The “Positio” of
Cardinal Augustus Hlond
(ANS – 19/2/2008, Vatican City) – Yesterday morning, 18 February, Father
Ambrogio Esser O.P., General Moderator of the Causes of Saints, and
Moderator of the Cause of Beatification and Canonisation of the Salesian
Cardinal
Augustus Hlond, (1881-1948),
accepted the "Positio" of the Servant of God.
Handing
over the documentation was Fr Stanislaw Zimniak, of the Salesian Historical
Institute, responsible for putting together the two large volumes with
almost two thousand pages, which present the heroicity of the life and
virtues as well as the reputation for holiness of the Servant of God. Also
present were the Postulator General, Fr Enrico dal Covolo, and his
collaborator, Fr Luigi Fedrizzi.
Augustus Hlond was appointed by Pope Pius XI archbishop of Gniezno and
Poznan, and Primate of Poland, on 24 June 1926. He founded the "Society of
Christ" for the pastoral care of Poles scattered around various parts of the
world. With the Second World War the calvary of Cardinal Hlond began as he
was forced into exile until the end of the war. Even in this situation he
did everything possible to put into practice the "Da mihi animas" of Don
Bosco. In this way he opened the way for his great "successors", Cardinal
Stefan Wyszynski and Cardinal Karol Wojtyla.
He prophesied a decisive intervention by Mary in freeing Poland from the
Soviet regime. He died on 22 October 1948. His funeral was an apotheosis.
For the first time in the history of Poland he was buried in Cathedral of
Warsaw of which he had been archbishop since the end of the war. Pope
Benedict XVI, on his visit to Poland recollected himself in prayer before
the tomb of the Servant of God.