A few thoughts about reconciliation according to John Paul II

The purpose of the article is to present the main principles governing the concept of reconciliation, according to Saint John Paul II. The reflections of the author are based mainly on the Pope’s most important papal document on this issue – that is the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (Reconciliation and Penance) published in 1984. As a literary illustration of this theological thesis Karol Wojtyła’s play The Jeweler’s Shop (1960) was chosen. The focus of the text relies generally on three dimensions of John Paul’s teaching: namely, the truth about sin as a starting point for reconciliation, the meeting with the Jesus Christ as the highest point of reconciliation and penitence and finally, forgiveness as an expression of reconciliation. The analysis shows that the papal catechesis is not only theological (especially Christological, Trinitarian, sacramental) but also anthropological (family, society, politics).