Lublin – 28 February 2025
On February 28, 2025, at the headquarters of the Czesław Strzeszewski Catholic Intelligentsia Club in Lublin, a meeting of members and supporters of the Catholic Intelligentsia Club and other guests took place – the meeting was open. The meeting was also attended by the President of the Catholic Intelligentsia Club and the main organizer of the event, Prof. Mieczysław Ryba. The meeting was also attended by young people – students of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and Maria Curie-Słodowska University in Lublin.
The meeting was opened by Prof. Mieczysław Ryba, who briefly discussed current legal and social problems in relation to events in the history of our country. He emphasized that we are currently at a very critical moment in our history. The geopolitical situation – on the one hand, the change of government in the United States of America, the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, with its dynamic events and sometimes controversial decisions, and on the other hand, the endless war in Ukraine, after the brutal attack by Putin’s Russia – puts us in a very dangerous position. At the same time, especially the election of President Donald Trump, gives us a basis for looking for opportunities for Poland. However, he also emphasized that the social crises of Western countries, caused by the absurd open-door policy for illegal migrants from Muslim countries, puts our society in a different situation. Here, we do not have a problem of illegal migration, although we are consumed by a different kind of problem – a demographic catastrophe. Our society is aging at an alarming rate. And this requires us to notice new problems of the elderly.
After this presentation by the President of the Catholic Intelligentsia Club, it was time for the main lecture of the meeting: „Everyone has the right – the beauty of life for the elderly”. In it, I indicated the scientific program and the research conducted within it by Hungarian and Polish scientists on the issues of freedom and rights of the elderly. I referred to a number of findings already made within the indicated scientific research. I described the fundamental problems, but also the possibility of solving them. Then I moved on to the main thread of my speech, i.e. to presenting the beauty of life of the elderly, pointing to their experience and the wisdom flowing from it. The beautiful experience of this last stage of life, however, depends on the possibility for the elderly to use their constitutional freedoms and rights. I indicated the need to implement a comprehensive senior policy in the country.
After the lecture, which lasted about 30 minutes, a lively discussion began with the participation of both senior citizens, members of the Catholic Intelligentsia Club, and students, supporters of the Catholic Intelligentsia Club. The discussion lasted about 60 minutes and covered topics of both senior policy and the problem of demographic collapse and related consequences.
The meeting was summed up and concluded by Prof. Mieczysław Ryba, who thanked everyone for coming and wished success in scientific research of the network of Hungarian and Polish scientists, especially in the field of freedom and rights of the elderly.
