Francis reflects on the holy heritage, a "boundless devotion" of St. John Paul II

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Wednesday recalled the legacy of St. John Paul II during a meeting at the Vatican with pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Cracow.

St. John Paul II "sought to ensure that the Church became the guardian of the inalienable rights of man, family and people, and that it was a sign of peace, justice and integral development for the whole human family ", The pope declared October 10 in the hall Paul VI.

"At the same time, he has always emphasized the priority of grace and obedience to the will of God, before any human calculation."

The Polish pilgrimage is a thanksgiving for the life and papacy of St. John Paul II; the 40th anniversary of his election as bishop of Rome will take place on October 16th.

Born of Karol Józef Wojtyła, St. John Paul II served the Archdiocese of Krakow as a priest, auxiliary and ordinary bishop before becoming pope.

"St. John Paul II enriched the universal Church with a great abundance of gifts, which he had largely inherited from the treasury of faith and holiness of your country and of your Church ", said Pope Francis to the Cracovians.

"He bore in his heart and, so to speak, in his flesh, the testimony of the Saints of Cracow: from Saint Stanislaus to Saint Jadwiga, Queen of Poland, to Saint Albert and to Saint Faustina. He learned from them boundless dedication to God and great sensitivity for every man; the devotion and sensitivity that manifested itself in his priestly, episcopal and papal ministry. "

The saint "received from God the great gift of knowing how to read the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel, and he made it fruitful for the benefit of the way of his people, of your people, who, in their various sufferings have never lost faith in God or fidelity to their own culture, rooted in the Christian spirit, "Francis said.

It is by being faithful to these roots that St. John Paul II led the Church in the defense of inalienable rights, he said.

The pope declared that the legacy of St. John Paul II is "a challenge to be faithful to Christ and respond with a joyous devotion to the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each one. between us in our specific personal, family and social situation. . "

"From heaven, he accompanies your way: families, young people and grandparents, priests, nuns and all consecrated persons; the most disadvantaged, the suffering. I, too, trust you for his intercession.