OCTOBER 22 – MEMORY DAY OF ST. JOHN PAUL II, POPE: PATRONAL FEAST OF THE PARISH OF ST. JOHN PAUL II

On October 22, the day of memory of St. John Paul II, the Apostolic Prefect of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, Bishop Vladimir Fekete celebrated the Holy Mass in honor of the parish’s patronal feast in the Baku Catholic Parish of St. John Paul II

On the occasion of the patronal celebration, the relics of the holy pontiff, brought by Bishop Vladimir Fekete from Rome and given to the parish in 2022 were exposed for veneration in the parish chapel.

Commenting on the Sunday Gospel (Matthew 22, 15:21), in which Christ utters His famous phrase: “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God ,” Bishop Vladimir Fekete noted that in the history of mankind there have always been systems that deliberately placed “Caesar” – one or another earthly ideology, political or economic power, in the place of God, and each time this led to the most severe violence and bloodshed, the suffering of innocent people, and moral degradation.

“The 20th century was marked by many bloody crimes of two totalitarian systems – nazism and communism, which, despite their differences, were united by one thing – the expulsion of God from human life and the deification of political ideology. Saint John Paul II, who witnessed the severe suffering that these systems brought to people, played a special role in freeing the consciousness of societies from the false postulates of these and similar systems. Unfortunately, in our time, the idea of building a life without God is gaining new relevance and its bitter fruits are already obvious,” noted Bishop Vladimir Fekete.

The memory of St. John Paul II is especially dear to the Catholics of Azerbaijan, since it was with his historic visit in 2002 – the first visit of the Roman Pontiff to the ancient land of Azerbaijan – that the process of revival of the Catholic Church in our country began. During this visit, President of the Republic Heydar Aliyev granted a plot of land to the Catholic community of Azerbaijan for the construction of a temple as a sign of special respect for the distinguished guest, as well as evidence of goodwill and commitment to the culture of tolerance.

The revival of the spiritual life of Catholics and the religious structures of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan was supported by the country’s secular authorities, heads of traditional religious communities, government and public figures.

“Thank God, we live in a country where the state understands the importance of spiritual and religious values and provides support to religious communities, including the Catholic Church, in their activities. We freely proclaim our faith and can proclaim the Gospel to people seeking God and meaning in their lives. Today we can glorify God together for all His blessings, for the gift of the apostolic ministry of St. John Paul II and ask the Lord that He, through the intercession of St. Pope John Paul, bless us, our Local Church, preserve and strengthen peace in our society,” said, in conclusion, Bishop Vladimir Fekete.