Polish president renews invitation for papal visit during Vatican talks
Polish President Karol Nawrocki met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Friday, renewing an invitation for the pontiff to visit Poland.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Pope Leo meet at the Vatican on Friday.Photo: EPA/VATICAN MEDIA HANDOUT
Nawrocki, accompanied by First Lady Marta Nawrocka and two of their children, was received at the Apostolic Palace before also holding talks with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The president told reporters that the invitation followed one previously extended by his predecessor, Andrzej Duda.
He suggested that 2027 would be a fitting time for the visit, coinciding with „the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in Gietrzwałd,” one of Poland’s most important pilgrimage sites.
Believers say that between June and September 1877, two local girls in the village of Gietrzwałd reported more than 160 visions of the Virgin Mary, who spoke to them in the local Polish dialect at a time when the area was part of Prussia.
Nawrocki said he presented the pope with „a painting of Our Lady of Gietrzwałd” as „a signal that 2027 would be an excellent year for the visit.”
Photo: EPA/VATICAN MEDIA HANDOUT
“Of course, it’s up to the Holy Father to decide,” he added.
During his two-day visit to Rome, Nawrocki also held talks with Italian leaders.
On Friday afternoon, he was hosted by President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace for plenary discussions.
His aides said Nawrocki and Mattarella discussed strong Polish-Italian ties, focusing on economic and security cooperation as well as working together within the European Union and NATO.
On Thursday, Nawrocki laid flowers at the tomb of Polish-born Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica before meeting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Palazzo Chigi.
The trip was Nawrocki’s second foreign visit since taking office on August 6.
Earlier this week, he met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where Trump pledged to keep American troops in Poland and said he was open to sending more.
“We’re with Poland all the way, and we will help Poland protect itself,” Trump said on Wednesday.
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Source: IAR, PAP
Radio Poland
