Cardinal Parolin: We ask for peace through the intercession of St. John Paul II

By Wojciech Rogacin

“Following the example of the Apostle Peter, St. John Paul II became one upon whom the faith of so many people who drew closer to Christ was founded. In this time marked by wars, let us ask for peace in the world through his intercession,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, in a homily on Thursday, October 22.

He was celebrating Mass on St. John Paul II’s feast day at his tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica.

It is a place of prayer and remembrance where numerous pilgrims, particularly from Poland, gather every Thursday. On the feast day of the Polish pontiff, hundreds of people attended the celebration and more than 100 priests concelebrated, including Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

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In his homily, Cardinal Parolin recalled a reflection by the young Bishop Karol Wojtyła. In 1962, as he looked at the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica and reflected on the figure of the Apostle Peter, Wojtyła wrote in his poem “The Floor”:

“Do you wish to be here the floor upon which others walk to reach the place toward which you guide their steps?”

“Following the example of the Apostle Peter, St. John Paul II was also the floor upon which the faith of so many people advanced toward Christ. The floor—that is, his adherence to Christ—became not only a model but also a support, a point of reference, and a compass for so many believers,” the Cardinal continued.

Absorbed in dialogue with God

Referring to the Gospel for the day, in which Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”, Cardinal Parolin noted that Wojtyła himself had probably asked himself this question many times while also carrying out Jesus’ command to strengthen his brothers in the faith.

Just as Peter’s response to Christ’s question reveals the intimate communion of his relationship with the Lord, so Pope John Paul II lived in a special closeness to the Lord, particularly during his moments of deep prayer.

“In those moments, he could be seen completely absorbed in an intimate and affectionate dialogue with Jesus,” Cardinal Parolin recalled.

Faithful participating in the Mass {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","contentUrl": "https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2026/ottobre/22/nh.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg","creditText": "Vatican News","height": "750","width": "422"} Peace: A good to be cultivated

Closing, the Secretary of State urged the faithful to invoke the intercession of the Polish Pope for today’s world.

“Today we turn to him, asking that he continue to intercede with the Lord for the whole world, in this time ravaged by wars. Through his intercession, we ask God for the gift of peace, a peace that takes root in people’s consciences, as he declared in 2005: ‘Peace is a good to be promoted with good…It also needs to be maintained and fostered by decisions and actions inspired by good.’”

“May the Mother of God,” the Cardinal concluded, “touch the consciences of all people, guiding each of us toward constructive plans for peace founded on truth and justice.”