EN
John Paul II in his teaching about Poland and patriotism defines Poland as a “special mother”. It is due to the fact that the Pope places Polish patriotism within the broad perspective of pondering upon human being, his/her dignity and the freedom. Pope’s encyclicals are the starting point of this conceptualization. Here the encyclical Veritatis splendor (the Splendor of Truth) by John Paul II released in 1993 deserves the special attention. Its basic thesis is : a man should base his collective life upon permanent, objective values; upon “the truth”. Modern Europe is the ethical individualism; subjectivism and relativism. It is characterized by the “crisis of the sense”. The Polish culture is expressed by the assumption of the existence of permanent values, which should be the foundation of human community. Europe needs Poland. According to John Paul II Polish patriotism is the “love” towards something that constitutes the essence of its culture, its message. And this means that it is for each of us a “special mother”. However, this message has a universal value.