Cardinal Dziwisz: The call of Saint John Paul II to open the doors to Christ is still relevant

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who for 39 years was personal secretary of Saint John Paul II, affirmed that the words “Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ,” which the Polish Pope spoke on October 22, 1978, remain relevant for the world today.

In statements to Vatican Radio-Vatican Newsthe Polish cardinal said that “it is interesting to note that the words of John Paul II most remembered in the Church are those he spoke during the inauguration of his pontificate, forty-seven years ago, on October 22: ‘Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ.'”

“There are so many fears and uncertainties in the world today. The Holy Pope showed the way out: we must entrust the destiny of the world and humanity to Jesus Christ, we must trust in Him, because only He has words of eternal life. These words and this path are still very relevant today,” he stated.

During the interview, published on the day the Church celebrates Saint John Paul II, Cardinal Dziwisz also recalled the moments he spent with the Polish saint and highlighted that the late pontiff “loved surrounding himself with people, listening to their voices, their advice and their proposals.”

“But above all, he listened to the voice of God in prayer. All this formed the basis of his spiritual discernment before making a decision. I helped him in everyday matters and, when he asked me something, I shared my knowledge with him,” he said.

In that sense, he added that from the beginning he realized “that I was serving alongside an extraordinary man, and as the years went by, as I witnessed his daily prayer and his work for the Church, I understood that this man lived in deep union with God.”

“John Paul II was a mystic and his mysticism was expressed in his tireless service to the Church and the world. Living and working alongside such a man was and is for me the greatest privilege and a great gift of life,” said the 86-year-old cardinal.

Taking into account that Saint John Paul II was the initiator of the World Youth Days, the relationship that the saint had with young people was not missing in the interview.

Cardinal Dziwisz recalled that throughout his pastoral life, from when he was ordained a priest until the end of his pontificate in 2005, young people occupied a special place in his pastoral mission.

“His strength in dialogue with young people lay in his authenticity and transparency. He offered them what he himself lived. He did not propose an easy life. He was demanding with them, because, above all, he demanded of himself,” he indicated.

In that sense, he highlighted the WYD as one of its most important legacies, since they are “one of the best pastoral initiatives of the contemporary Church”, as was later experienced with Benedict XVI, Francis and “at the beginning of August of this year, during the Youth Jubilee and his meeting with the Holy Father Leo XIV in Tor Vergata.”

Cardinal Dziwisz recalled that during the almost 27 years of his pontificate, Saint John Paul II made 104 international apostolic trips, almost 150 visits to Italian dioceses and cities and to 300 Roman parishes.

Furthermore, “he published encyclicals and apostolic exhortations one after another, convened Synods of Bishops, taught catechism in weekly general audiences and lived the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 with the Church.”

“In the midst of an extremely intense ministry, carrying on his back the enormous weight of the problems of the Church and the world, he always remained serene, immersed in prayer. He was like this until the end, although, as we know, the last years of his life were marked by illness,” he recalled.