th e p re s e rv a tio n of all its c u ltu ra l a n d m o ral v alu es. It sp rin g s also, or first of all, o ut of lov e to m an, of deep p rin cip les of hum anism , for w hich th e u n iv e rsa l aim s, th e dem and s of th e n a tio n a l rea so n s of S tate and th e a p p re c ia tio n of c u ltu ra l v a lu e s n e v e r co v e r th e c o n c re te m an.

5. The Catholic Integral Personalism

A im ing at a c e rtain sy n th e sis of th e P rim a te 's social teach in g , w e m u st stre ss at th e v e ry b eginning, th a t it is d eep ly perso n alitic. M an, — th e real, c o n c re te m an, and n o t h u m anity, not e v e n th e n a ­ tion, not th e e x c elle n t deeds p ro d u ced b y m an, a re th e basic re a li­ ty w hich co n stitu te s th e s ta rtin g po in t a n d th e m ea su re of all his c o n sid e ratio n s. It is m an, lo v ed by God an d raised to th e h igh est d ig n ity b y th e fact th a t G od becam e M an.

„Man! --- calls th e P rim ate of Poland, — am ong th e basic p o w e rs th a t p u t into m o v em en t for th e h a rm o n y of life and co exi­ stence, im m ediately after God com es m an. As God is ackn ow led ged and loved, so also m an sh ould be resp ected , e v e n to th e lim its, it m a y seem to in accessib le lim its for som e p eo p le — to th e lim its of being loved. (...) A re sp e c te d m an ■— th a t m ean s — his h igh dignity, th e d ig n ity of a child of God is a c k n o w led g e d "13.

T he raisin g of m an to th e h ig h est d ig n ity of G od's childhood, th a n k s to th e fact th a t God becam e m an, is n o t on ly an a p p e al for resp e c t, b ut c re a te s th e o b lig atio n of love. In th e sta te m e n ts of th e P rim ate th e re is a p a rtic u la r k in d of fascin atio n w ith m an as th e im age of God an d th e su b je c t of his love; th e re is an u n u su a l jo y ab o u t e v e ry m an com ing to th e w o rld an d d e v elo p in g in him self th e im age of God; th e re is th e fasc in atio n w ith G od's life th a t is s e e n in m an b y m eans of love, w h ich is e x p re sse d in his C h ristian action.

O ut of th is re sp e c t an d lo v e to m an, w ho h as th e rig h t to be th e ch ild and frien d of God, com es th e b a ttle for th a t righ t, a b a ttle for th e p e rso n a l rig h ts of m an, for th e rig h t to be a C h ristia n and to liv e in a C h ristian w ay. E v ery m an h as th e rig h t for it an d th e r e ­

18 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Harmonia Bożo-ludzka w Polsce, ka za nie z dnia 6 s t y c z ­

fore th e fight for th e p e rso n a l rig h ts of m an e x p re sse s also th e m issio n a ry and p a s to ra l attitu d e.

T h e se rig h ts sh o u ld be e q u a l e v e ry b o d y . E qual — does not m ean a b so lu te ly id e n tic a l in th e se n se of th e ir fulfilm ent, becau se th e v o c a tio n s of v a rio u s p eo p le a re differen t, th e ir d u ties and th eir ch arism a a re d ifferen t. E qual rig h ts — m ean s: th e sam e re sp e c t, and th e sam e deep, an d foun d ed on th e o lo g ic a l p rin ciples, love. The d eep sen se of e q u a lity m ak es th e P rim ate p a y a tte n tio n to th e role of th e w o m an in th e C hu rch , look for its so lu tio n s e v e ra l sc o re of y e a rs b efo re th e q u e stio n h ad begun; th e in tra e c c le sia l m ov em en t of th e e m a n cip atio n of w om en, alle g ed ly w ro n g e d b y th e C h urch w as a k in d of m isu n d erstan d in g . T h e re w e re som e th eo lo g ia n s w ho su p p o rte d th e m o vem en t. First, th e y h a d lo st th e p lac e of th e Bles­ sed M o th er in th e w o rk of s a lv a tio n an d th e n th e y b eg a n to seek th e p lace of th e w om an in th e C hurch. T he P rim ate solv es th e w hole p ro b lem in a v e ry co n cise w ay , sim p ly in one sen ten ce, w hich closes th e w h o le book d e v o te d to th e ro le of a w om an in th e C h u rc h an d in th e n ation: ,,M ay th e M other, Q u e e n and the M aid m ak e th a t e v e ry P olish w om an live like a M other, be h o n o ­ u red lik e a Q u een an d b e so d ed ic a te d to th e N a tio n like th e M a id "14. R espect for m an an d lo v e to him d icta te s, first, th e ac k n o w led ­ g em ent of all his rig h ts, of his rig h t to freedom w hich m eans the rec o g n itio n a n d re sp e c t for his s u b je c tiv ity in social an d econom ic life. Freedom , h o w ev er, does n o t co n sist o n ly in being free from p ressu re, b u t it goes to g e th e r w ith th e rig h t to social a c tiv ity , to th e bu ilding of o n e's fam ily, to form unio n s, to follow th e v o ice of o ne's v o c a tio n ect. F reedo m is also a rig h t to h a v e a sh a re in c u ltu re and in its co -production.

