A Great Lesson of Spirituality and Humanism. Pope John Paul II at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris (2 June 1980)
A Great Lesson of Spirituality and Humanism. Pope John Paul II at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris (2 June 1980)

Summary/Abstract: The speech given by St. Pope John Paul II at the UNESCO headquarters in Parison June 2, 1980 has a special place among his numerous addresses concerning culture.Referring to the cultural changes which took place in the last three centuries the popestood up for culture, emphasising that, in an individual dimension, culture representsthe constitutive element of life of every man and, correspondingly, in a social dimension, it provides a support for self-determination and for the freedom of nations. Formulating such a message, the pope referred to Polish experiences, in order to highlightthe significance and the primacy of the person and to point out the subjective meaningof a nation and the ethical dimension of culture. In the papal message one can also finda call for cultural opposition against contemporary subjectivism and other tendenciesheading towards the disinheritance of man and to the shutting of the door of the universal horizon of hope and love, which is based on manifold human experiences fromthe past.

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