The St. John Paul II House Museum, located in the Pontifical Polish College in Rome, has officially opened its doors to the public with free admission, as part of the initiatives linked to the Jubilee. The space has also been created thanks to the contribution of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy.
The opening of the House Museum coincides with the visit made this Monday by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who toured the historical spaces of the College closely linked to the Roman stay of Karol Wojtyła before his election as Successor of Peter.
The Pontifical Polish College maintains a singular bond with the figure of St. John Paul II. Wojtyła stayed there on numerous occasions during his trips to Rome as Archbishop of Krakow and, in particular, resided in the College on the eve of the 1978 conclave, from where he departed for the Vatican to participate in the papal election that would culminate in his election as Pope.
The House Museum highlights the spaces directly related to the daily and spiritual life of Wojtyła during his Roman stays, as well as various autograph documents of the Saint. The tour includes, among other places, the study where he worked and the room where he slept, preserved with its original furniture.
During the institutional visit, those present included the undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council, Alfredo Mantovano; Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, emeritus archbishop of Krakow and personal secretary of St. John Paul II; Msgr. Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Msgr. Jan Antoni Głòwczyk, rector of the Pontifical Polish College in Rome; and Msgr. Paweł Ptasznik, president of the Vatican John Paul II Foundation.
At the end of the visit, Prime Minister Meloni recorded her passage through the museum in the College’s honor book, describing the House Museum as «a treasure chest of faith, spirituality, and love», and emphasizing the mark left by St. John Paul II as «a normal and extraordinary man at the same time».