Intellectual and Emotional Closeness of Pope John Paul II and Mrs. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka

Mrs. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka and Pope John Paul II as a cardinal in a skiing trip in Poland

Photo courtesy: bbc.com/

Mrs. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka and Pope John Paul II in the Vatican

Photo courtesy: www.bbc.com/

According to the BBC Panorama programme, titled The Secret Letters of Pope John Paul, aired in mid-February of 2016, revealed that letters between Pope John Paul II and Poland-born American philosopher Mrs. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka demonstrate an intellectual and emotional closeness between them. These letters were being held in the archives of the National Library of Poland since 2008 and were inaccessible to people for decades. Ultimately, after much efforts, a BBC journalist was able to see only the letters of Pope John Paul II, while the letters of Mrs. Tymieniecka are still kept in the dark. 

This contact, some call it 'intense friendship,' others 'unrequited love,' started in 1973 when Pope John Paul II, known as Karol Wojtyla, was the archbishop of Krakow in Poland and lasted until his death in 2005. 

The BBC mentioned that their correspondence that started in a formal tone graduated to more intimate tone as the years passed by. 

Marsha Malinowski, a rare manuscript dealer who facilitated the sale of the letters, said: " I do believe she completely fell in love with him during the first phase of their relationship."

But a spokesman of National Library of Poland's archives told BBC:"John Paul II was surrounded by a circle of friends -- including clergymen, nuns, and laypeople -- with whom he stayed in close contact. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka was within this circle of friends -- John Paul II's friendship with her was neither secret nor extraordinary."

The archives let the BBC journalist look at the letters of Pope John Paul II only, but for some unknown reasons, not those of Mrs. Tymieniecka, although she herself in interviews previously denied her love for the Pope. Then, what is there in the letters of Mrs. Tymieniecka that hinders them to make them public? If the letters are innocent, they should be made public. The Catholic Church asks the laity to be transparent in their words and deeds and why doesn't it apply to the members of the hierarchy? We hope that the National Library of Poland archives will do the right thing to release Mrs. Tymieniecka's letters for public view and help people better understand St. Pope John Paul II (Pope Francis declared him a saint on April 27, 2014) and Mrs. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka. According to the Bible, the truth shall make us all free. Otherwise, some people will always have a doubt about the pope's saintliness. 

To learn more on the topic, please read the following:

• The secret letters of Pope John Paul II (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Pope John Paul letters reveal ‘intense’ friendship with woman (Feb. 15, 2016)
• BBC doc claims John Paul II had ‘intense friendship’ with married woman (Feb. 15, 2016)
• What really happened between Pope John Paul II and his close friend, Anna-Teresa Tynieniecka? (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Did the Pope have a lover? Letters reveal ‘extraordinary’ relationship between John Paul II and a married woman (Feb. 15, 2016)
• John Paul II letters reveal 32-year relationship with woman (Correspondence sheds light on relationship with Anna-Teresa Tynieniecka, a Polish philosopher beginning in 1973) (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Letters from John Paul II Show Deep Friendship With Woman (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Pope John Paul II had intense friendship with married woman Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, BBC reports (Feb. 15, 2016)
• St. John Paul II’s letters to Polish-American woman reveal intimate friendship (Feb. 15, 2016)
• BBC: Pope John Paul II’s ‘intense’ letters to married woman (Feb. 15, 2016)
• The Pope and the married woman who was the secret love of his life. Treasure trove of letters and photographs shed light on John Paul II’s extraordinarily close relationship with philosopher (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Pope John Paul letters reveal ‘intense’ friendship between Pope and married woman (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Letters reveal Pope John Paul II’s intensely emotional relationship with a married woman (Feb. 17, 2016)
• Letters from Pope John Paul II reveal friendship with married woman [Video with Transcript] (Feb. 21, 2016)
• Papal letters raise issues around clerical friendships with women (March 12, 2016)
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• In Defense of Pope John Paul II:

• Vatican dismisses BBC documentary on Pope John Paul II relationship (Feb. 13, 2016)
• Vatican dismisses BBC doco on St. John Paul II relationship (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Those letters between John Paul II and a woman? Not so secret, actually (Feb. 15, 2016)
• Pope John Paul II's letters to female philosopher show 'courageous' friendship (Feb. 16, 2016)
• The Secret Letters of Pope John Paul II: a silly programme that revealed no secrets (Feb. 16, 2016)
• Breda O’Brien: Pope John Paul II had many friends, including women, which proves nothing (Feb. 20, 2016)
• Vatican Dismisses BBC Documentary Implying Pope John Paul II Broke Celibacy Vow (Feb. 24, 2016)
• In Defense of Human Life John Paul II and Feminine Genius (May 1, 2011)
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• Life-Sketches of Pope John Paul II and Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka:
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• Pope John Paul II
• Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka

(Updated on July 12, 2018)