JP II monument to be unveiled in Moscow
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
27.09.2011 12:05
A new statue of the Blessed Pope John Paul II is to be unveiled in Moscow on 14 October, Polish Radio has learnt.
The presentation ceremony of the late Polish pope is to take place on the day of the 33rd anniversary of the beginning of the conclave, which saw Cardinal Karol Wojtyla elected as pope two days later.
The monument is to stand in the courtyard of the State Library for Foreign Literature in the Russian capital.
“This is an extraordinary gesture by the Russian authorities for all Christians living in Russia,” Fr Jozef Zaniewski, rector of Moscow Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception has said.
“John Paul II loved Russia and wanted to come here, but he was not able to during his lifetime,” Zaniewski continued.
The move to unveil a monument to the Polish pope comes after John Paul’s former secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz donated an ampoule of the Pope’s blood to the cathedral. (jb)