John Paul II in Szczecin – June 11, 1987
The election of Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyła as pope in 1978 was met in Poland with immense emotion. However, these emotions differed for the authorities on the one hand and the majority of society on the other. While Poles greeted the accession of their compatriot to the See of Peter with euphoria, for the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic—systemically hostile to the Church and tireless in their policy of atheizing society—this event was an unpleasant surprise perceived as a threat.
That this threat was real was proven by the subsequent papal pilgrimages to the Homeland, starting with the first one in 1979. During his visit to the capital—part of a trip that also included Warsaw, Kraków, and Częstochowa—the Pope uttered the memorable words: “Let Your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth. The face of this land.” This was a very clear allusion to the need for change in Poland, which was ruled indisputably by communists. John Paul II’s first pilgrimage to Poland resulted in a significant shift in the country’s social climate. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at meetings with the Holy Father saw how many like-minded individuals there were. Hope for change and a desire for action awoke within the people. This was one of the important factors that contributed to the emergence and development of the great, independent social movement of “Solidarity,” which was initiated by the strikes of August 1980.
For the second time, the Pope visited Poland in significantly different political conditions, in June 1983. This was toward the end of martial law, through which the communist authorities crushed “Solidarity” and pacified public moods. Szczecin was discussed at that time between representatives of the Episcopate and the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic as one of the considered locations for the Pope’s visit. The rulers objected, invoking security arguments: there supposedly existed a greater risk in Szczecin than in other cities of a repeat assassination attempt on the Pope’s life (the first having taken place in Rome in May 1981). In reality, given the general political conditions, it would have been particularly disadvantageous for the authorities if John Paul II had visited one of the cradles of “Solidarity”—which, alongside Gdańsk, also omitted from the pilgrimage program, was Szczecin. The faithful from the Diocese of Szczecin-Kamień participated at that time in a meeting with the Holy Father at Jasna Góra in Częstochowa.
The visit of John Paul II to Szczecin on June 11, 1987, as part of his third pilgrimage to the Homeland, became one of the most important events in the post-war history of the city. For the local Church, it was a great religious celebration, but also a confirmation of the importance of the relatively young (established in 1972) Diocese of Szczecin-Kamień. For thousands of Szczecin residents, it was a unique opportunity to personally meet the Polish Pope. In turn, for the authorities, it meant above all a massive logistical operation. It was also a cause for concern, because every papal pilgrimage to the homeland during the Polish People’s Republic era also had its socio-political dimension.
The day of the papal visit was preceded by many months of preparations. On the church side, these included not only organizational matters but also pastoral activities conducted in parishes throughout the entire diocese. Among other things, it was necessary to prepare the liturgy, the musical setting, the church order service, and to finalize the detailed course of the Pope’s stay in the city. At the same time, arrangements were underway with administrative authorities regarding the location of the main mass with the participation of the Pope, his travel routes, medical security, communications, transport, and public order. The state authorities and the Church had to cooperate, although each side viewed the upcoming visit from a slightly different perspective. During the meetings of the working, mixed organizational team, which included representatives of the voivodeship authorities and the bishop’s curia, discussions were held, among other topics, on the choice of the location for the main celebration with the Pope. Considerations included the airport in Dąbie, Wały Chrobrego, and Jasne Błonia. The choice of the last of these was pushed through by Bishop Kazimierz Majdański.
From the perspective of the security apparatus of the Polish People’s Republic, the pilgrimage required special “securing.” In the weeks leading up to the papal visit, the local Security Service (SB) stepped up its observation of selected opposition and church circles, closely monitored the situation in Szczecin’s churches, and attempted to gather information about individuals planning to manifest their presence during the meeting with the Pope. SB documents recorded, among other things, the preparation of banners and leaflets with solidarity-themed content, which authorities tried to counteract.
The day of the visit began with John Paul II’s arrival at the airport in Goleniów on a papal Yak-40 aircraft. The machine landed at 10:20 AM, twenty minutes behind schedule. On-site, the Holy Father was welcomed by the Ordinary of the Diocese of Szczecin-Kamień, Bishop Kazimierz Majdański, the Voivode of Szczecin, Stanisław Malec, and the Chairman of the Provincial National Council, Jan Dziedzic. A group of local clergy and faithful was also present.
From Goleniów, John Paul II flew by helicopter to the landing site in Szczecin-Dąbie, from where the Papamobile set off for Jasne Błonia. The route, along which, according to government data, about 80,000 people gathered, led via Przestrzenna St., Gdańska St., Energetyków St., Cardinal Wyszyński St., Independence Avenue (al. Niepodległości), Soldier’s Square (pl. Żołnierza), Aviators’ Square (pl. Lotników), National Unity Avenue (al. Jedności Narodowej), Grunwaldzki Square (pl. Grunwaldzki), Dzierżyński Square (pl. Dzierżyński), Szymanowski St., Moniuszki St., and Father Piotr Skarga St. At Jasne Błonia, about 700,000 the faithful awaited the Pope (according to church data; according to state authorities, half that number had gathered), where the Holy Mass began at around 11:00 AM. Despite the deployment of massive forces, the Security Service and the militia failed to prevent the opposition from manifesting its presence: several banners were unfurled above the heads of the crowd, including ones from the “Freedom and Peace” movement and one featuring the image of John Paul II bearing the inscriptions “Solidarity of the Western Pomerania Region” and “God, Honour, Fatherland,” which had been prepared and smuggled onto the Błonia grounds by opposition youth.
