Defensor pacis

John Paul II, in December 1980, wrote to the head of the Kremlin in defense of his Poland.

«To His Excellency Leonid Brezhnev, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The subject of my letter is the concern of Europe and the world about the tension created by the internal events that have taken place in Poland in recent months. Poland is one of the signatory countries of the Helsinki Final Act.

This nation was, in September 1939, the first victim of an aggression at the origins of that terrible period of occupation which lasted until 1945. Throughout the Second World War the Poles stood by their allies, fighting above all the fronts, and the destructive fury of this conflict cost Poland the loss of almost six million of her children (…). Therefore, bearing in mind the various and serious reasons for concern created by the tension over the current situation in Poland, I ask you to do everything possible so that everything which, according to a widespread opinion, constitutes the cause of this concern, is removed . This is indispensable for détente in Europe and in the world, a détente which I believe can only be achieved with faithful respect for the solemn principles of the Helsinki Final Act, in which the criteria for regulating relations between states were proclaimed, and in particular the principle of respect for the rights intrinsic to sovereignty, as well as the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of each of the signatory states. The events that have taken place in Poland in recent months have been caused by the unavoidable need for the economic reconstruction of the country, which at the same time requires a moral reconstruction, based on the conscious commitment, in solidarity, of all the forces of society as a whole .

I trust that he will do everything in his power to dissipate the current tension, so that political public opinion is reassured with regard to this very urgent and delicate problem. I sincerely hope that you will be so kind as to welcome and carefully examine what I have deemed it my duty to submit to you, in consideration of the fact that I am inspired only by the interests of peace and understanding between peoples. Johannes Paulus P.P. II".

The USSR will not invade Poland. Five months later, Ali Agca shoots the Pope in St. Peter's Square.

Renzo Agasso

NP Dicembre 2022