Święci Cyryl i Metody jako patroni Europy w nauczaniu Jana Pawła II

Abstract

Contemporary Europe is experiencing a serious crisis, manifested, among others in demographic problems and in the axiological vacuity caused by the expelling of religion from all areas of life. The causes of this crisis are much deeper and not are only on the economic and political level. We have the crisis of the identity. One must to look for an antidote to this situation. One of the authorities who often speaks on themes linked with the identity of Europe is John Paul II, who for almost 27 years of his pontificate devoted many initiatives, speeches, homilies and documents to this matter. The proposal of the papal teaching concerns, among others, references to the heritage of the Saint Patrons of the Old Continent: Benedict, Cyril and Methodius, Brigitte of Sweden, Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. We don’t just mean here about recalling their historical merits, but above all about the actuality of their message for contemporary Europeans. Sa­ints Cyril and Methodius are called the Apostles of the Slavs because their evangelizing activity concerned various Slavic nations. Both brothers acted on the instructions of the Bishop of Constantinople, but they constantly sought confirmation of their mission from the Bishop of Rome. Therefore, they are an example of efforts to build the unity of the Church. They used inculturation in their evangelizing activity. They did not destroy native Slavic cultures, but transformed them in the spirit of the Gospel. For this purpose, they created a new alphabet, called the Cyrillic alphabet. Cyril translated the history of the Church Fathers, and his group of translators translated into Slavic nearly all of the Holy Scriptures and liturgical books. For today’s Europeans, Saints Cyril and Methodius may be the best model of building unity.