Pilgrimage, Mourning, and Tradition: Commemorative Rituals and Material Responses to the Death of John Paul II in Poland

Abstract

The death of John Paul II in his Vatican residence on April 2, 2005 was a date that had an immense impact upon the world and the Polish nation in particular, as a level of strength and collective unity was put on display that had rarely been seen. It resulted in the pilgrimage of over one million Poles to the Eternal City and the organization of ceremonies of mourning across the country that saw the participation of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people. In the days following the death, Poles flocked around their hero in an unprecedented way, showing a powerful collective manifestation of modern Polish identity. In the homeland of Karol Wojtyła, the event marked not only that one of the most charismatic and influential men of the twentieth century and the head of the world's largest church had just died-for millions of Poles, a spiritual and national father had died, seen as a saint in the making and as the man who had led his people from the tribulations of centuries of dark history, leading them towards the forging of a new destiny and identity. Millions wept, lit candles, and organized marches and masses that saw attendance rise to the millions, many of them preparing for the long journey to Rome to pay their final respects to their hero. According to Piotr Wyrobiec, Director of the Cultural Centre in Wadowice, 'for Poles, his death was a time of quiet vigil, recollection, inconsolable grief, and spirituality which spread all over the country. Few remained indifferent. This collective experience made us a united community. During that week, "dying" gained a new, deep meaning. The world came to a halt, and the old rules governing our lives were no longer valid.'(1) These days were indeed marked by a collective period of remembrance, grief and commemoration. Poles of every social and political leaning worked together as a strong sense of unity and community was created throughout the country. As Britons had marked the death of Diana several years before, Poles engaged in a flurry of 'obsessive' mourning activity, including the signing of condolence books, the leaving of personalized notes, and the placing of flowers at makeshift shrines, thus marking the period with a spirit of communal social action [Johnson 18-21]. The days leading up to one of the most important funerals in history