Polish composer Henryk Górecki has been awarded the St. Gregory the Great Medal by Pope Benedict XVI, reports the Polish Radio news service. It states that Cardinal Dziwisz, the Archbishop of Kraków, declared the medal, in his words, "an expression of the gratitude of the universal Church for the composer’s hard work and sacrifice, for his testimony of faith and unbroken spirit, for his wonderful compositions which have a lasting place in the treasure house of sacred music, and also an expression of the church’s anticipation of more pieces that will uplift our hearts to God."
Polish composer Henryk Górecki has been awarded the St. Gregory the Great Medal by Pope Benedict XVI, reports the Polish Radio news service.
A Polskie Radio article covering the medal ceremony in Kraków says that Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, the Archbishop of Kraków (a position once held by Pope John Paul II), declared the medal, in his words,
"an expression of the gratitude of the universal Church for the composer’s hard work and sacrifice, for his testimony of faith and unbroken spirit, for his wonderful compositions which have a lasting place in the treasure house of sacred music, and also an expression of the church’s anticipation of more pieces that will uplift our hearts to God."
The report goes on to say that the Cardinal, who served as private secretary to Pope John Paul II for nearly four decades, let the composer know how much that Pope appreciated his friendship and his music.
Read the full account at polskieradio.pl.
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