"John Paul II Day" Instituted in Poland

WARSAW, Poland, JULY 28, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A new holiday was just added to the calendar in Poland: John Paul II Day.

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The initiative, approved by 338 votes in favor, 3 votes against, and 2 abstentions, commemorates the Polish Pope on Oct. 16, the day that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope, reported the KAI Polish news agency.

«John Paul II’s pontificate has changed the course of the history of the world in all its dimension,» says the text of the law, reported Vatican Radio today.

The day «expresses the pride that a great humanist, a man of profound science and culture, was formed by the Polish tradition,» states the law.

It will also serve to remember the innumerable initiatives of the former archbishop of Krakow, and later Pope, oriented to resolving social, political and international conflicts.

«He was a man of peace and hope. He pointed out to the whole world, to every community, to all men and to each man that life can be made more human, and taught how it is possible, keeping one’s own faith, to give respect and love to others,» stated the law.

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