Polish Bishops thank Pope Francis for the 10 years of ministry for the good of the Catholic Church

The bishops stressed that among the events of the past decade, “the canonisation of St. John Paul II in 2014 will remain one of the most beautiful and laudable pages of our history. Furthermore, the pope’s presence at the World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016 was a moment of extraordinary spiritual intensity that strengthened our faith, especially of the younger generation of Poles,” reads the letter.

Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

The full text of the letter follows:

Holy Father,

in unity with all the People of God who live on Polish soil, we would like to express our gratitude for the 10 years of the ministry of Your Holiness for the good of the universal Church, as her Supreme Pontiff.

We are grateful for the teaching of Your Holiness, which inspires us to live our daily lives according to the measure of holiness. It encourages us to build the community of Christ's Church which is open, welcoming, compassionate, and merciful towards all, especially the most needy and those rejected by society.

Grateful memory prevents us from forgetting some of the events of the past decade, which in a special way connect the person of Your Holiness with the history of the Polish nation. the canonisation of St. John Paul II in 2014 will remain one of the most beautiful and laudable pages of our history. Furthermore, the pope’s presence at the World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016 was a moment of extraordinary spiritual intensity that strengthened our faith, especially of the younger generation of Poles.

As shepherds of the Church in Poland, we wish Your Holiness good health, God’s blessing and an abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in leading God’s flock towards the glory of meeting Christ.

Signed by the bishops present at the 394th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

Warsaw, 13 March 2023

Translation: M. Turski / Office for Foreign Communication of the Polish Bishops’ Conference