Św. Jan Paweł II i niepodległość

The article reflects the impact of encouragement by John Paul II on the Lithuanian struggle for Independence. Three messages by the Pope were the most important: proclamation Bishop Jurgis Matulaitis the Blessed in 1987, promotion Bishop Vincentas Slad-kevičius to cardinal in 1988 and the trip to Lithuania in September 1993 directly related with the pull-out of the Red Army. Sustainable independence unites rather than divides people of different cultural backgrounds and delights rather than arouses someone’s anger in society. The steps of John Paul II were instrumental to help cross the limits between languages and contradictory memories. Having arrived in Vilnius, the Pope addressed the Catholics speaking his mother tongue as Lithuanians of Polish origin. This concept acting as the legacy of the saint and benchmark allowing actualising the call and promise of the Gospel in national states and Europe of nations: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile” (Gal 3, 28). Reflections by ordinary people on speeches by the Pope Francis delivered in Lithuania recently reasonable to interpret as the mark left by John Paul II on Lithuanian consciousness.