T he ro g h t to freedom is s tric tly co n n ected w ith th e rig h t to tru th , th a t is th e rig h t of a d m itta n c e to tru th , to inform atio n, and also th e rig h t of p ro claim in g th e tru th . It refers, first of all, to th e d iv in e tru th , to th e te a c h in g of th e G ospel, b u t also to th e tru th m ea n t as law fu ln ess of th o u g h ts an d h o n e sty of w ords. T ru th is not o n ly th e rig h t of m an, b u t it is also an obligation; w e a re obliged to its confession, to th e u n d e rta k in g of th e apo sto lic to il of tru th , e v e n at th e cost of g re a t sacrifices. ,,It is no t en o u g h to teach. You m u st su ffer for tru th . Y ou m u st suffer a lo t" 15. F in ally, tru th , its e x p ressio n , p rea c h in g , m u st go to g e th e r w ith love. ,,You m ust dip y o u r p e n in tru th and lo v e " 16.

T he d ig n ity an d e ste e m for m an, re a c h in g th e ends, th e lim its of love, m u st b rin g fru it in so cial life, as ju stic e th a t consists in the

14 S. W y s z y ń s k i , K obieta w Polsce w s p ó łc z e s n e j (The w om an in Poland of to-day), Poznań 1978, p. 132.

15 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Z r ozważań nad kulturą o jc z y s tą (M editations on our national culture), Poznań 1979, p. 132.

a c k n o w led g em en t a n d re sp e c t for th e p e rso n a l rig h ts of e a c h m an, — n o t on ly b y o th er m en b u t also b y so c ie tie s an d a b o v e all b y th e sta te society . J u s tic e obliges in th e ju rid ic a l sy ste m n o t o n ly th e in d iv id u al citizens, b u t th e s ta te an d its re p re s e n ta tiv e s w ho w o rk in its nam e as th e o rg an s of a u th o rity , as w ell. It is n o t th a t th e m an is for th e a u th o rity , b u t th e a u th o rity is for th e citizen; his d ig n ity an d his rig h ts h e can n e v e r g iv e up, m u st b e resp e c te d by th e a u th o rities.

T he P rim a te m en tio n s s e v e ra l tim es th e a n c illa ry co n ceptio n of a u th o rity 17, it is k n o w n in th e C h ristia n d o c trin e as su ch (Rom 13,1—7). A c c o rd in g to it th e a u th o rity h as th e d u ty to c a re for th e good of th e ir su b o rd in a te s and to fac ilita te th e a c tiv itie s of a ll in­ stitu tio n s th a t s e rv e th em ; it sh o u ld su p p o rt th em or ca ll th em to e x iste n c e in c a se of n ecessity . It ch iefly re fe rs to th e fam ily, b u t also all k ind s of asso ciatio n s, o rg an isa tio n s, u n io n s as a ll th e citi­ zens h a v e th e rig h t to them,· th e y sh o u ld be su p p o rte d in o rg an isin g them , b e c au se all th e s e in stitu tio n s c o n trib u te to th e stre n g th e n in g of th e so cial tissu e, s e rv e th e b u ildin g of so cial o rd er, of th e s ta ­ b ility of life and th e c re a tio n of n a tu ra l cu ltu re.

