TedLipien.com
John Paul II was understandably proud that he and other Poles were able to preserve religion and national identity by remembering and cherishing their nation’s past. But those who grew up in safer, more individualistic, and culturally diverse societies may find it difficult to comprehend what Wojtyła meant when he referred to “the faith of our Fathers” or when he spoke about the irreplaceable role of families in Poland. Why should women sacrifice their education, careers, and standard of living for themselves and their children to raise large families? Why should they forego artificial birth control? Why shouldn’t they break with tradition, have fewer children, and seek to become spiritual leaders in the Catholic Church? The answers to these questions would be quite different if they came from Polish women than if they came from secular feminists in the West. Addressing a Polish audience, even John Paul II admitted that his message of the importance of historical and religious traditions may not make much sense to the non-Poles:
"...you are from the shores of the Vistula River, where in the more than a thousand year history of the Christian nation lies the key to your spirit, psychology, way of thinking and behavior -- sometimes perhaps not comprehensible to others."
