CC#10--Those Nine Days In June

Welcome to the theory to action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time to help you take action immediately, and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now, here's your host, David Kaiser.

Hello, I'm David and welcome back to another theory to action podcast and another Catholic corner. This is the final episode in our liberty week celebration. So be sure to check out the previous week of episodes starting with Memorial Day special. So those nine days in June, those nine days in June of 1979. Those nine days in June and 1979 was the epic moment. Let's go to our first book. Quote. 

When John Paul the second kiss the ground at the Warsaw airport on June 2 1979. He began the process by which communism in Poland and ultimately everywhere else in Europe will come to an end. Hundreds of 1000s of his countrymen cheered his entry into the city. Shouting we want God we want God. A million greeted him the next day, and grez no attached to Hova. On the following day the crowds were even larger. By the time the pope reached his own home city of Krakow. Between two and 3 million people were there to welcome him, many of them the young people the party had hoped to Athonite lies, who's making all this noise the pope joked. Stay with us they chanted in response stay with us. As he left the city in which as he put it, every stone in every brick is dear to me. John Paul reiterated the great theme of his pace papacy. Be not afraid. You must be strong Dear brothers and sisters. With the strength of faith, you must be strong with the strength, the strength of hope. You must be strong with love, which is stronger than death. When we are strong with the Spirit of God, we are also strong with a faith in man. There is therefore no need to fear. The Pope Joseph Stalin was repeatedly fond of asking, how many divisions has he got? John Paul the second during those nine days he spent in Poland in 1979 provided the answer, unquote. 

And these words come to us from Yale's authoritative cold war historian John Lewis Gaddis, in his 2006 book, The Cold War, a new history. Those nine days in June, were the epic moment on which the history of the 20th century pivoted. Think about that. It pivoted in a more humane way. Think about that to just some 43 years ago, George Weigel helps us to remember these nuggets of wisdom, these nuggets of freedom. In fact, these nuggets of religious freedom, and what is now being called a revolution of conscience. And his book, The End of them beginning John Paul the second the victory of freedom the last years. And the legacy Weigel reminds us of the pontificate of John Paul, the second was already being described as one of the most consequential and two millennia of Christian history. 

We can say with more certainty now and 2022. And this book, the end of the beginning was written in 2010, we can say that statement is unequivocally more true now than ever. We are now seeing the forest from the trees so to speak. And there is so much to study in the history of the Pontifical of St. John Paul the second Yes, I say now a saint because he was declared such by the Catholic Church there is so much to study. But one aspect we should study in more depth is the revolution in religious freedom that was started in June of 1979 in Poland, which led to the collapse of European communism, those nine days in June 9. In 79, which so much has been written about is worthy of our time and study. So let's just take a glimpse today
of what was said and more importantly, of what was not said. Why gold makes clear, the Pope did a masterful job of statecraft. By not talking about politics or economics. 

Weigel says in the book, beyond the necessary courtesies during the arrival and departure ceremonies, the Pope, he went about his business, as if the authorities of the Polish People's Republic simply did not exist, at least not in any meaningful sense, unquote. That's worth noting. That's a nugget of wisdom. To study these nine days in Poland and read how John Paul the second was masterful in speaking truth to power, is to understand how John Paul, the second viewed the world, namely, that there is an authentic history and culture to the world. And those two factors are the real powerful agents in the world. In God's plan, if you will, John Paul, the second would say God acting through human history and culture is the powerful agents, politics and economics are downstream from history and culture. When you live, quote, in the truth, that is Jesus Christ as John Paul, the second would often say, then authentic history, and culture are your worldview. You can get a sense of that now, especially in our current day in the United States, as we fight over history in our country, and why it's so important to get that history, right. Groups, often opposed to each other. Continue to say no, no, this is our authentic history. And the other group says, no, no, no, you are flatly wrong. This is our history. Furthermore, buttressing this worldview, is a great idea of what John Paul the second did. While he was in Poland. He reminded his countrymen and women have their authentic history that deeply Catholic and Polish history. 

John Paul the second took the Polish people back to their 10th century history when Poland's baptism happened, converting them to a Christians, a Christian peoples. This led to their freedom and a deep unequivocal sense of their liberty among the Polish people. So much so that in fact, the Polish people were considered the vanguard of European Christianity for a long time, pretty much in movable immovable in their faith, where we will certainly explore more on this topic and later Catholic corners because it is important. But poles in the 20th century had been subjected to the worst of the worst of the world's bad ideas, namely Nazism. and Soviet communism, they had a front row seat. This Polish Pope started the dominoes falling to change this in 1979. The moral revolution, which started in June, eventually led to the Solidarity Movement, which eventually led to the collapse of European communism, in Poland and in other countries, and ultimately to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. And the final collapse of Soviet, the Soviet Union. So all this is to say that great ideas do matter. Let me repeat that great ideas do matter. Let's go back to Poland in June 1979. And back to Michael's book, quote, by restoring their authentic identity to a people had who had been oppressed for 40 years by giving Poland back to the polls, and giving the polls back to themselves. He created new tools of resistance that communism could not match, igniting a moral revolution between June 2 And June 10 1979. 

John Paul the Second, gave his people the key to their own liberation, the key of aroused consciences, unquote. And speaking above and around the polish and Soviet authorities, John Paul the second restored trust to his former Polish people And that was a trust that was obliterated over those 40 years behind the Iron Curtain.

