Bishops invite Pope Leo XIV to Poland

Source: Polish Bishops Conference

The Polish Bishops' Conference visited Pope Leo XIV last week. During their Audience with the Holy Father they presented him with a letter inviting him to Poland.

The President of the Archbishop Wojda, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda SAC, said: "the Pope received us with great kindness" and "took a keen interest in various matters... He said that he had visited Poland many times, that Poland is very close to his heart, and that he was happy that we could talk together," Archbishop Wojda noted.

"I presented the Holy Father with a letter inviting him to Poland," said the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, adding that such invitations had already been extended by the former and current Presidents of the Republic of Poland and by some bishops. Archbishop Wojda emphasised that he told the Pope that 2027 was particularly timely because it marks the 150th anniversary of the apparitions in Gietrzwałd. The Pope replied that he already has a lot of things on his calendar in 2026 and 2027, but that he will take it into consideration.

Archbishop Wojda said that Pope Leo XIV asked which pope had last visited Poland. He was told that Pope Francis had visited during World Youth Day in 2016.

Archbishop Wojda thanked the Holy Father for appointing Cardinal Dominik Duka OP, now of blessed memory, as legate for the 100th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Gdańsk. Unfortunately, Cardinal Duka was unable to attend the celebrations due to hospitalisation, but his homily was read out.

The President of the Polish Bishops' Conference said that the bishops had informed the Pope about the preparations of the Commission of Independent Experts to investigate the issue of sexual abuse. "The Holy Father already knew about this because he had been informed," he added.

He noted that at the end of the audience, the Holy Father gave the bishops his blessing.

Archbishop Józef Kupny, Deputy President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, reported to the Holy Father on the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Polish bishops' Letter to the German bishops, which took place in Wrocław. "The Holy Father listened to my report with great interest," said Archbishop Kupny. He added that he had brought with him a facsimile of Cardinal Bolesław Kominek's manuscript and the response of the German bishops and handed them over to the Holy Father. "These documents will remain in Rome permanently and will serve as a reminder of what happened 60 years ago in Wrocław," he said.

Archbishop Kupny admitted that this is a very important issue, because "we are divided... We all need to reach out. We need to reach out not only to Germans, now that relations are more tense, but also to Ukrainians, to our loved ones in our families, to our political opponents, and to those who think differently than we do," he said.

During an audience with Pope Leo XIV, the Secretary General of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Bishop Marek Marczak, spoke about the current activities of the Polish Episcopate and its relations with the Polish State. "I felt obliged to tell the Holy Father about these areas of our activity, about what the Polish Bishops' Conference is currently working on, what documents it is preparing, but also about our relations with the Polish state, including the tensions that exist in these relations," he noted. "The Holy Father, through his diplomatic service, is aware of many of these issues, so many matters were close to his heart, he knew about them and asked for details."

Bishop Marczak said the Holy Father is familiar with the realities of Poland. "I think he is interested in visiting Poland... We discussed the prospects and the need for such a visit, as well as the Holy Father's role as a symbol of unity in the Church, and the Church's role as a symbol of reconciliation for all mankind. His presence in Poland is certainly expected and needed. We are counting on this visit."

Press Office of the Polish Bishops' Conference