The liturgy had a carefully prepared setting. The commentary was led by Father Piotr Kordula. The entire event was broadcast by Telewizja Polska. The musical layer was provided, among others, by members of the Szczecin University of Technology Choir and musicians from the Szczecin Philharmonic. Among other pieces, Anton Bruckner’s “Ave Maria” was performed, and the ceremony concluded with Handel’s “Hallelujah.” The gathered crowd itself sang traditional Polish religious hymns, such as “We Want God” and “O Lovely, Glorious Star.”
The Pope made marriage and family the leading themes of the service. This was not a random choice. For years, Bishop Majdański had been involved in family ministry and the development of family studies. The papal teaching delivered in Szczecin thus aligned with the interests of the diocesan ordinary. A particularly uplifting element of the Holy Mass, remembered by many participants in the meeting with the Pope, was the renewal of marriage vows, to which the Pope invited all married couples gathered at Jasne Błonia after delivering his homily. John Paul II reminded and requested: “Beloved Spouses! By entering into the sacrament of marriage, you sanctified your love before God and the Church. Today, as we pray for all Christian families, I ask you with humility and love to renew your marriage vows made before God and the Church.” Then he posed successive questions making up the content of the marriage oath, while the gathered couples responded: “We promise.”
Another element of the ceremony was the procession to the altar with gifts for the Holy Father. It featured specially selected representatives of eleven groups and communities, including families, the world of labor (shipyard workers, dockers, steelworkers), artisans, state agricultural farm workers and individual farmers, people of the sea, and youth. Among the gifts received by the Pope were a model of a ship produced at the Adolf Warski Szczecin Shipyard, a miniature of the memorial plaque for the victims of December ’70 unveiled in 1980 at the main gate of the plant (the inscription on the back read: “To the Holy Father John Paul II as a gift from NSZZ Solidarity of Western Pomerania”), and a live lamb.
In the further part of the Holy Mass, the Pope crowned the figure of Our Lady of Fatima. It was associated with the parish being established in the Słoneczne housing estate, conceived as a votive offering of gratitude for the saving of John Paul II’s life after the aforementioned assassination attempt in May 1981.
After imparting the blessing, John Paul II addressed the faithful gathered at Jasne Błonia directly once again. He spoke, among other things: “Dear Brothers and Sisters. I wish to thank Szczecin for welcoming us with such beautiful weather, sunshine, and a wind from the sea. You know well that this Pope travels to various parts of the world, and across various oceans and seas it falls to him to celebrate the Eucharist and experience the impact of the wind from different seas. But here, a wind from the Baltic! From that sea which we call ours, from our sea.”
Next, the Pope went to the Major Seminary. This was a very important point on the agenda from the perspective of the local Church. The young Diocese of Szczecin-Kamień was still building its institutional foundation, and the seminary was among its most important investments. During his stay on the premises, the Pope laid the cornerstone for the seminary building. A papal lunch also took place at the seminary, attended by a numerous group of clergy and laypeople—including individuals associated with opposition circles, such as Marian Jurczyk and Stanisław Wądołowski. The Pope also had a moment to rest before continuing the official part of his visit around 4:00 PM.
Her next point was a drive to the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle. The route led via the following streets: Pope Paul VI, Zaleskiego, Wyspiańskiego, Armii Czerwonej, Wielkopolska, Lenin Square (pl. Lenina), Wojska Polskiego Avenue, Victory Square (pl. Zwycięstwa), Cardinal Wyszyński St., Sołtysia, and Grodzka. Thousands of people gathered along the streets wanting to catch even a brief glimpse of the Pope. According to government data, about 20,000 people gathered along the travel route.
The meeting at the cathedral was addressed to the clergy, alumni, women religious, and representatives of diocesan circles. Nearly 3,000 people participated in it. Following joint prayer and reading, the Pope gave guidance to the alumni in his speech, among other things, to acquire knowledge and “imitate the poor Christ.” At the conclusion, John Paul II presented a chalice to Bishop Majdański in commemoration of his stay in Szczecin. In doing so, he addressed the ordinary with the words: “May this chalice remind us that today we celebrated the Eucharist together. Not only recalling it in words, but also with the physical presence of the Pope. God reward you!”
After the meeting in the cathedral, the Pope headed back to Goleniów. There, an official farewell took place, after which, at around 6:20 PM, the papal aircraft departed for Gdynia. The Szczecin leg of the pilgrimage lasted only a few hours, but its program was very intensive. John Paul II’s visit also left a lasting mark in Szczecin—the places visited by the Pope and the mementos he left behind became important reference points for Szczecin’s religious life for years to come.
More:
Zbigniew Stanuch, ks. Grzegorz Wejman, Jan Paweł II w Szczecinie. Przygotowania do wizyty, jej przebieg i przesłanie, Szczecin–Warszawa: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej 2024.
Magdalena Semczyszyn, „Ogólnie jest klimat dość pozytywny”. Działalność Służby Bezpieczeństwa wobec wizyty Jana Pawła II w Szczecinie w 1987 r. [w:] Solidarność z błoń. Wokół nauczania społecznego Jana Pawła II, red. Maciej Drzonek, Michał Siedziako, Szczecin: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej 2011.
Ks. Grzegorz Wejman, Papież Jan Paweł II w Szczecinie 11 czerwca 1987 r. [w:] Pontyfikat Jana Pawła II. Zagadnienia historyczne i społeczne, red. Krzysztof Guzikowski, Roman Misiak, Szczecin: Wydział Teologiczny Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego 2008.
Jan Paweł II w Szczecinie. Meldunki operacyjne Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Spraw Wewnętrznych z 1987 roku, wstęp Zbigniew Stanuch, wybór i oprac. Magdalena Semczyszyn, Anna Sitkowska, Zbigniew Stanuch, Warszawa–Szczecin: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej 2008.
Michał Siedziako