Cardinal Dziwisz says beatification of John Paul II 'is in the Pope’s hands'

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov 20, 2009 / 02:23 am MT (CNA).-

During his visit to Argentina this week, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II’s personal secretary, said the cause for beatification of the late Pontiff is dependent upon Pope Benedict XVI.

According to the AICA news agency, Cardinal Dziwisz said, “We Polish bishops do not want to interfere (in the cause). We do not want the Pope to rush, he should analyze it properly.”

During a press conference at the offices of the Apostolic Nunciature in Argentina, the cardinal remarked that people “recognize his legacy” and they show it by the continual processions to his tomb at the Vatican or by visiting Krakow in order “to learn about how he lived and what his culture was like.”

Asked whether John Paul II worked any miracles while alive, Cardinal Dziwisz said, “We couldn’t talk about that, it was forbidden,” however the cardinal revealed that since JPII's death, “there are many things that have been recorded and documented.”

According to the cardinal, the late Pope enjoyed “escaping from the Vatican,” especially to have time outdoors. “It was not diversion for him, he needed it.  At first he would talk with those who accompanied him but later he would just remain in silence, because he said it was his chance to have an encounter with the Creator,” the cardinal said.

He also shared that the Pope “did not use a computer, but wrote with a pencil.”  When he had to think about important things, he would do so in the mountains.  “At the beginning he would go skiing to everyone’s surprise. Nobody thought a Pope would stand in line like everyone else to wait his turn to ski.  Some greeted him with suspicion, others couldn’t believe it.”

“On day a child saw recognized him and said, ‘Holy Father’.  After that he had to be more careful,” the cardinal noted.

Cardinal Dziwisz also told the story of a worker in the Italian Alps who recognized the Pope and invited him to his house “for a glass of wine.”  “My wife is very devotional,” he told the Pontiff.  “She goes to church to find the Pope and here’s the Pope in my house!” the man joked.