The Papal window at Franciszkanska 3
As the church in Poland adjusts to 21st century trends in society, the curia in Kraków is taking the church to another, virtual dimension. Franciszkańska 3 dot pl is a new internet portal that hopes to bring together faithful followers of the late John Paul II, from the younger generations and beyond. But will the so-called ‘JP2’ and latterly the ‘B16’ generations catch on?
John Beauchamp reports
The office of the Catholic Centre for Culture is made up of two small rooms round the corner from the Archbishop’s Palace in Kraków, which can be found at Franciszkańska 3. It was here that John Paul II, then Cardinal Wojtyła, spent his most valued years, serving as the Archbishop of Kraków.
The Catholic Centre for Culture has been trusted with the laying the foundations of a new internet portal that takes its name from the address where the late Pontiff addressed the young faithful during his time as Pope, and it is to the every one of his followers that this site is directed. Anna Latała from the Centre: 'Franciszkanska3.pl is to serve as a news portal, that follows the official Church line, and hopes to bring like-minded people together with a service similar to nasza-klasa.pl, the Polish answer to well-known sites like Facebook. Online chat will also be part of the deal, and it is rumoured that it will be possible to chat with Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, as well a number of priests who will be waiting online to answer any of those pressing questions people might want answered, but would not want to do it in person.'
The portal will be launched on the 2nd April, on the anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death. And with so many young followers of one of Poland’s great moral authorities around the world, it is this group that the church wants to reach out to using new media, bringing the Church closer to the tech-savvy faithful across the globe. After all, Pope John Paul II did say that “the future starts today, not tomorrow.”
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by John Beauchamp.