Late Pontiff’s Notes Saved
The longtime private secretary to Pope John Paul II said Saturday that he did not burn the late pontiff’s notes as his will instructed, arguing that the papers contain “great riches” and should be preserved.
Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who worked with the pope from 1966 until his death this year, told Polish state radio that there are “quite a lot of manuscripts on various issues.” He offered no details.
“Nothing has been burned,” Dziwisz said. “Nothing is fit for burning; everything should be preserved and kept for history, for the future generations -- every single sentence.
“These are great riches that should gradually be made available to the public.”
Dziwisz did not say when or how that might happen.
He suggested that some of John Paul’s notes, along with his own, could prove useful in the beatification process for the late pontiff.
Last month, Pope Benedict XVI said he was lifting a five-year waiting period to start the process to beatify John Paul.
Beatification is the last formal step before the late pontiff could be made a saint.
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