Sunday, June 5, he refuses to burn the former pontiff’s personal papers as the Pope had requested. Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz told Polish radio "that such a great treasure should be preserved for posterity." He said that "everything will be examined carefully" and gradually be made available to the public.
HUGE TREASURE
"None of it is fit to be burned. It is a great heritage, a huge treasure, great texts of a rich variety," he told Polish radio.
Stanisław Dziwisz said the papers could be used in the process of making "Pope John Paul II a saint," a complicated process under Catholic tradition which has been criticized by Protestants. Evangelicals believe everyone is a saint when he or she accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Dziwisz, who worked alongside the former Pope for almost 40 years, was named archbishop of Krakow by Pope Benedict XVI on Friday. His announcement is in defiance of the testament of Pope John Paul II, who died on April 2 at the age of 84.
DIFFERENT TESTAMENT
In his will, the late Pope urged Dziwisz to "oversee the burning of his personal documents and notes," news reports said. However Sziwisz stressed he felt "his devotion" to the late polish born pontiff "and his teachings outweighed" his responsibility to destroy the papers.
The archbishop added he had also kept his own copious notes about the late Pope and they, too, could be made public. Archbishop Dziwisz became secretary to Karol Wojtyla, in 1966 when he was archbishop of Krakow, and remained at John Paul II’s side throughout his pontificate.
The pope’s death came as a shock for mainly Catholic Poland where he was credited with inspiring the Solidarity movement which eventually toppled the Communist regime. (With BosNewsLife Research, Stefan J. Bos and reports from Poland)
