Hero or traitor? Pope’s aide in Polish controversy
WARSAW, Poland — One of the cardinal rules in the Catholic church: obedience to the pope. So it has come as a shock for many in the Catholic world that John Paul II’s most trusted confidant has betrayed the beloved pontiff’s last will and testament by publishing personal notes he wanted burned.
Deep moral dilemmas were at stake for Stanislaw Dziwisz — between loyalty and conscience, the wishes of the pope and the obligations of history.
John Paul ordered the notes burned after his death and put Dziwisz, his secretary, in charge of the task. To everyone’s surprise, Dziwisz, now a cardinal, said recently that he “did not have the courage” to destroy the notes and is having them published as a precious insight into the inner life of the beloved pontiff, who will be declared a saint in April.
The book — “Very Much in God’s Hands. Personal Notes 1962-2003” — comes out in Poland on Wednesday....