John Paul II and academic life

Abstract

Utilizing John Paul II’s numerous statements addressed to Polish and international academic circles, this paper attempts to reconstruct the Pope’s views on the foundations of the university which he perceived to be a “cultural masterpiece”. The paper refers to the Pope’s opinion that academics need to face three elementary tasks: research, transmission of knowledge, and – last but not least – the formation of the younger generation’s character. It emphasizes that the Polish Pope considered the development of basic sciences very important and warned against the dominance of applied sciences. The Pope demanded that the humanities be returned to their proper position and reminded Polish scholars that they are obliged to teach “wise patriotism”. The final part of the paper attempts to address the efficacy of the Pope’s teachings. It concludes that, in the second part of the 90’s, the Pope initiated a broad process of healing Polish academic life, a process that continues today.