Let's go back to Waggles book quote what struck observers was not simply the size of the crowds. estimates were that 1/3 of the country some 11 million people saw John Paul the second in person, but they're orderliness. The church organized cadre is of quote, people, guards to guard to help with crowd control, and to a church and to assert the church's right to conduct its own events. The crowds needed very little control, though, for the Pope's call to conscience created a new atmosphere. Unlike the normal rhythms of life under totalitarianism, as the secular dissident Adam Michnik would put it afterward quote, those people, those very people, who were ordinarily frustrated and aggressive and sharp lines were metamorphosed into a cheerful and happy collective, a people filled with dignity. And a country where trust had broken down because of the SP, provocations and manipulations. 

The SP is the Soviet Union secret police in Poland, the SBS provocations and manipulations polls could look at one another, and see how many quote we were, and how many quote they were. And began to trust one another again, civil society was on the mend, breathed back didn't back into existence by the Pope, who had called out to God, quote from the depths of this millennium, quote, to renew the face of Poland, and to give it a new birth, or freedom, unquote. Be interesting if John Paul, the second, was inspired with Lincoln's words, at the Gettysburg Address A New Birth of Freedom. Just curious there. So this theme that rose in each speech of John Paul the seconds during those nine days in June, was this simple call to action to his Polish brethren. 

Quote, you are not who they say you are, the Pope would would propose. And then he would go on to say, let me remind you who you really are. How powerful is that? You are not who they say you are. Let me remind you who you really are. The Pope has a statesman working his craft of using powerful language there and being unequivocally clear. So now our next big idea. It was Vatican foreign policy that was worked very effectively. Moving on to key idea number two and chapter number two. And back to our speaking of Vatican foreign policy. 

This leads us to another nugget of wisdom. the Vatican's OS politieke was not in its crowning achievement as the vet, the Vatican Secretary of State casserole himself, believed it was let's vert let's first define what Vatican OS politic means. Os politic means in German, the Eastern policy. This faulty policy came about under the predecessors of John Paul the Second, namely, Paul, the sixth pontificate from June 1963. To August of 1978. Its motivation was to have more liberal politics towards the Soviet Union and its eastern satellite states, behind what was then the iron curtain to, quote, try and improve the conditions of Christians in general and Catholics in particular, unquote. And the chief architect of this new Eastern policy was the Vatican Secretary of State a guest Tino Castle Rowley. Now, I should stop here and make equipment mentioned that just came across the news that last week, the late Cardinal passed away. He was in his 90s I believe he was 94. So may we say a prayer for this and his eternal rest? Certainly may perpetual light shine upon his soul.

Let's go back to the school back to Michael's book, though, unquote, are quote, according to the Stasi reports and analysis casserole he himself believed that the papal pilgrimage was the crowning of the Vatican OSS politic, but it's not easy to see how that could have been the case as getting the pope into Poland was the personal accomplishment of a Polish pontiff. And the terms in which he spoke during those nine days were not the terms of people, diplomats, unquote. Yes, to put it mildly, the Vatican's OSS politic, we know now was to be a true failure, based on all the unearthing of the communist Stasi records. 

Now, as a side note, Newt Gingrich, and Calista his wife produced a great movie in 2010. describing all these events, the title of that movie is nine days that changed the world. I'll put a link in the show notes to the trailer for this movie. It's worth watching. There's great exclusive interviews, especially from important Polish figures. And it really does tell the story through video and audio of those nine days. It's well worth a tumble if you get the time. So to wrap up in today's Catholic corner, we can take away some great nuggets of wisdom from those nine days in June in 1979, led by Saint John Paul the Second, namely first ideas, whether they're good or ill, are the most powerful forces in the world. Study, learn and implement the great ideas and be aware of those terrible ideas. Now more to come on from the Mojo Academy. As we progress along this track, we will unpack the great ideas, and we will also unpack so we are aware of the terrible ideas. Second, history and culture authentic history and culture are worth studying in each and every country and continent. There's also more to come on this topic too. But history and culture are upstream from politics and economics. One group moves the other, not the other way around. And finally, speaking truth to power no matter if you are the Pope, to some of the most evil regimes in the 20th century, or you are a parent to a teacher or a citizen, to a legislature. The Truth always wins. 

We should be learning the truth, seeking the truth and abiding in the truth because it always wins those events of June 1979 In Poland, and led by this first Polish Pope in history, started the dominoes that led to one of the largest non violent revolutions in the history of the world, and the end of European communism, and the ability for millions to regain their liberty, which even today is hard to measure the significance of those nine days and frankly, the end of European communism. But those days and weeks and months, are becoming more and more clear. John Paul, the second Bleech human beings were made to be free. And he believed that all peoples should be allowed to pursue their religious freedom without interference from any government. And that is a great nugget we can take to the bank. So with that, I hope you enjoyed, have enjoyed our week of liberty themed episodes. We have covered two great ideas. One on Memorial Day, the the willingness of American, the American men and women to put themselves in harm's way. And today's episode where we touched on the power of great ideas and that human beings were made to be free. 

And the Christian message is one in hope of the Lord. We also exposed ourselves to to bad ideas, how the New York Times repeatedly lies when writing their news accounts to fit their ideological worldview. And how the world's worst history textbook subjected millions to a very flawed view of American history that was written by Howard Zinn. So again, we hope that you enjoy these this week of liberty themed Mojo minutes. Our goal this week was to get ourselves out of a personal development space and help to show that flourishing or anti flourishing those big ideas can occur at a national country or even a world level too.
So thank you, St. John Paul, the second for your leadership and being one of the most consequential Pope's in two millennia of Christian history. And we should study your example more often. and more importantly for being an authentic Christian witness to the truth and freedom to millions upon millions around the world.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at T Mojo academy.com where we have everything we discussed in this podcast as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on