Artur Hanula
Meeting with the Pope
The Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus was received in an audience by Pope Leo XIV on October 6, 2025, as part of the jubilee pilgrimage. As Patrick E. Kelly emphasized in an interview with Vatican News, “it was a wonderful meeting during which we could express our gratitude to him and say how much he means to us. We were honored that he expressed his gratitude to the Knights of Columbus and for the works we undertake to support the Church, the Vatican, and human life.”
Caring for Men and Families
The Supreme Knight spoke with Leo XIV about the crisis affecting modern men. “I spoke with him about the fact that men often feel alienated and lonely, and that the Knights of Columbus can truly do a great deal to bring together like-minded men who have a heart for the Church and can face this ‘epidemic of loneliness’ that we talk about so much,” pointed out Patrick E. Kelly.
“A Pope with a Heart Open to the Poor”
“Pope Leo was born in the United States, but he is truly a pope of the whole world. He has the heart of a missionary, a heart open to the poor; he truly is a pope for everyone, and that is wonderful,” said the Supreme Knight in an interview with Vatican News.
“It is an extraordinary feeling to have a Pope who grew up just a few hundred miles from you,” added Patrick E. Kelly. “Perhaps it is a bit like how the Polish people felt toward John Paul II. Pope Leo grew up in Chicago, and I have been to Chicago many times and grew up in the Midwest myself.”
Knights of Columbus in Poland
In Poland, the Order of the Knights of Columbus brings together about 8.5 thousand men, including about a thousand priests and bishops. There are about 220 local councils across Poland operating in about 350 parishes. Over the 20 years of their existence, Polish Knights have been involved in, among other things, helping refugees and residents of Ukraine, supporting relief efforts after floods and storms, participating in World Youth Days, and daily service in parishes.
In our country, the head of the Knights is the Wrocław attorney Michał Bartoszko, State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus in Poland. In early August, he participated in the 144th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Denver.
During the solemn awards session at that convention, former State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus in Poland Tomasz Wawrzkowicz also received thanks. Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly expressed his gratitude for his “service and work for the Order.”