O ne of th e m ain d u ties of th e s ta te is th e p ro te c tio n of th e fre ­ edom to asso c ia tio n an d of e v e ry p a rtic u la r m an. It is im possible to sp e a k ab o u t freed o m or of in d ep e n d e n c e of th e n atio n , u n less fre ­ edom is n o t se c u re d to all citizens an d to all th e ir a p p ro p ria te actions. A n a tio n can b e free o n ly in case all th e citizens a re free. Such freed om refers, first of all, to th e e d u c atio n of th e natio n. T he S ta te has th e rig h t an d d u ty to e d u c a te th e n atio n , a lth o u g h it sh a re s th em w ith th e fam ily an d w ith th e C h u rch; it sh o u ld ack n o w ­ ledge, re sp e c t an d fo ster all p riv a te an d so cial in itia tiv e s in th is field. T he ru le of su b sid ia rity is h e re p a rtic u la rily o b lig ato ry , b e ­ ca u se th e fam ily h as th e first an d th e o ld er rig h t to ed u catio n ; be­ sid es e v e ry k in d of e d u c a tio n sh o u ld b rin g up ,,to freed om and in d ep e n d e n c e b y m eans of su p p o rt g iv en to team s, o rg an isatio n s and a sso c ia tio n s"18. T he seco nd im p o rta n t ru le o b se rv e d in th e w o rk of ed u catio n , is M a rita in 's ru le of C hristianity, w h ich ta k e s into acco u n t th e relig io u s an d s u p e rn a tu ra l v o c a tio n of m an. T he sta te c a n n o t s u b o rd in a te e d u c a tio n to its ow n p o litic a l or econom ic aim s, although e d u c atio n to w o rk is a v e ry im p o rta n t fac to r in th e fo r­ m atio n of m an. E d u catio n sh o u ld be p erfo rm ed in th e sp irit of th e c u ltu ra l h e rita g e of th e n atio n , as th e n a tio n is e ld e r an d m o re p e rm a n e n t th a n th e state. It sh o u ld ta k e into" acco u n t th e su p e r­ n a tu ra l v o c a tio n of m an, his d ig n ity a n d ele c tio n b y God; his call

17 S. W y s z y ń s k i , W ła d a n ie zam ienić na służe nie (Domination must be changed to service), W arszaw a, January 6, 1971.

18 C. S t r z e s z e w s k i , N a ró d i p a ń stw o w nauczaniu sp o ł e c z n y m Kard.

W y s z y ń s k i e g o (N ation and State in the social teach in g of Card. W yszyński),

to e v a n g elic a l p erfectio n . It sh o u ld b e an e d u c atio n in th e sp irit of faith, of th e tra d itio n and of C h ristia n c u ltu re, so th a t th e m an m ight in su c h a clim ate d e v e lo p th e im age of God an d his likeness in th e sp irit of C hrist.

It sh o u ld also b e e d u c a tio n to w o rk , a fo rm atio n of econom ic v irtu e s, e d u c a tio n in th e sp irit of resp o n sib ity ; w o rk n o t o n ly a ssu ­ re s th e w o rk e r, his fam ily an d th e w h o le so c ie ty th e m ean s of living, but also is m ean s of p e rfe c tio n an d of p e rso n a l d ev elop m en t; it also h elps to th e fo rm atio n of social o rd er. T h e id ea of so cial o rd er, — w hich on th e on e h a n d sh o u ld be an e q u iv a le n t of m an 's in n er o rd er and of G od's o rd er, — on th e o th er, — can be often fou nd in th e tea c h in g of th e P rim ate of Poland.

O rd e r is n o t o n ly th e w o rk of re a so n an d th e reflec tio n of G od's p erfectio n , an e x p re ssio n of p ra is e g iv en to G od's w isdom th a t a rra n g e s e v e ry th in g ; o rd er is a b o v e all th e w o rk of lo ve w hich o rd ers to sh o w re sp e c t for o th e r m en an d e ste e m for th e ir rights. T he idea of u n iv e rsa l o rd er in th e n atio n , b ased on th e fo u n d ation s of relig io u s an d m o ra l o rd e r is b y th e P rim ate d e v e lo p e d in his sp eech es at J a sn a G ó ra 19. T he o rd e r m u st h a v e its o rig in in m a n ’s h e a rt; it sh o u ld be a n o rd er of m an 's co n scien ce an d sh o u ld h av e its reflec tio n in fam ily life, in p ro fe ssio n a l a c tiv ity an d in socio-po­ litical life of th e n ation.

Such a n ord er, b o rn b y lo v e of e v e ry th in g and of e v e ry b o d y in th e sp irit of C h rist, is th e co n d itio n of peace. T h e co n d itio n of su c h o rd e r an d of su c h lo v e is th e ack n o w led g e m en t of th e „prim a­ cy of th e p e rs o n o v e r th in g s", b u t also th e a c k n o w led g em en t of th a t p rim a cy is co n d itio n ed b y love. „Because, in o rd e r to defend th e rig h ts of m an, to n o tice him a t all, w e n e e d love. (...) Love is n e e d ed to feed som eone; to w ip e so m eo n e's te a rs , lo ve is needed; to g ive o n e 's h a n d to a sh a k y m an — lov e is need ed. H aw m uch m o re — to d efen d th e rig h ts of m an, som etim es at th e cost of o n e s e lf '20.

