Word: papally
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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From the very beginning, Pope John Paul II's return visit to Poland seemed a bold gamble. The government of General Wojciech Jaruzelski had made no secret of the fact that it viewed the papal pilgrimage as a way to rehabilitate Poland in the eyes of the world. But if the authorities thought they could manipulate the Polish-born Pontiff, they were mistaken. John Paul was determined to speak his mind and his heart, however uncomfortable he made his secular hosts. As the Pope moved across Poland, he showed by word and gesture that he understood the meaning...
Just as John Paul was preparing to board the Soviet-built Ilyushin jet that would take him back to Rome, President Reagan sent the Jaruzelski government a message on what the U.S. expected from the papal visit. Addressing a group of Polish Americans in Chicago, many of whom were waving Solidarity pennants, Reagan described the Pope's visit as "a ray of hope for the Polish people." The President hinted that if Poland's military rulers decided to follow the path of liberalization, the Western alliance would consider lifting economic sanctions. Said Reagan: "I urge the Polish authorities...
...believe "myths, legends and half-truths." It was a clear reference to John Paul's homily in Czestochowa, in which he cited examples of heroic self-sacrifice from Poland's 1,000-year history. Foreign Minister Stefan Olszowski blamed "Western countries and their media" for turning the papal visit into an "antisocialist demonstration." Equally blunt criticism came from Government Spokesman Jerzy Urban, who hinted that "relations between church and state" might be damaged by the Pope's visit. Said he: "We did not rent him the country for a week...
...this place and pay homage," in a reference to a memorial to Polish workers slain in Poznan during riots in 1956. The monument, which consists of two intertwined crosses next to a stylized Polish eagle, was erected during the Solidarity era and was conspicuously omitted from the list of papal stops in the city...
Western governments are reluctant to link a religious pilgrimage to East-West diplomacy, but the papal visit will doubtless prove a pivotal event in shaping the alliance's attitudes toward Poland. Support for the economic sanctions that were imposed after the military crackdown has been eroding slowly but inexorably. The West German government argues that trade restrictions have not influenced Jaruzelski's policies and that, if anything, they could further diminish what little leverage the West had. In Italy, business with Poland goes on as usual. Even U.S. diplomats feel uneasy about the continuing deadlock and have quietly...