Polish Christian Artist

Magda Aniol sings a really cool song about John Paul II. The refrain is, "there is nobody better than John Paul II," until the final part of the song (still in rhyme) begins singing "we have a new (pope), Benedict XVI."

I think it is a beautiful example of how so many young people in the so-called "John Paul II" generation in Poland have shown that their faith is not only based on a national/cultural attachment to the "Polish pope," but rather, that the faith is based upon the love of Jesus Christ and His Church, out of which comes a great love for our current (German!) Holy Father.

While obviously the Church in Poland has its own struggles (such as lustration in the post-communist era), one very admirable and beautiful quality about the faith there is its simplicity and fidelity to the Magisterium and its love for the Petrine Ministry. Obviously, not all Catholics in Poland actually take to heart what they externally profess (such is human nature), but if I were to generalize (never a very good thing to do), I would say that the admiration for the Holy Father has to do with his upholding of traditional moral values and the value of the family and relationships based on Christian charity in a community, all essential aspects of the "fully developed and integrated human life" that the communists sought to destroy. Hence, in the pope was (and is) not only the Vicar of Christ and successor of Peter, but more concretely, one who understands that human life can only flourish when emphasis is placed on the true and unadulterated dignity of the human person. In this sprit, I hope to offer some upcoming reflections on the new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.