T he se co n d co n d itio n of th is d iv in e an d h u m an o rd er, on w hich p e a c e can be built, is tru th . „God a ck n o w led g ed and lo ved, m an esteem ed , th e n a tiv e soil a tte n d e d b y m ean s of solid w ork, a u th o rity e x e rc ise d in th e sp irit of ju stice , lo v e a n d tru th , — th e s e a re th e b asic elem en ts of th e d iv in e-an d -h u m an h a rm o n y in th e w orld. W e re c e iv e G od's h e lp for it, th e h elp of th e sp irit of th e G ospel and of th e w o rk of th e C h u rch . It h as b e e n in a rem a rk a b le w a y sta te d by Pope J o h n P a u l II in his m essag e of p eace. H e re a re his d iag n o ­ ses:

19 S. W y s z y ń s k i , O d p o w ie d zia ln o ść — o b o w ią z k i — p raw a w życiu

narodu (R esponsability — duties — rights in the life of nation), Jasna Góra,

A ugust 26, 1980.

20 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Miło ść ponad w s z y s t k o (The greatest of all things in Love), in: Bp B. B e j z e (ed.), W kierunku czło w iek a , W arszaw a 1971, p. 39.

„1. Lack of tru th leads to w a r — do m estic an d w orld w ar. 2. P eace re q u ire s h o n e s ty an d tru th .

3. T ru th en lig h te n s th e w a y s of peace.

4. T ru th stre n g te n s th e m ean s th a t lead to peace. 5. For a C h ristian th e G ospel is tr u th ''21.

A v e ry im p o rta n t ro le in th e b u ild ing of p e a c e is p lay e d b y th e w o rk of th e C hurch. T he P rim a te d e v o te s g re a t a tte n tio n to th e ro le of th e C h u rch in social, econom ic a n d p o litic a l life in his co nsi­ d e ra tio n s. H e is, first of all, th e e d u c a to r of m an in th e sp irit of tru th and love; th a t m ean s th a t h e lay s th e fo u n d atio n s of peace. His d u ty and v o c a tio n is to be o p en to all m en, to g ive h elp an d to d efen d th e ir rig h ts re g a rd le ss th e ir differen ces an d d iv id in g b a r­ ries, b e c au se th e y a re all th e c h ild ren of o n e F a th er: „O ur F a th e r": F a th er of th e w hite, of th e b lac k an d yello w , of th e p le a sa n t and u n p le a s a n t”22.

F inally, th e C h u rc h sh o u ld be an d is th e co n scien ce of th e n a ­ tion. Its d u ty is n o t o n ly to p re a c h th e tr u th bu t, at th e sam e tim e, to sho w th e w a y to tru th an d to scold, m ild ly y e t firm ly, th o se w ho go a stra y . It re fe rs to e v e ry p e rso n an d to e v e ry ra n g e of his a c ti­ vity. In th a t w a y th e C h u rc h p u ts som e signs of w a rn in g in fro n t of th e peop le, so th a t th e y m ay se e th e d a n g e r e a rly enoug h: d a n ­ gers th a t th re a te n w ith th e b rea k in g of so cial o rd er, w ith agglom e­ ra tio n of social ten sio n s and w ith th e ru in of th e div in e-an d -h u m an h a rm o n y in social life, in th e life of p a rtic u la r n a tio n s an d of th e w orld. It re q u ire s in ce ssa n t w ak efu ln ess an d o p en n ess to th e s u r ­ ro u n d in g re a lity : it re q u ire s co u ra g e an d rea d in ess for sacrifice; it m akes th a t „people w ho s e rv e th e w o rd of God h o n e stly , in tru th and love, a re a lw a y s „ m a r t y r s of t h e w o r d " (und erlin ed by th e P rim ate)23.

21 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Harmonia Bożo-ludzka w Polsce (Divin-hum an har­ m ony in Poland), serm on of January 6, 1980.

22 S. W y s z y ń s k i , M iło ść ponad w s z y s t k o (The greatest of all tings is Love), p. 56.

23 S. W y s z y ń s k i , Z ro z w a ż a ń nad kulturą o j c z y s t ą (M editation on our national culture), Poznań 1979, p. 133.