During his pilgrimages to his homeland, John Paul II was teaching his countrymen about the problems specifi c to the Church in Poland, but also to the whole Church. One of these themes was the missions ad gentes. The Pope noticed and pointed out on the example of the history of his nation that missions built Polish statehood and shaped Polish culture. He called for this process to be recognized in the history of Europe as a whole and to recognize in evangelization the factor that builds and defi nes its true identity. He showed that missions help imbue human culture with a supernatural element. He recalled the truth about the missionary nature of the Church and the missionary vocation of all its members. Responsibility and cooperation in the missionary work was for John Paul II one of the forms of the “imagination of mercy.”  Appealing to his countrymen for missionary generosity and commitment, he also pointed to the fi gures who were involved in the animation of the missionary work in the Polish and universal Church. In his teaching in Poland, he recalled the missionary task of the Church community and of each and every faithful.

The analysis carried out in the article indicates the truths about the Church contained in Benedict XVI’s encyclicals, which at the same time constitute specific inspirations for the missionary work of the Church ad gentes. The Pope does not distinguish between generally separate „missionary situations” and speaks rather of a single, fundamental, inalienable mission that still stands before the Church. Sometimes, however, he evokes the activity of the Church in mission areas. He reminds and points out that the Church’s ever-present task, including the mission ad gentes, is to remind and proclaim to the contemporary world the truth about God who is love. Missionary activity is also supposed to restore hope to modern man that goes beyond the temporal order. Finally, the Church’s mission, especially in the framework of her mission ad gentes, is to care for the true progress and development of every person and of the whole human society in truth and love. The missionary activity of the community Christ’s disciples remains a special area of such presence and witness of the Church in a world which is constantly globalizing.

The turning point of Icelandic history was the reception of Christianity. After the discovery of the island, and then its settlement and the organization of an independent state, this was another step in the unification of the Icelandic nation. The circumstances of Iceland's acceptance of Christianity are peculiar in comparison with other countries in Europe at that time. While the decision to accept a new religion was usually made by the ruler, in Iceland the introduction of Christianity took place by the decision of the pagan parliament. Opposition to each other, the pagan and Christian factions, through reasonable negotiations, agreed in a bloodless manner on political agreement in this matter. The national assembly – Althingi – made a resolution in the summer of 1000 establishing a Christianity valid for the whole country religion. It is worth noting that pagan priest and clan leader Thorgeir Thorlaksson, played a crucial role here. Iceland was thus a country that was an exception to the European countries, which accepted a new faith through the conscious and voluntary decision of its inhabitants.

The missionary action in Iceland did not end with the reception of Christianity by Althing in the year 1000. Further eff orts of the missionaries and their cooperation with Icelandic society were necessary to consolidate the adopted faith. The missionaries from Germany and England fi rst had a huge share here. Then, the native bishops and clergy took over this role successfully. The political and social stabilization of this period allowed Christianity to take root in the society of the Icelandic time of the independent Icelandic Community. This was confi rmed by the rise and development of monastic life, the development of Icelandic culture and education. The fi rst period of Christianity in Iceland allowed for laying solid foundations on which, even after the loss of sovereignty, Icelanders could preserve their cultural identity and national heritage.

Po XIX-wiecznym ożywieniu aktywności misyjnej Kościoła związanym ze stabilizacją systemu kolonialnego odnotowano słabości takiego sposobu postrzegania i realizacji działań misyjnych. Ważnym wydarzeniem w ewolucji idei misyjnej było zakończenie I wojny światowej w świeckim wymiarze historii, a od strony kościelnej list apostolski Benedykta XV Maximum illud. Zapoczątkował on przemiany w świadomości misyjnej Kościoła, ukoronowane ostatecznie soborowym modelem misji. Przemiany w rozumienia idei misyjnej dostrzec możemy tak w wypowiedziach kolejnych papieży, jak i w innych dokumentach Stolicy Apostolskiej. Blisko pięćdziesiąt lat między tymi wydarzeniami pozwoliło wyzwolić się Kościołowi z mentalności kolonialnej. W tym czasie dość mocno postąpił proces kształtowania się świadomości Kościoła jako jednego organizmu, w którym misje zajmują ważne miejsce. Mają one prowadzić do zakładania i wspierania samodzielnie funkcjonujących Kościołów lokalnych. Zauważono też, że misje są wymianą duchowych darów i znakiem „zdrowej” wiary, a nie formą narzucania kulturowej czy religijnej dominacji. Dowartościowane zostało też powszechne wezwanie do zaangażowania się w dzieło misyjne, które mogą wspomagać Papieskie Dzieła Misyjne.