The School of Patriotism in the Sermons of Karol Wojtyła

Summary Patriotism is a value which continues to lead to numerous polemics. Writing from a feminist perspective, Magdalena Środa claims that she associates the word “patriotism” with aggression or great boredom. Among those who have discussed this topic, there is a lack of consensus not only on the substance of the matter but even regarding how many kinds of patriotism there are. “There is but one patriotism, just as there is one honesty, one morality, one dignity, and one honor […]. There is but one patriotism, or one’s attitude towards his or her fatherland, one’s attitude towards values, one’s attitude towards the nation, and one’s attitude towards the state” (Władysław Bartoszewski). Among the many questions that patriotism and its understanding give rise to in the twenty-first century, it is worth recalling the teaching of Karol Wojtyła, who was unquestionably a great Pole and patriot. The centenary of the Polish Pope’s birth in 2020 is conducive to such an effort. On the basis of the sermons that Karol Wojtyła preached before his election to the Chair of St. Peter, we can indicate that his patriotism was shaped by the material monuments of Polish history, the figures of great national heroes, and love of one’s nation, language, tradition, and culture.