US President's letter on Homo Homini Monument (Poland's tribute to the victims of 9/11)

US President's letter on Homo Homini Monument

31.08.2006

US President George Bush has sent a letter of greetings and best wishes to those who will attend the unveiling of the Homo Homini Memorial in Kielce, Poland. The monument will be unveiled on September 11 in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York of 2001 and will be a symbol of protest against terrorism. "This memorial is a fitting tribute to the men, women, and children who lost their lives to terrorism and a wonderful reminder that the best hope for peace is the expansion of freedom throughout the world," President Bush wrote in the letter published by the US embassy in Warsaw on its web page.

The author of the monument is the renowned Polish sculptor Adam Myjak. Patronage over the event was assumed by the American ambassador to Poland. The Kielce authorities invited ambassadors of Britain, Russia, Spain, Israel, Indonesia and India – countries that were hit by terrorists after 2001 – as well as representatives of three major religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – to attend the unveiling ceremony.

A word of the Mayor of Kielce

Ladies and Gentlemen

On 11 September 2006, Kielce will see an extraordinary event - unveiling of the Homo Homini Memorial.

The memorial was inspired by the events of 11 September 2001 when people all over the world went into shock at the news of a terrorist attack on the WTC Twin Towers in New York. It was one of the most tragic acts of terrorism in the history of mankind. Terrorism, chosen more and more often as a solution for international tensions and conflicts, has become a disease of civilisation at the turn of the third millennium. The attacks were later followed by other tragic events in Moscow, Byeslan, Madrid, Jerusalem and London. In March last year, the City Council in Kielce declared an intention to erect the memorial and entrusted the President of the City of Kielce with the task of its execution.

The undertaking came under the honorary patronage of the US Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe. We have already begun a collection of funds intended for construction of the structure. We will be extremely grateful for your response to our appeal and financial support of this idea. Even a small donation will be a means to the end. A list of donors will be inserted in a special publication that is planned to be issued after the unveiling of the memorial. Donors will be given commemorative medals minted in a limited number. Companies or individuals who will have made donation in excess of PLN 20,000 will have their names inscribed in the memorial.

The memorial has been designed by a world-renowned sculptor and teacher Professor Adam Myjak. It will be unveiled in a solemn ceremony, featuring a premiere of the Book of September Psalms - an oratorio composed by Zbigniew Ksi¹¿ek and Piotr Rubik. Their two earlier oratorios the Œwiêtokrzyska Golgotha and Tu Es Petrus turned out a huge success. They were broadcast by public TV on several occasions, and the song Let Them Say It Is Not Love from the Tu Es Petrus oratorio became the Summer Hit of the Channel One Sopot Festival. We are planning to invite American, British, Spanish, Russian and Israeli ambassadors, i.e. representatives of the countries affected by terrorist attacks in 2001 and thereafter, as well as representatives of the three largest religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam to the ceremony. The event will be recorded by the Polish Public TV.

I am aware that terrorist attacks are a blow dealt at the civilised world and it will impinge on the 21st century. The memorial will evoke the memory of thousands of people who were brutally and intentionally killed. It will also be a sign that unification of people of good will can bring a great chance and power.

Why Kielce? Throughout the last century, citizens of our city were put through a number of ordeals. They have made the people of Kielce more sensitive. Our duty is to raise our voices in a shout any time innocent people are killed.

Wojciech Lubawski

http://www.homohomini.kielce.pl/index_eng.php

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.