John Paul II

The Shepherd and His Little Flock

The Pontiff’s 95th trip, from May 22nd to 26th, to Azerbaijan, where he brought his blessing to the country’s 120 Catholics and cried out “Peace in the name of God.” Then to Bulgaria, where he reconfirmed his love for that people and beatified three martyred priests

BY RENATO FARINA

What is that man doing in Baku, on the Caspian Sea, lifted about like an invalid from a forklift to a platform? He almost cannot pronounce clearly even a bit of a phrase. We could make out the words “Christ” and “God bless you.” Everyone was thinking, perhaps subconsciously: this is a waste of heroism. Here there are 120 (one hundred twenty!) Catholics out of eight million people. The others don’t even know who he is. And yet, in these absolutely fragile actions, the meaning of the world is at stake. In the large hotel in the capital of Azerbaijan, an ancient nation and a young state, rich in oil and in wounds, a skinny boy came up to the breathless journalists and said, “Can you let me see the Pope up close, at the Mass, please?” Why? “I am a Catholic. I haven’t been one very long–I met a Polish family. The Pope is coming to see us and I am afraid I won’t get a good look at him.”
John Paul II’s apostolic visit from May 22nd to 26th, to Azerbaijan in the Caucasus and to Bulgaria in the Balkans, was the 95th of his pontificate. This was not a challenge to himself and his infirmity, but pure obedience to his mandate. I saw him up close, even in the moments of greatest exhaustion, when he was struggling with his difficulty in expressing himself even only by lifting his hand in blessing or greeting; he was glad. He knew who he was: the Apostle Peter who keeps the Church united and confirms the belonging to Mystery of those who have been baptized. He cannot stay seated unless the doctors tie him down. One day in 1994, talking to the Italian bishops, John Paul II said, “It seems that today the Pope must be present, not only spiritually, but also physically and personally, in the various parts of the world. This is what Christ taught us. He did not say, ‘Sit in the Vatican,’ He said, ‘Go into all the world, even to the ends of the earth.’”

Do not fear!
The Pope came to honor this tiny group of Catholics, reinforced by the visit of faithful from Georgia and other Asiatic republics like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as groups of Orthodox. He said just this (quoting St Peter): “‘Honor to you who believe!’ [1 Pet 2:7] Yes, beloved brothers and sisters of the Catholic community of Baku, ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,’ says the Lord in the Gospel passage we have just heard. Truly, Lord Jesus, You knew Your sheep, even when they were persecuted and forced to hide. You knew them and were close to them, and supported them when they were disheartened by severe physical and moral isolation and tempted to scatter during the Marxist persecution. For their part, your sheep continued to know and recognize You, to experience Your comforting presence… beloved sons and daughters of the Catholic Church, today the Pope is with you. He knows you. ‘Little flock,’ do not be afraid!”
The Pope went to visit the 120 Catholics, but he asked also to talk with the eight million Azeri, almost all of whom are Shiite Muslims. He asked everyone to open their hearts: “The One God, shrouded in unapproachable mystery, has chosen to speak to man.” This is “something that is dear to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.” Here Islam has been able to accept the albeit infinitesimal Christian presence, leaving it free, allowing people to approach and adhere to it. The Pope sees in this a crucial example. He had no more strength to speak, but passed his speech to an interpreter, and the great words of peace that he came to deliver in person resonated: “Enough of wars in the name of God! No more profanation of His holy name! I have come to Azerbaijan as an ambassador of peace. As long as I have breath within me I shall cry out, ‘Peace, in the name of God!’”

The Bulgarian connection and misunderstandings
In Bulgaria, the Catholic community numbers about 80,000 faithful, one percent of the population of eight million. This visit was important to the Pope for many reasons. First and foremost, he wanted to dispel all misunderstanding about the so-called Bulgarian connection in regard to the instigators of his attempted assassination of May 13, 1981. In no case, no matter who is guilty, has the Pope ever ceased to love and respect the Bulgarian people. The Pope did even more, precisely to eliminate any shadow and any bitterness in the hearts of those welcoming him: he revealed that he “never believed” this accusation. What is more, the Communist regime has kept under its heel this very people which has offered Catholic and Orthodox martyrs, executed on the grounds of ridiculous accusations of espionage after “infamous trials.” John Paul II beatified three priests in Plovdiv, the ancient capital of Thrace. Kamen Vitchev, Pavel Pjidjov, and Josaphat Chichkov were raised to the glory of the altars with the heartfelt blessing of the Orthodox Metropolite Arsenij–this is the ecumenism of martyrs. More than ever there is a need for unity, said the Pope. We are called to this. The times call for this. It is more necessary than ever for the Balkans and all of Europe to acknowledge their identity in their Christian roots. The martyrs proclaim this. Freedom and resistance to every form of tyranny draw on this source. European unity can take on substance only through this.

Come and see
All this cannot be ideology, proclamations of doctrine and morals. These things say little or nothing. The road is a different one. We understood this very well when John Paul II met with the young people in Plovdiv. Last February, he wrote to Fr Giussani recalling that the Movement had indicated not “a road, but the road.” Youth is “a time of life given by God to each person as a gift and a task. It is a time to seek the answers to fundamental questions, like the young man in the Gospel, and to discover not only the meaning of life but also a specific plan of life.” And lo, the Pope is here. He is listening. “He is here among you to share with you the certainty which is Christ, the truth which is Christ, the love which is Christ.” How can we be sure of this? “‘Come and see,’ as Jesus said to the two disciples who had asked Him where He lived. Do not be afraid.” Jesus is a friend, a demanding friend. “Knock down the barriers of superficiality and fear!”
Then the Pope returned to Rome, announcing his trip to Toronto at the end of July for World Youth Day. I personally was moved by this episode. Saturday afternoon, May 25th, the Popemobile was entering the courtyard of St Joseph’s Church, the Latin cathedral of Sofia. He was worn out. There was a small, discreet banner: “Communion and Liberation.” His secretary, Msgr Stanislaw Dziwisz, pointed it out to him. He lifted his right hand from the handleba–God knows how difficult and painful this was for him–and with his characteristic gesture pointed his index finger toward the small group. He meant: I know you, I acknowledge you, I bless you.