THE PRESS FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1983. The Pope’s visit to Poland

Press, 24 June 1983, Page 14

THE PRESS FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1983. The Pope’s visit to Poland

For the Polish authorities, the eight-day visit of Pope John Paul n to Poland could not go fast enough. Whatever the Polish Government hoped to gain from the visit could not have been worth the trouble that the visit caused. Possibly the Government hoped to demonstrate that it was sufficiently in control of the country to permit the visit. Perhaps it even hoped that the Pope’s visit would lend respectability to the events of the years since his last visit, including the period of martial law, and the continued suspension of many civil rights. Had the visit gone without incident, the Polish authorities might have hoped for gratitude from Polish Catholics that their spiritual father had been able to minister to them. As it turned out, the atmosphere during the visit was tense and the Polish authorities will be glad to see the back of the Pope. The Polish Government also hoped that the trade union, Solidarity, had been buried for good. Instead, Solidarity banners were raised at meetings addressed by the Pope, and the Pope referred constantly to values that had been espoused by Solidarity; sometimes he named the banned trade union. A meeting was arranged between the former Solidarity leader, Mr Lech Walesa, and the Pope. A “V” sign, which has been associated with Solidarity, was made time and again by those listening to the Pope. The Pope spoke of the suffering and the suppression of peoples, and neither the Polish authorities nor those listening to the Pope would have any doubts about who had caused the suffering and the suppression. Much of what the Pope said was in the language of religion; there is no doubt that those who heard him were intended to understand it as relevant to the political life of Poland. The Pope’s visit has demonstrated that the

idea of Solidarity has not been buried and, although driven underground, the organisation will surface quickly when there is a chance for it to survive. The Polish authorities did not like seeing the Solidarity banners and asked the church controllers of the crowds to do something about them. Little, if anything, was done. The visit also demonstrated that there continues to be a strong link between the Catholic Church and the movements in Poland that seek a liberalisation of civil rights. This complicates the problem for the Polish Government. While it is possible to ban Solidarity, or to ban any other movement which appears to be a rival to the authority of the Government, it is not possible to ban religion. The close identification of Catholicism and the movements for civil and political liberties, makes it almost impossible to isolate Solidarity and to suppress it. The Pope’s visit is unlikely to have made the Polish Government keen to relax the restrictions still in force in Poland after the suspension of martial law. Given the chance, many Poles still show their allegiance to the ideas of Solidarity. The Polish authorities are unlikely to give them the chance very often. The Polish Government will hope that something like calm will return after the Pope’s visit. If it does not, the Government will begin to feel pressures from Moscow once more. The Prime Minister, General Jaruzelski, has attempted to demonstrate to Moscow that he can handle Poland’s internal affairs. The Pope’s second visit to Poland has shown that it is hard to satisfy the spiritual hopes of Poland’s overwhelmingly Catholic people without also raising political expectations that are bitterly at odds with the Governments in Warsaw and Moscow.