Artur Hanula
The invitation letter to Poland was handed to the Holy Father by the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, during an audience in the Apostolic Palace on December 11, 2025.
He thus referred to earlier invitations extended to the Pope by Presidents Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki, as well as some bishops.
During a press conference held after the bishops’ meeting with the Holy Father, Archbishop Wojda reported that the Pope received them “with great kindness” and “was very joyful.” Leo XIV mentioned that he had visited Poland many times as prior of the Order of St. Augustine and that it is close to his heart. He was also pleased with the opportunity to speak with the Polish bishops.
Leo XIV: It would be good to visit Poland
Although the bishops indicated 2027 as a potential time for the Holy Father’s visit to Poland, during the press conference, there is no certainty whether the papal visit will take place then. This is due to the fact that elections will be held in Poland in 2027, and it is Vatican practice that popes do not visit countries during this time. Moreover, the Pope’s schedule is very tight. It is not ruled out that a papal visit to Poland will take place in the future, although details are not known at this moment.
As the President of the KEP reported, during the meeting with the bishops, the Pope asked when the last papal apostolic journey to Poland took place. In response that it was in 2016 during the World Youth Day in Krakow, Leo XIV replied that it would be good to visit Poland.
Message of reconciliation and peace
During the meeting of Polish bishops with the Holy Father, the topic of the 60th anniversary of the message from Polish bishops to German bishops in 1965 was raised. The Deputy President of the KEP, Archbishop Józef Kupny, reported to the Pope on the main celebrations that took place in Wrocław. “The Holy Father listened to my report with great interest,” he noted. The Archbishop thanked the Pope for greeting the participants of the celebrations in Wrocław during the Angelus prayer.
The bishop had with him a facsimile of Cardinal Bolesław Kominek’s manuscript, as well as the response from the German bishops. He handed the documents to the Holy Father. “They will be in Rome permanently and will serve as a reminder of what happened 60 years ago in Wrocław,” emphasized Archbishop Kupny.
Current issues
“The presence of the Holy Father in Poland is certainly awaited and needed. We are counting on this visit,” emphasized the Secretary General of the KEP, Bishop Marek Marczak, stressing that the conversation with the Pope also highlighted the significance of the Holy Father’s visit to Poland.
“I think he is interested in visiting Poland,” Bishop Marczak assessed in an interview with the media. He added: “We talked about the prospects, the needs of such a visit, about the sign that the Holy Father is as a sign of unity in the Church, and the Church is to be a sign of reconciliation for all mankind.”
On religion classes
The visit to the Apostolic Palace was also an opportunity to address another important issue, which is the new curriculum limiting the number of hours of religion classes in schools in Poland. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda did not reveal details but emphasized that “the Pope is up to date on these matters.” The Metropolitan of Gdańsk added that the bishops informed the Pope about the situation of religion in schools, as well as about the initiatives that the Church is undertaking on this topic. “Leo XIV was perfectly aware of the situation; we only confirmed some things, and added some others,” he added.
