Hundreds of Zhytomyr residents as well as the Polish Consul General in Vinnytsia Krzysztof Swiderek and other distinguished guests came together at the Castle Square of the city in front of the Roman Catholic St. Sophia Cathedral. The monument, showing the Pope standing on a high pedestal, was erected to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his apostolic visit to Ukraine. It was no coincidence that Zhytomyr’s mayor Volodymyr Deboy quoted during the unveiling ceremony one of the many famous sayings of John Paul II, namely the one teaching that “The unity is born of forgiveness.” The mayor saw the construction of a monument as a sign and a step in that direction. Auxiliary priest of the cathedral, Father Yaroslav Hizhytsky told The Day that the date of the unveiling, October 22, was chosen due to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church first honored John Paul II as blessed on that day (the current Pope Benedict XVI officially beatified his predecessor, that is, recognized him to be one of the blessed, on May 1 this year), so Zhytomyr participated in the worldwide celebration of his memory. On this day 33 years ago, having been elected the Pope, John Paul II made his ingressus (that is, entered) into the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. On the same day, he said the prophetic words that the doors of human souls as well as borders between nations should be opened to Christ! And so it happened.
Father Yaroslav said that the monument itself was donated by Polish Catholics who did not want to be named in public. The monument is made of special bronze-looking, but, nonetheless, nonmetallic materials. The pedestal and plinth were funded with donations of the local Roman Catholic community’s members and other sponsors. Zhytomyr parishioners were supported in their desire to erect a monument to Blessed John Paul II by Archbishop Petro Malchuk, Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese, while the parish priest of the St. Sophia Cathedral Father Hryhorii put much effort into it, too. The Zhytomyr Catholics also appreciated help from the city council and city architects who assisted them in dealing with various issues, including legal ones, related to the monument’s erection. We should also add that another monument to Blessed John Paul II was erected in Moscow, in the courtyard of the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature almost simultaneously with the Zhytomyr one. Before Zhytomyr, monuments to the late pontiff appeared in a number of Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa.
