As part of the International Online Seminar of the Politics for Unity Movement (MPPU) “Politics and Policies for Unity in the Times of Global Change: Ideas, Commitments, Contributions” that took place on December 10-11, 2020, the round table “The ‘words’ of active citizenship and politics for unity” took place. Below is the speech of Kacper Pietraszewski (Poland) concerning the word: formation.

Kacper Pietraszewski, has a degree in Food Technology and Human Nutrition. He works independently in providing food law compliance services to companies, including multinationals. He has been a volunteer chemistry teacher and has also worked with the needy and the elderly. This year he actively participated in The Economy of Francesco, to evaluate with other entrepreneurs, a more efficient way to make available to others the extra income from his work. He presents the word Formation, one of the key words to the Care paradigm, based on his experience with Sophia Eastern Europe. 

By: Kacper Pietraszewski – Poland

 

Hi, my name is Kacper. I come from Poland. I would like to describe you today very briefly a formation project in which I took part and which is now ongoing. Following the common desire to bring the fruits of Sophia University Institute closer to the Eastern parts of Europe, an international network across the countries of our Violet Zone which connects experts, students, activists, professionals is being developed as the Sophia Network for Eastern Europe. 

The aim of this network is to promote and spread the typical way of thinking and acting of Sophia, based on collaboration and dialogue. This initiative helps us to walk together. This year we are exploring the paradigm of care and its biblical and ecclesial context, as well as ethical one. We deliberate on taking care as civic and political engagement which both require a proper education. 

In this network we are all different, but we share this diversity as an enriching experience. It is not important whether we belong to the European Union or not, if we are voting for the left or the right wing, if we are catholic, orthodox or protestant. The willingness to get to know each other, their approach, ideas, initiatives and to contribute to this exchange is stronger. And everyone is welcomed. 

Perhaps, this is actually why I am here today in front of all of you. I am not a politician, but it does not relieve me of my duty to care for the others whoever they are. And even if I am not a politician, almost everything I am doing in the bottom-up approach may bring a political impact. If I care, it impacts the common good immediately. If I don’t care, then the crisis comes in. This can be observed within states and within families. At macro and micro level. 

This formation project helps us to experience as in the lens how the concept of care may be a useful tool to tackle ongoing polarization and deepening of the divisions, growing indifference, egoism, prejudices and distrust we face almost on a daily basis. Daring to care may be kind of a universal solution. Having in mind the Golden Rule, the parable of the Good Samaritan or the parable of the Prodigal Son, we see that all kind of vulnerabilities may be embraced with our tenderness. To face these challenges, this attitude of caring for creation may be applied in politics, economy, it can be used at work or school, in our environment, in the neighborhood, in the family. Within the network we are encouraged to think, act and share what we have learned or experienced. We are invited to watch the lessons shared by the United World Project official Facebook page. 

Moreover, each month we connect together for webinars and workshops via Zoom where we can listen to the experts, ask them questions and share our thoughts. Soon we will start to reflect together on the topics shared by Pope Francis in the latest encyclical letter „Fratelli Tutti” to discover the actual moment of the Church and confront it with our local perspectives. Furthermore, our dream for the next year is to meet together at the Summer School and to build local networks of all who are interested. 

Personally, I hope that the exchange within this network will bring us inspiration to become true caregivers who are conscious of all these colorful perspectives. All in all, they all converge to one – and let us not be afraid of it – simply loving one another.