On 27 April, Pauline Editions (Paulinky Nakladatelstvi), in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute in Prague, organized an evening encounter to celebrate the beatification of John Paul II.
The gathering took place in the Archbishop’s house, and guests of honor for the occasion were Mr. and Mrs. Poltawski, intimate friends of Karol Wojtyla. Archbishop Dominik Duka opened the evening with a warm welcome to all his guests, saying how pleased he was to host the event.
Afterward, the substitute Ambassador of Poland in Prague, Mr. Marek Minarczuk, spoke about Pope John Paul II’s important role in opposing the communist regime and then serving as a symbol of freedom from it.
The high point of the evening was Dr. Poltawska’s testimony concerning her decades-long friendship with Karol Wojtyla, who had become her spiritual guide while she was a med-ical student.He “walked beside her” for over 50 years, following the development of her fam-ily, her medical practice and her work with young people.
Dr. Poltawska’s testimony was interwoven with readings from her book, Denik pra-telstvi. Korespondence mezi Wandou Pltawskou a Karolem Wojtylou (Diary of a Friendship: The Correspondence between Wanda Poltawska and Karol Wojtyla), published by Pauline Editions.
Afterward, Fr. Miroslav Simacek and Dana Pilchova, both of whom spent time with John Paul II on his visits to the Czech Republic, were interviewed. The evening was enriched by musical intervals and a video on the Pope.