Polish Church celebrates 100
years of National independence
 |
| A Solemn Mass in Warsaw celebrates 100 years of National Independence. |
A solemn Mass crowns a day of cultural celebrations for the
Polish people.
By John Waters
For many countries across the world November 11th marked
Armistice Day that commemorates the end of the First World War. But in
Poland, November 11th is also independence day and 2018 marked
100 years since Poland gained its independence from
the German, Austrian and Russian Empires.
The Temple of Divine Providence
This year the Church in Poland gathered for a Solemn Mass at
the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw to celebrate the centenary of the
country’s independence. Construction of the massive temple began shortly after
independence but had to be halted while Poland was under communist rule in the
latter half of the twentieth century. Construction restarted after the fall of
Communism in 1989. The temple was formally opened in 2016.
Letter from Pope Francis
A letter sent by Pope Francis the Polish church to celebrate
the occasion was read out to the congregation by Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki.
In the letter the Pope said “Taking up the prayer of St. Pope John Paul II, a
special witness of this century, I ask God to bestow the grace of faith, hope,
and love on all Poles, so that they may make good use of unity and peace along
with the precious gift of freedom.”
The Mass was celebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland,
Archbishop Salvatore Pennachio. Many of Poland’s bishops were present, along
with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda;
Speakers of the Sejm and of the Senate, Marek Kuchciński and Stanisław
Karczewski; and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Many other social and cultural events were planned to
celebrate the day. At 12 noon local time, many churches rang their bells in a
nationwide gesture of celebration.
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