"Let us not be afraid," Apostolic Nuncio Appeals, Urges Polish Community in South Africa to Bear "witness to faith"

Johannesburg, 17 November, 2025 / 3:28 PM

The Apostolic Nuncio in South Africa has urged members of the Polish community in the country to not give in to fear amid contemporary challenges in the country and to remain steadfast in witnessing to their faith.

In his Sunday, November 16 homily while presiding over Holy Mass on the occasion of the 107th anniversary of Poland’s regaining independence, Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński emphasized that the world needs witnesses in the wake of the challenges.

Reflecting on the Gospel reading (Luke 21:5-19) in which Jesus speaks about signs such as wars, hatred, false prophets, famine, as well as persecution, the latter providing an opportunity to bear witness, Archbishop Jagodziński posed, “Does it sound familiar? Do we not see all of these also today?”

“A world that more and more often rejects God, that plays with human life, that relativizes truth – this world today needs witnesses,” he said, adding that according to Jesus in the Gospel, this type of world provides believers “an opportunity to bear witness.”

“Let us not be afraid to be those who bear witness to faith. Let us not be afraid to be Poles faithful to Christ. Let our life—also here, in emigration—be a testimony that a nation lives as long as it remains with God,” the Apostolic Nuncio said during Holy Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Parish of the Archdiocese of Pretoria.

The native of Poland, who has been the Holy Father’s representative in the Southern African nation since April 2024, reminded the members of the Polish community that the “greatest treasure” they can “pass on to the next generations is faith. Living faith. Faith that leads to life.”

He went on to recall the visit of St. John Paul II to the Republic of South Africa in 1995, describing him as the “Pope of hope, who always carried a word of encouragement here, on this African soil.”

“In his last book, ‘Memory and Identity,’ our great compatriot said, ‘The homeland is the common good of all citizens, and as such it is also a great responsibility. It is a task,’” the 56-year-old Vatican diplomat said, referring to the 264th Pontiff, who was born in Wadowice, Poland.

He added, “This task endures—whether we are in Warsaw, in Kraków, in Kielce, or right here—in Johannesburg. For Poland it is not only geography. It is heart. It is faith. It is a heritage. And it is commitment.”

“As people journeying through history with eyes fixed on Christ, we are invited today to rediscover that our homeland has not only earthly borders but also a heavenly destiny,” Archbishop Jagodziński said.

The Nuncio in South Africa reflected on his country’s 107th national independence day, during which the Polish nation in Central Europe also marked the 1000th anniversary of “the coronation of Bolesław the Brave as King of Poland.”

“That event from centuries ago was not only a political act but also a spiritual sealing of our nation’s identity as a people united around Christ the King,” he recalled, noting that Poland never lost its royal dignity despite “the complexities of history, despite partitions, wars, and sufferings.”

He added, “Poland was resurrected because she did not cease to pray, did not cease to believe, and did not cease to trust. She was born from hope, and through hope she endured. And today—here, in emigration, as we pray for her, we are part of that same miracle.”

In his November 16 homily, Archbishop Jagodziński encouraged the members of the Polish community in South Africa to keep hope alive, emphasizing that “Christian hope is not cheap optimism. It flows from the Cross and the Resurrection. From the conviction that God never abandons His people.”

He said, “Let us not lose hope! For God is faithful, even though everything may tremble. For Christ is with us, even if the sky grows dark. For Mary—the Queen of Poland—watches over us, even here—in the southern hemisphere.”

The Archbishop invoked the intercession of Mary, the Queen of Poland, saying, “May She, the Mother of Beautiful Love and the Mother of Justice and Peace, who has reigned for centuries at Jasna Góra and shines in the Gate of Dawn, as well as in the hearts of Poles, intercede for us.”

“May She lead us—children of a nation baptized more than a thousand years ago—along the path of faithfulness, courage, and hope,” he implored.