John Paul II’s personal papers are to be published by the Krakow-based Znak Publishing Institute, even though the late Polish Pope asked for the documents to be burnt after his death.

Znak’s director Henryk Wozniakowski said the papers include the Pope’s prayers and reflections as well as notes showing the Pope’s concern for those dear to him and for the Church.

The 640-page book, entitled ‘I am in God’s hands. Personal notes 1962-2003’ will hit the bookstores on 5 February.

In his will, John Paul II wanted his notes burnt after his death but his personal secretary, Stanisław Dziwisz, now the Archbishop of Kraków, did not fulfil the Pope’s wish.

Explaining his decision in the preface to the book, Dziwisz,writes that the Pope’s personal notes are of historical importance and “the key to interpreting his spirituality, his innermost self: his relationships with God, others and himself”.

Pope John Paul II will be canonized, together with Pope John XXIII, on 13 April.

 Source: Radio Polska

 A five-year investigation into the death of Polish World War II leader General Wladyslaw Sikorski has found no evidence to support conspiracy theories that he was murdered.

 Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) has found no proof that Poland’s wartime prime minister was either murdered prior to the flight, or that the plane crash itself was caused by sabotage.

In a statement, IPN concluded that there is “no reasonable doubt” in the question of his boarding the plane alive.

The Polish leader’s death on 4 July 1943 remains a riddle to many, in spite of an official wartime investigation that claimed the crash was an accident.

Sikorski, who headed the Polish government-in-exile in London, was flying back to England after visiting Gibraltar when his Liberator plane plunged into the sea, shortly after take-off.

Apart from the pilot, who survived with broken limbs, all aboard apparently died immediately, although some bodies were never recovered, further fuelling conspiracy theorists.

Accusations have been levelled at Russia, Britain and a clique of Polish army officers over the years.

An official British military investigation blamed the crash on jammed controls in the cockpit.

As revealed in March 2013 by Piotr Dabrowski from IPN, besides archival work, two witnesses have been interviewed for the current probe in England and Spain.

The first was a radio operator who participated in the British navy’s salvage operation, immediately after the plane went down. The second was a diver who helped extract bodies from the wreck.

Claims that Sikorski had been murdered prior to take off were largely dispelled following the exhumation of his remains in 2008 at Wawel Cathedral, Krakow.

 Noted British historian Professor Norman Davies told  that “no reputable historian” had ever insisted that sabotage was the cause of Sikorski’s death.

Polskie Radio – Articles

 The exhibition consists of memorabilia related in various ways to the Prince, from the collection of the National Museum in Krakow.

 Józef Antoni Poniatowski was born on 7 May 1763 in Vienna to Andrzej Poniatowski and Teresa Kinsky. Bound for a military career, he eventually received the rank of General and became the Marshal of France; he was later announced as the Minister of War and Head of the Army of Warsaw County. On 19 October 1813, while covering the retreat of Napoleon’s forces during the Battle of Leipzig, Prince Józef was killed. His body, pulled out of water after five days, was brought back to Warsaw and buried in the Church of the Holy Cross a year later. His final interment took place on 23 July 1817 in St. Leonard’s Crypt at Wawel Cathedral.

 The Prince was a singular character, famous for his military talents and outstanding courage, but also for his adventurous, even extravagant lifestyle, which contributed to his legend when illustrated in numerous works of high and popular art.
As a young man, he was a favourite with the Warsaw ladies, who gave him the nickname of Pepi.

With Poland being progressively partitioned during his uncle’s reign, the young Poniatowski ultimately fought in the anti-Tsarist Kosciuszko Insurrection of 1794.

After Poland had been wiped from the map, he joined forces with Napoleon, who in 1807 created the so-called Duchy of Warsaw, supposedly the kernel of a resurgent Poland.

However, the 1812 campaign, which Bonaparte dubbed his “second Polish war,” ended in disaster, and Poniatowski fell the following year at the Battle of Leipzig.

Legend recounts that the prince spurred his horse into the currents of the River Elster after refusing to surrender, a scene that duly became a staple subject for 19th century Polish painters.

 The most common depiction of Prince Józef presents him in a military uniform decorated with medals and a sash across his chest. On the portrait donated to the National Museum’s collection by Adam Wolański in 1906, he is wearing the “great” uniform of the Division Commander, the sash of the Order of the White Eagle, and the star of the Legion of Honour, which he received in 1809. In the same year, Poniatowski was awarded with the highest Polish military decoration – The Grand Cross of the Virtuti Militari Order.
For over a century, he remained the only Pole decorated with such a prestigious medal. The star to the Grand Ribbon of the Virtuti Militari Order is the most precious element of our exhibition.
After the Prince’s death, the star was allegedly brought to Poland by his valet. His heirs then sold it to Henryk Stecki, who presented it as a gift to Emeryk Hutten-Czapski in 1873. The decoration was eventually incorporated into the National Museum’s collection, together with other donations from Hutten-Czapski. In 2006, the unique relic experienced another turn in its history, when it was stolen from an exhibition in Warsaw. Thought to be lost forever, the missing order was eventually found in the Ukraine and re-joined the national collection in 2008.
The exhibition runs at the central branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow until 11 November.

 From National Museum in Krakow site